UBRARY  OF  PRINCETON 

'    '1 


FEB272004 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


NOTES, 


CRITICAL    AND    P    :  A  C  T  I  C  A  L 


ON  THE   BOOK.  OF 


GENESIS; 


design:'      a  i     -»     '-iNxH.M.    I    -:..l'    Ti 


BIBLICAL    READING     AND    INSTRUCTION. 


By  GEORGE  BUSH, 

PROF.  OF  HEB.   AND  ORIENT.  LIT.,  N.  V.  CITY  UNIVERS 


IN    TW«^    VrMUMFt' 
VOL.  II. 


TENTH    EDIT!©."*. 


N  E  W  -  Y  0  R  K  : 


PUBLISHED  BY  NEWMAN  AND  IVISON, 

199  Broadway. 

CINCINNATI :  MOORE  &  ANDERSON.    AUBURN  :  J.  C.  IVISON  &  CO 

CHICAGO  :  S.  C,  GRIGGS  &  CO  DETROIT  :  A.  McFAREEN. 


18.59. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  vear  1838,  by 
lathe  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Soutnem  District  of  New  Yoik. 


!>'«'«-W^  ^  v«  *  v^ 


STEREOTYPED  BY  J.   8.   REDIiEL*.-, 

No.  13  Chambers-Street,  New  YorSc 


THE  BOOK  OF  GENESIS. 
VOL.  II. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

If  those  portions  of  history  are  most 
replete  with  interest  and  instruction 
which  exhibit  to  us  illustrious  charac- 
ters in  trying  situations,  having  their 
virtues  put  to  the  severest  test,  yet  hold- 
ing fast  their  integrity,  conquering  diffi- 
culties, and  rising  superior  to  temptation 
by  the  power  of  moral  principle,  then 
the  ensuing  narrative  of  Abraham's  last 
and  greatest  trial  prefers  the  strongest 
claims  to  our  attention.  It  is  an  event 
preeminently  memorable  in  the  Ufe  of 
the  patriarch.  Whatever  signal  instan- 
ces of  faith  and  obedience  have  hither- 
to distinguished  his  conduct,  they  are 
all  eclipsed  by  that  which  we  are  now^ 
called  to  consider.  At  the  very  time 
when  we  are  prompted  to  congratulate 
the  happy  sire,  and  flatter  ourselves 
that  his  tribulations  have  an  end ; 
that  the  storms  w^hich  ruffled  the  noon 
of  Ufe  are  blown  over,  and  the  evening 
of  his  age  is  becoming  calm  and  serene, 
the  sorest  of  his  struggles  yet  awaits 
him.  The  loss  of  a  beloved  child  would, 
under  any  circumstances,  have  been  a 
grievous  affliction ;  but  in  the  present 
case  he  finds  himself  required  to  submit 
to  a  bereavement  which  threatened  to 
extinguish  the  hopes  of  the  world.  Nor 
was  this  all.  The  fatal  blow  was  to  be 
struck  with  his  own  hand !  And  in 
this  he  was  called  to  obey  a  mandate 
in  which  the  divine  counsel  seemed  so 
evidently  to  war  with  itself,  that  his  bo- 
som could  not  but  be  torn  with  a  con- 
flict of  emotions,  such  as  the  mere  grief 
of  a  father  conld  never  occasion.  To  a 
command  which  should  merely  put  to 
the  proof    his    patemal  aflfection.    he 

VOL.  IT.  1 


could,  no  doubt,  have  submitted  without 
hesitation ;  but  when,  to  the  eye  of 
reason,  he  saw  the  precept  arrayed 
against  the  promise  of  God,  and  an  act 
enjoined  directly  at  variance  with  all 
the  attributes  of  a  Being  holy,  just,  and 
true,  he  could  not  but  be  conscious  of 
an  inward  struggle,  ineffably  severe. 
But  the  faith  which  had  triumphed  be- 
fore, triumphed  now ;  and  as  he  came 
forth  from  the  terrible  ordeal,  hke  gold 
tried  in  the  furnace,  how  pertinently 
may  we  conceive  an  approving  God 
addressing  him  in  the  language  of  the 
poet : — 

"  All  thy  vexations 
Were  but  my  trials  of  thy  love  :  and  thou 
Ilast  strangely  stood  the  test." 

The  command  here  given  to  the  pa- 
triarch to  sacrifice  his  only  son  has  ever 
been  so  fruitful  a  theme  of  cavil  with  the 
enemies  of  revelation,  that  it  will  be  pro- 
per, in  the  outset,  to  advert  vdth  some 
particularity  to  the  objections  usually 
urged  against  it.  The  command,  it  is 
said,  is  inconsistent  with  the  attributes 
of  a  Being  of  perfect  justice  and  good- 
ness. But  to  this  it  may  be  rephed,  that 
the  assertion  rests  upon  no  sufficient 
grounds.  As  God  is  the  author  and  giver 
of  life,  he  surely  can,  without  the  least 
shadow  of  injustice,  take  it  away  when 
and  in  what  manner  he  pleases.  It 
carmot  be  supposed  that  he  conferred 
life  either  upon  Abraham  or  Isaac,  upon 
the  terms  of  taking  it  away  only  in  one 
certain  manner,  or  in  the  way  most 
agreeable  to  them.  It  was  given  in 
this,  as  in  all  other  cases,  under  the  or- 
dinary reserve  of  his  own  indisputable 
right  of  resumption  in  any  mode  that 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  ISTS'. 


might  seem  to  him  best.  There  is  im- 
doubtedly  something  shocking  in  the 
idea  of  a  parent's  taking  away  the  Ufe 
of  his  o-wn  child  ;  but  when  tliis  is  done 
in  obedience  to  an  express  command 
from  a  competent  authority,  then  that 
which  would  otherwise  be  a  sin  be- 
comes a  duty,  and  wlioever  would  im- 
pugn the  act,  must  necessarily  impugn 
the  authority  from  which  it  proceeds. 
To  human  view  it  might  appear  a  very 
barbarous  deed  in  a  father  to  order  a 
son  to  be  beaten  to  death  with  rods  be- 
fore his  eyes;  yet  the  conduct  of  Junius 
Brutus,  who  pjassed  this  sentence  upon 
his  own  children,  is  usually  considered 
as  having  been  fully  justified  by  the 
circumstances  which  occasioned  it. 
And  did  Abraham  owe  less  obedience 
to  God  than  Brutus  to  his  country  ? 
Indeed,  had  the  command  been  actually 
executed,  we  should  have  been  bound, 
by  our  antecedent  knowledge  of  the 
perfections  of  the  Deity,  to  regard  it  as 
wise,  JTJst,  and  good  ;  though  we  might 
not,  from  our  limited  powers,  have  been 
able  to  see  the  reason  of  it ;  for  a  di- 
vine command  necessarily  supposes  wis- 
dom, justice,  and  goodness  in  the  highest 
possible  degree.  But  this  was  not  the 
case.  God  never  intended  that  the 
command  should  be  actually  executed. 
His  purpose  was  to  make  trial  of  Abra- 
ham's faith  and  obedience  ;  to  make 
him  perfect  by  suffering;  and  in  him 
to  propose  to  all  coming  generations  an 
illustrious  example  for  their  imitation 
in  the  various  trying  services  and  sacri- 
fices to  which  the  voice  of  duty  might 
call  them.  And  will  any  one  affirm 
that  God  may  not,  without  impeaching 
his  wisdom,  his  justice,  or  his  mercy, 
put  true  religion  to  the  test  ?— the  test 
of  severe  and  repeated  trials— the  bet- 
ter to  display,  to  perfect,  and  to  crowTi 
it  ?  Great  virtue  has  a  right  to  be  made 
conspicuous.  It  is  sinking  the  merit  of 
all  true  moral  heroism  to  withold  from 
it  the  occasions  of  exercising  itself. 
The  justice  of  God,  therefore   is  so  far 


from  being  concerned  in  guarding  great 
minds  from  great  trials,  that  it  is  rather 
evinced  in  granting  them.  Nor  are  we. 
to  estimate  such  a  dispensation  by  the 
shght  and  transient  anxieties  or  pains  of 
the  trial  itself,  but  by  the  lasting  joy 
that  awaits  and  rewards  the  triumph. 
Add  to  this  the  incalculable  advantages 
that  would  redound  to  mankind  at  large 
from  such  an  example.  No  one  can  doubt 
that  every  signal  instance  of  devout 
submission  to  the  will  of  God  under  the 
pressure  of  sha^p  temptations  is  among 
the  stablest  supports  and  the  most  pow- 
erful incitements  to  a  similar  conduct 
under  similar  circumstances.  Every 
such  example  is  a  new  and  shining  hght 
set  up  on  high  to  guide,  enlighten,  and 
cheer  us  in  the  path  of  duty.  But  while 
we  find,  in  these  considerations,  an  ample 
vindication  of  the  wisdom  and  equity  of 
this  command,  perhaps  a  stUl  more  ade- 
quate estimate  will  be  formed  of  it,  if  we 
view  it  in  another  hght.  It  has  gene- 
rally been  held  that  the  present  com- 
mand was  imposed  merely  as  a  trial  of 
Abraham's  faith ;  and  seeing  the  deed 
was  not  executed,  it  has  been  affirmed 
that  there  was  nothing  unworthy  the 
divine  goodness  in  having  instituted 
such  a  trial ;  all  which  may  be  readily 
admitted :  but  as  Bp.  Warburton  has 
suggested,  it  hardly  accounts  for  all  the 
circumstances ;  and  it  may  be  well  to 
state,  in  a  condensed  form,  the  theory  of 
that  learned  divine  in  regard  to  it.  He 
supposes  that  Abraham  was  desirous  of 
becoming  acquainted  with  the  manner 
in  which  all  the  families  of  the  earth 
should  be  blessed  in  him  ;  and  upon 
this  he  builds  the  conclusion  that  the 
command  was  imposed  upon  him  chief- 
ly with  the  design  of  teaching  him  by 
action,  instead  of  words,  and  thus  ena- 
bling him  to  see  and  feel  by  what  means 
this  great  end  should  be  accomplished. 
In  other  words,  that  it  was  a  prefigura- 
tion  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ. 

This  theory  the  author  founds  upon 
that  passage  of  the  Gospel  of  John  8 


B.  C.  1872.1 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


A    ND  it  came  to  pass  after  these 
^^  things,  that  *  God    did  tempt 

Heb.  11.  17.    Jam.  1.  12. 


a  1  Cor.  10.  13. 
I  Pet.  1. 7. 


56.  in  which  the  Lord  says  to  the  unhe- 
lieving  Jews,  ♦  Your  father  Abraham  re- 
joiced to  see  my  day ;  and  he  saw  it 
and  was  glad.'  It  is  evident,  from  the 
reply  made  by  the  Jews  to  this  asser- 
tion, that  they  understood  the  expression 
to  see  in  its  most  hteral  sense  ;  while  it 
is  equally  evident,  that  when  they  ob- 
jected to  the  possibility  of  a  man,  not 
yet  fifty  years  old,  having  seen  Abra- 
ham, our  Lord  did  not  correct  them  in 
the  notion  which  they  had  formed  as 
to  seeing.  It  was  not,  however,  himself 
jiersonally,  whom  our  Saviour  asserted 
that  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see,  but  his 
day;  by  which  cannot  be  meant  the 
period  of  his  sojourn  upon  earth,  but  the 
circumstance  in  his  hfe  which  was  of 
the  highest  importance,  and  mainly 
characteristic  of  his  office  as  the  Re- 
deemer. That  the  term  will  admit  of 
this  interpretation  is  indubitable,  from 
the  frequent  use  made,  in  a  similar 
sense,  of  the  word  hour.  Thus,  when 
our  Lord  repeatedly  says,  '  My  hour  is 
not  yet  come'—'  the  hour  is  at  hand, 
and  the  Son  of  Man  is  betrayed  into 
the  hands  of  sinners  ;'  when  he  prayed 
that  'if  it  were  possible  the  hour  might 
pass  from  him :'  where  it  is  said,  that 
'no  man  laid  hands  on  him,  because 
his  hour  was  not  yet  come ;'  and  again, 
'  that  the  hour  was  come  when  the  Son 
of  Man  should  be  glorified,'— in  all  these 
instances  it  is  evident  that  the  word 
does  not  signify  a  mere  portion  of  time, 
from  which  no  one  can  be  saved  by  its 
passmg  from  him  ;  but  some  particular 
circumstance  or  circumstances  in  his 
life,  which  were  peculiar  to  him  as  the 
Redeemer.  The  peculiar  circumstance, 
however,  which  constituted  Jesus  the 
Redeemer  of  the  world,  was  the  laying 
down  of  his  hfe  ;  and  this  it  was  which 


Abraham,  and  said  unto  him,  Abra- 
ham :  and  he  said,  Behold,  here  I 


Abraham  must  have  rejoiced  to  see,  and 
seeing  which  he  was  glad.  But  there 
is  nothing  recorded  of  Abraham  in  the 
Old  Testament,  from  which  it  could  be 
inferred  that  he  saw  Christ's  day  in 
this  sense,  if  he  did  not  see  and/eeZ  it  in 
the  command  to  sacrifice  his  only  son. 
In  this  transaction  therefore,  he  would 
have  a  lively  figure  of  the  offering  up  of 
the  Son  of  God  for  the  sins  of  the 
world ;  and  not  only  so,  but  the  inter- 
mediate system  of  typical  sacrifices  un- 
der the  Mosaic  economy  was  repre- 
sented by  the  prescribed  oblation  of  the 
ram  instead  of  Isaac. 

On  the  whole,  we  regard  this  as  a  ve- 
ry rational  and  plausible  hypothesis,  and 
one  that  derives  no  litde  support  from 
the  place  where  the  scene  of  the  trans- 
action was  laid.  If  the  design  of  the 
command  had  been  simply  a  trial  of 
Abraham's  faith,  it  is  not  easy  to  see 
why  he  should  have  been  required  to 
go  to  such  a  distance  to  perform  an  act 
that  might  as  well  have  been  perform- 
ed anywhere  else.  But  when  we  find 
him  directed  to  go  to  the  site  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  to  rear  his  altar,  and  offer  up 
his  sacrifice,  on  or  near  the  very  spot 
where  the  Saviour  was  afterwards  actu- 
ally crucified,  we  cannot  well  avoid  see- 
ing in  the  incident  a  designed  typical 
and  prophetical  character.  But  a  fuller 
view  of  the  event  in  its  various  bear- 
ings will  be  gained  from  the  explana- 
tions that  follow. 

1 .  And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things. 
Heb.  '  After  these  words.'  That  is,  we 
suppose,  not  merely  after  the  things  re- 
corded in  the  preceding  chapter,  but 
after  all  the  previous  trials  which  Abra- 
ham had  been  called  to  pass  through. 
Notwithstanding  he  may  have  hoped 
for  a  per^pd  of  tranquil  rest  in  the  de- 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1872. 


2  And  he  said,  Take  now  thy 
son,  ^  thine  only  son  Isaac,  whom 
thou  lovest,  and  get  thee  "■  into  the 

a  Heb.  11.  17.    b  2  Chron.  3.  1. 


cline  of  life,  after  the  various  trials  and 
conflicts,  the  dangers  and  deliverances 
through  which  he  had  passed  ;  yet  he  is 
once  more  reminded  that  he  is  stiU  in  the 
flesh,  that  the  days  of  his  warfare  are 
not  yet  accomplished,  and  that  he  must 
arm  himself  for  a  far  more  fiery  trial  than 
any  he  has  yet  endured.  We  cannot 
but  feel  for  the  venerable  patriarch  thus 
suddenly  awakened  from  his  state  of 
repose,  and  summoned  to  a  new  and 
unparalleled  conflict;  but  the  event 
teaches  us  that  a  believer's  trials  are 
not  confined  to  the  commencement  of 
his  course ;  that  the  longest  period  of 
rest  and  peace  may  be  succeeded  by  a 
sore  temptation  ;  and  the  severest  con- 
flict be  reserved  for  the  last. IT  God 

did  tempt  Abraham.  Heb.  tl'0'2  nis- 
sah,  tried,  proved.  Gr.  t-Ktipaoc,  id.  This 
literal  rendering  of  the  term,  which  is 
actually  given  in  the  old  Geneva  ver- 
sion, '  God  did  prove  Abraham,'  goes  at 
once  to  correct  the  erroneous  impression 
that  might  possibly  be  received  from 
our  English  word  '  tempt,'  which  usually 
has  the  sense  of  exciting  to  sin.  But 
in  this  sense  we  are  expressly  assured 
by  James  1.  13,  that '  God  is  not  tempted 
of  evil,  neither  temptelh  he  any  man  ;' 
he  neither  deceives  any  man's  judgment 
nor  perverts  his  will,  nor  seduces  his 
affections,  nor  does  any  thing  else  that 
can  subject  him  to  the  blame  of  men's 
sins.  Temptation  in  this  bad  sense  al- 
ways proceeds  from  the  maUce  of  Sa- 
tan working  on  the  corruptions  of  our 
own  hearts.  God  may,  however,  con- 
sistently with  all  his  perfections,  by  his 
providence,  bring  his  creatures  into  cir- 
cumstances of  special  probation,  not  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  him  information, 
but  in  order  to  manifest  to  themselves 
and  to  others  the  prevailing  di|positions 


land  of  Moriah ;  and  offer  him  there 
for  a  bm-nt-offerin^  upon  one  of  the 
mountains  which  I  will  tell  thee  of. 


of  their  hearts.  In  this  sense  of  trying, 
putting  to  the  proof,  bringing  to  the  test, 
the  original  term  in  many  other  instance* 
is  used  in  reference  to  the  Most  High> 
and  always  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave 
his  attributes  unimpeached.  Thus 
Deut,  13.  3,  'For  the  Lord  your  God 
(HDD  nissah)  proveih  you,  to  know 
(i.  e.  to  make  known)  whether  ye  love 
the  Lord  your  God  with  all  your  heart 
and  all  your  soul.'  2  Chron.  32.  31,  '  In 
the  business  of  the  ambassadors  God  left 
him  (irilDrb  lenassolho)  to  try  him,  that 
he  might  know  all  the  evil  that  was  in 
his  heart,'  Indeed,  in  some  cases  we 
find  this  kind  of  trial  made  a  subject  of 
petition  on  the  part  of  good  men,  as  if 
they  regarded  it  as  a  special  favor.  Ps. 
26.  2,  '  Examine  me,  O  Lord,  and  (  ^^z'Oj 
nassani)  prove  me  ;  try  my  reins  and  my 
heart.'  And  so  with  a  diflereat  word, 
but  to  the  same  effect,  Ps.  139.  23,  24, 
'  Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my 
heart:  try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts  . 
and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  ir 
me,  and  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting. 
And  we  find  Paid,  2  Cor.  13  5,  employ 
ing  the  corresponding  Gr.  term,  wliei 
enjoining  as  a  duty  to  be  performed  bj 
Christians  towards  themselves,  the  very 
probation,  vvldch  is  indicated  by  the  Heb 
word  ;  '  Examine  {Treipa^ere  try)  your 
selves,   whether  ye  be    in  the    faith; 

prove    your  own  selves.' -IT  Behold, 

here  I  am.  Heb.  ^21^  hinnini,  be- 
hold me.  Arab.  'What  is  thy  plea- 
sure ?'  The  patriarch's  prompt  ob- 
sequiousness to  the  slightest  call  of 
God  is  strikingly  set  forth  in  this  reply. 
It  exhibits  him  as  presenting  himself  in 
the  divine  presence,  ready  at  a  mo- 
ment's warning  to  enter  upon  any  ser 
vice  that  might  be  enjoined  upon  him, 
without  first  waiting  to  know  distinctly 


B.  C.  1872.] 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


what  it  was,  or  what  were  the  reasons 
of  it.  Our  obedience  ever  derives 
its  principal  value  in  the  sight  of  hea- 
ven from  the  ready,implicit,  and  unques- 
tioning spirit  in  which  it  is  rendered. 

2.  Take  now  thy  son,  thine  only  son 
Heb.  '7'i(l'i  yahid,  only.  Gr.  ayanrirov 
helmed.  As  an  only  son  is  usually 
the  object  of  a  very  intense  affec- 
tion, the  epithets  only  and  beloved  came 
to  be  used  interchangeably.  Thus  Prov. 
4.  3,  '  For  I  was  my  father's  son,  ten- 
der and  only  (beloved)  in  the  sight  of 
my  mother ;'  where  the  original  Heb. 
ITTi  only  is  also  rendered  by  the  Sept. 
ayaTTUijicvoq  beloved.  The  term  [lovoyc- 
vris  only  begotten,  applied  to  Christ  in  the 
New  Testament,  is  of  equivalent  import. 
In  accordance  with  the  Heb.  there- 
fore, Paul  calls  him,  Heb.  11.  17,  'his 
only  begotten  son.'  Isaac  was  the 
only  son  of  Sarah,  the  free  woman,  and 
he  only,  in  contradistinction  from  Ish- 
raael,  who  was  now  expelled,  was  to  be 
reckoned  the  seed  of  Abraham  and  the 
heir  of  the  promises.  In  this  sense 
Abraham  would  naturally  understand 
it;  and  thus  understood,  it  could  not  but 
go  to  enhance  beyond  expression  the 
anguish  of  a  father's  heart  in  view  of 
the  command  now  given  him.  Indeed, 
the  language  in  which  this  severe  man- 
date is  conveyed,  appears  to  be  pur- 
posely so  constructed,  as  to  aggravate 
to  the  utmost  the  wound  it  was  calcu- 
lated to  inflict.  Every  word  seems 
chosen  with  a  view  to  awaken  some 
painful  feeUng,  and  to  increase  the  diffi- 
culty of  compUance.  To  a  person  of 
humane  and  benevolent  disposition,  like 
Abraham,  the  idea  of  a  human  sacrifice 
would  naturally  be  in  the  highest  de- 
gree revolting,  had  the  meanest  slave 
of  his  household  been  demanded,  and 
had  the  choice  of  the  victim  been  left 
to  himself.  What  then  must  have  been 
his  emotions  as  the  true  object  of  the 
command  unfolded  itself,  and  he  found 
his  own  beloved  son  demanded  as  a 
sacrificial  offering !  Let  us  for  a  mo- 
1* 


ment  put  our  souls  in  his  soul's  stead, 
and  realize  to  ourselves  the  spontaneous 
train  of  thought  and  feeUng  which  must 
have  passed  through  his  mind.  '  Take 
now  thy  son ;'  and  for  what  ? — To  in- 
vest him  with  all  the  honors  of  the  pro- 
mise, to  put  him  in  possession  of  the 
destined  inheritance  ?  Alas  no  ! — To 
seek  for  him  a  fitting  companion  to  share 
with  him  the  blessings  and  comforts 
that  might  be  expected  to  flow  from  the 
covenant  favor  of  his  own  and  his  fa- 
ther's God  ?  Neither  is  this  the  end  of 
the  command.  '  Take  now  thy  son — 
thine  only  son — Isaac — whom  thou  lov- 
est,  and — offer  him  up  upon  one  of  the 
mountains,  which  I  w'ill  teU  thee  of!' 
Was  ever  message  like  this  addressed 
to  a  father  ? — each  word  more  piercing 
to  parental  ears  than  the  keenest  dagger 
to  the  heart ! — every  clause  awakening 
a  new  and  sharper  pang  of  anguish ! 
Who  but  Abraham  could  have  forborne 
remonstrance  on  such  a  heart-rending 
occasion  ?  Who  but  he  could  have  re- 
frained from  saying,  'Lord,  shall  Hose 
my  child  1 — lose  him  almost  as  soon  as 
I  have  received  him  ?  Didst  thou  give 
him  only  to  tantalize  thy  servant  ?  Re- 
member the  long  years  through  which 
his  birth  was  expected,  and  the  trans- 
ports of  joy  with  which  at  length  it  was 
hailed,  and  which  was  commemorated 
in  the  name  of  thine  own  appointment. 
Remember  the  promises  which  can  be 
fulfilled  only  on  the  condition  of  his  life 
being  prolonged. — If  sin  he  at  the  door, 
let  me  expiate  the  guilt.  Let  thousands 
of  rams,  let  every  bullock  in  my  stalls, 
bleed  at  thine  altar.  These  are  nothing 
compared  with  my  child. — Or  if  nothing 
will  appease  thine  indignation  but  hu- 
man blood,  let  my  death  be  the  sacrifice. 
I  am  old  and  grey-headed.  The  best 
of  my  days  are  past,  and  the  best  of  my 
services  performed.  My  life  is  of  Httle 
value.  Let  me  die,  but  let  him  Uve. — 
Yet  if  the  decree  cannot  be  reversed,  if 
the  offering  must  come  from  my  own 
family,  if  it  must  be  the  fruit  of  my  own 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1872. 


body,  O  that  Ishmael — yet  how  shall  I 
speak  it  ? — my  heart  bleeds  at  the 
thought  I — but  as  for  Isaac,  the  son  of 
Sarah,  the  son  of  my  old  age,  the  crown 
of  aU  my  hopes,  the  very  solace  of  my 
soul;  how  shall  I  survive  such  a  loss  ? 
The  blow  that  goes  to  his  heart,  must 
be  fatal  to  us  both.'  Such  we  may 
conceive  to  have  been  the  plea  which 
fond  nature  would  have  prompted  in 
any  other  father  than  the  father  of  the 
faithful ;  and  if  his  prayer  availed  not 
to  avert  the  doom  of  death,  he  would 
have  besought  that  it  might  be  mitigat- 
ed ;  that  he  might  expire  by  a  natural 
dissolution;  that  some  disease  m.ight 
gently  loose  the  cords  of  life,  and  that 
his  sorrowing  but  submissive  parents 
might  have  the  melancholy  consolation 
of  soothing"  his  dying  pangs,  and  of  clos- 
ing his  eyes  when  he  had  ceased  to 
live.  At  any  rate  he  would  sue  to  be 
exempted  from  the  pain  of  witnessing 
the  sad  catastrophe.  If  the  son  of  his 
love  must  be  bound  hand  and  foot  for 
the  slaughter;  if  he  must  receive  the 
steel  into  his  bosom,  and  welter  in  his 
own  blood,  how  fervently  would  he  ask 
to  be  spared  the  anguish  of  beholding 
such  a  scene.  Such,  we  say,  would  be 
the  native  promptings  of  the  paternal 
heart.  Yet  in  the  case  of  Abraham  all 
these  aggravations  clustered  round  th 
command  that  was  given  him,  and  as 
no  alleviation  was  hinted  to  him,  so  none 
does  he  seem  to  have  sought.  lie  who 
before  staggered  not  at  the  promise, 
staggers  not  now  at  the  precept.  Deaf 
aUke  to  the  arguings  of  carnal  reason,  and 
the  yearnings  of  fatherly  affection,  he 
consults  not  with  flesh  and  blood,  but 
enters  with  the  utmost  promptitude  up- 
on the  work  before  him ;  and  the  secjuel 
informs  us  that  it  was  carried  out  as  it 
was  commenced,  in  the  full   triumph  of 

an  unwavering  faith. 1   Tlie  land  of 

Moriah.  Ileb.  u'^T^n  '^''^,^  'tl^  e^  ^retz 
hammoriyali  ;  by  interpretation  the  land 
of  vision.      Gr.  cig  Tr,v  yr,v  rr-v  vipri\rjv  to 

the  high  land  ;  i.  e.  the  visible,  the  con- 


spicuous land.  Chal.  '  To  the  land  oi 
reverence  or  worship ;'  the  variation 
from  the  Hebrew  being  owing  to  the 
Targum's  referring  the  word  to  the  root 
j^^^i  yara,  to  fear,  to  reveren-e,  instead  ol 
deriving  it  from  J-;54^  raah,  to  see.  The 
Gr.  evidently  refers  the  term  to  the  right 
root,  but  interprets  it  solely  of  the  high, 
commanding, fonspicuous  character  of  the 
locality  in.question.  The  probability  is, 
that  the  name  is  here  used  proleptically, 
it  having  been  given  from  the  event,  in 
reference  to  the  remarkable  vision  ox 
manifestation  of  the  Most  High  which 
was  there  made,  and  to  which  allusion 
is  had  in  the  expression  Jehovah-jireh,  v. 
14.  Indeed,  this  seems  to  be  intimated 
in  the  very  form  of  the  word  itself, 
which  Fuller  (Misc.  Sac.)  suggests  is  a 
contraction  or  compound  of  n"'  n^S^!^ 
moreh-jah,  Jehovah  ?nanifested,hY  a  pro- 
cess of  formation  which  is  fully  given  by' 
RosenmuUer  in  loc.  That  the  land  ol 
Moriah  included  the  site  of  Jerusalem, 
where  was  a  well-known  mountain 
called  by  the  same  name,  is  a  point 
universally  admitted ;  but  upon  which 
one  of  the  several  hills  included  in  the 
compass  of  the  city  the  commanded 
sacrifice  was  to  be  offered  up,  it  is  im- 
possible to  determine.  From  the  con- 
gruities  of  the  case,  we  should  natural- 
ly suppose  that  the  spot  would  be  se- 
lected on  which  the  antitypical  sacri- 
fice was  to  be  made  in  the  fulness  ot 
time,  and  this  is '  perhaps  the  general 
opinion  of  commentators.  But  this  is 
made  less  certain  by  the  now'  admitted 
fact  that  Calvary  was  not  properly  a 
m.ountain  ;  and  that,  although  the  place 
of  the  crucifixion  is  often  popularly 
called  '3Iount  Calvary,'  yet  the  Scrip- 
tures nowhere  authorise  this  mode  ol 
expression.  There  was  doubtless  a 
gentle  swell  or  rocky  protuberance  in 
the  ground,  resembling  in  form  a  human 
skull,  from  which  the  name  was  deriv- 
ed ;  but  as  the  present  locality  has  no 
appearance  of  a  mountain,  or  even  a 
liiU  of  any  size,  so  we  have  no  reason 


B.  C.  1872.] 


CHAPTER  XXIL 


3  IT  And  Abraham  rose  up  early 
in  the  morning-,  and  saddled  his  ass, 
and  took  two  of  his  young  men  with 
him,  and  Isaac  his  son,  and  clave 


to  think  it  was  ever  entitled  to  such  a 
designation.  But  we  can  easily  con- 
ceive that  it  would  have  answered  all 
the  typical  purposes  intended  in  the 
transaction,  to  have  had  the  offering 
made  on  any  of  the  several  mountain- 
tops  which  distinguish  the  site  of  that  ve- 
nerable city.  We  incline,  on  the  whole, 
to  the  opinion  that  it  was  the  spot  up- 
on which  the   temple  was  afterwards 

erected. IF      Offer  him  there  for  a 

burnt-offering.  Heb.  ribS'b  ib^'H  'make 
him  ascend  for  an  ascension,  one  of  the 
usual  terms  in  the  original  for  offering. 
The  act  was  performed  by  first  cutting 
the  throat  of  the  animal,  to  drain  off  its 
blood,  and  then  consuming  the  body  to 
ashes  upon  the  altar. 

3.  Abraham  rose  up  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, 4"c.  The  ready  obedience  exhibit- 
ed by  the  patriarch  to  this  call,  evinces 
beyond  question  that  he  must  have  been 
perfectly  satisfied  of  its  emanating  from 
God.  The  law  of  parental  duty,  the  in- 
stincts of  parental  feehng,  would  inevita- 
bly have  prevailed  over  a  dubious  reve- 
lation ;  and  though  we  may  be  unable  to 
determine  how  he  could  have  been  thus 
assured,  yet  of  the  fact  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  His  conduct  was  such  as  might 
nave  been  expected  under  the  un- 
wavering conviction  by  which  it  was 
prompted.  The  command  came  during 
{he  night,  and  it  was  obeyed  'early  in 
the  morning.'  There  was  no  doubtful 
question  of  its  reahty  or  its  obligation. 
There  was  no  culpable  communing 
with  flesh  and  blood.  Even  Sarah 
eeems  not  to  have  been  informed  of  it, 
lest  her  affections  should  embarrass  or 
overpower  his  faith.  '  That  which  he 
must  do,  he  wall  do  :  he  that  hath  learn- 
ed not  to  regard  the  hfe  of  his  son,  had  I 
iearned  not  to  regard  the  sorrow  of  his  | 
ivife.'       Bp.    mil. — -IT    SaddUd    his\ 


the  wood  for  the  burnt-offering,  and 
rose  up,  and  went  unto  the  place  of 
wliieh  God  had  told  him. 


ass.  Ordered  it  to  be  done.  See  Note 
on  Gen.  3.  21.  The  saddles  of  that  an- 
cient period  were  doubtless  a  far  more 
simple  contrivance  than  those  of  mo 
dern  times.  Goguet  remarks  in  his  Ori- 
gin of  Laws  that '  no  nation  of  antiquity 
knew  the  use  of  either  saddles  or  stir- 
rups ;'  and  even  in  our  times  Hasselquist, 
when  at  Alexandria,  says, '  I  procured 
an  equipage  which  I  had  never  used  be- 
fore ;  it  was  an  ass  with  an  Arabian  sad- 
dle, which  consisted  only  of  a  cushion, 
on  which  I  could  sit,  and  a  handsome 
bridle.'  But  even  the  cushion  seems  an 
improvement  upon  the  ancient  eastern 
saddles,  which  were  probably  nothing 
more  than  a  kind  of  rug  or  mat  of  straw 

girded  to  the  beast. IT    Two  of  his 

young  men.  That  is,  servants,  as  explain- 
ed Gen.  14,  24. IT  And  clave  thewood. 

Another  instance  of  the  usage  so  inces- 
santly recurring,  by  which  a  person  is 
said  to  do  that  which  he  orders  or  pro- 
cures to  be  done.  See  on  Gen.  27. 37. 
He  carried  the  wood  with  him,  because 
the  mountain  probably  afforded  nothing 
but  green  shrubs,  which  would  make  a 
very  slow  fire,  and  thus  prolong  the 
consumption  of  the  victim.  To  guard 
against  this,  Abraham  took  with  him  a 
supply  of  dry  materials,  which  could  be 

speedily  kindled  into  ahvely  flame. 

IT  Rose  up.  Heb.  t3p'^  yakom.  This  term 
is  frequently  employed  to  express  the 
act  of  entering  upon  the  execution  of  any 
business,  the  addressing  one's  self  to  a 
work.  Thus,  Ezra  3.  2,  '  Then  stood  up 
(tp'n  rose  up)  Joshua  and  his  brethren, 
and  builded  the  altar ;'  i.  e.  they  set 
about  it.  It  is  applied  to  God  in  the 
same  sense ;  Ps.  3.  7,  '  Arise,  O  Lord, 
save  me  ;'  i.  e.  enter  thou  upon  tl^ie  work 

of  my  dehverance. IT  Went  unto  the 

place.    Went  towards  the  place,  which 
he  did  not  reach  till  the  third  day. 


8 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1872. 


4  Then  on  the  third  day  Abra- 
ham lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw  the 
place  afar  off. 

5  And  Abraham  said  unto  his 


4.  On  the  third  day.  It  was  not  quite 
two  days'  journey  from  Beersheba  to 
Moriah,  and  though  it  is  no  doubt  true 
that  a  loaded  ass  moves  slowly,  it  is 
somewhat  difficult  to  conceive  why  so 
long  a  time  should  have  been  consumed 
in  travelling  the  distance  of  only  42 
miles.  The  fact  may  be  accounted  for 
by  supposing  that,  although  he  rose 
early  in  the  morning,  and  went  about 
the  necessary  preparations,  yet  he  did 
not  find  himself  in  readiness  actually  to 
set  forth  till  the  middle  of  the  day.  This 
would  leavqf  but  half  a  day's  journey 
for  the  first  day.  The  second  might 
have  been  wholly  occupied,  and  early 
on  the  third  he  may  have  reached  the 
destined  spot.  But  whatever  may  be 
thought  of  this,  certain  it  is,  that  the 
trial  must  have  been  rendered  more  ag- 
gravating to  Abraham  by  the  delay, 
and  the  distance  which  he  had  to  travel. 
Had  the  oracle  demanded  an  instant 
sacrifice,  the  struggle,  though  severe, 
would  have  been  short  and  compara- 
tively easy.  But  in  a  three  days'  jour- 
ney, leisure  was  afforded  for  reflection  ; 
the  powerful  pleadings  of  nature  woidd 
make  themselves  heard ;  parental  af- 
fection had  time  to  revive  ;  and  the 
sight,  th«  society,  the  conversation  of 
Isaac,  could  not  but  combine  to  shake 
the  steadfastness  of  his  faith,  and  urge 
him  to  return.  But  whatever  may  be 
the  promptings  of  nature,  faith  such  as 
Abraham's,  knew  not  what  it  is  to  re- 
lent. With  steady  step  and  unwaver- 
ing purpose  he  advances  to  the  fatal 
spot. II  Sau)  the  place  afar  off.  It  be- 
ing probably  pointed  out  by  a  luminous 
cloud,  preintimative  of  the  Shekinah, 
which  rested  upon  it.  Such  is  the 
tradition  of  the  Jews.'  When  God  bade 
Abraham  go  to  the  place  be  would  teU 
him  of,  and  offer  his  son,  he  asked  how  | 


young  men,  Abide  ye  here  with  the 
ass,  and  I  and  the  lad  will  go  yon- 
der and  worship,  and  come  again 
to  you. 


he  should  know  it?  And  the  answer 
was, '  Wheresoever  thou  seest  my  Glo- 
ry, there  wUl  I  stay  and  wait  for  thee. 
And  accordingly  now  he  beheld  a  pillar 
of  fire  reaching  from  heaven  to  earth, 
and  thereby  knew  that  this  was  the 
place.' — Pirhe  Eliezer.  Calvin  supposes 
that  he  saw  with  his  eyes  the  place 
which  he  had  before  seen  in  mental 
vision. 

5.  Abide  ye  here,  &c.  He  left  his  ser- 
vants behind,  lest  their  affectionate  but 
ill-judged  remonstrances,  if  not  their 
forcible  resistance,  when  they  saw  what 
he  w^as  about  to  do,  might  interfere  w  ith 
the  execution  of  his  purpose.  It  was 
not  unnatural  that  they  should  think 
him  actually  beside  himself,  when  they 
perceived  him  on  the  point  of  immo- 
lating his  son.  Upon  what  grounds 
Abraham  felt  himself  warranted  to  say, 
'  We  will  come  again  to  you,'  is  not 
clear.  Some  commentators  consider  it 
as  a  kind  of  involuntary  prophecy,  and 
by  some  it  is  resolved  into  an  allowable 
dissimulation,  adopted  in  order  to  quiet 
the  minds  of  his  attendants.  But  a 
more  probable,  as  well  as  a  more  cre- 
ditable solution  is,  to  suppose  that  he 
truly,  though  vaguely,  believed  that 
God  would  either  prevent  the  catastro- 
phe, or  restore  his  slain  son  to  life.  We 
can  scarcely  derive  any  other  inference 
from  the  words  of  the  apostle,  Heb.  11. 
17 — 19,  'By  faith  Abraham,  when  he 
was  tried,  offered  up  Isaac — accounting 
that  God  was  able  to  raise  him  up  even 
from  the  dead.'  As  his  birth  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  which  his  parents  had  at- 
tained, was  a  miracle  little  short  of  life 
from  the  dead,  this  would  render  his 
restoration  less  difficult  of  behef  than  it 
would  otherwise  have  been.  And  as 
he  w  as  assured,  that  the  promise  be- 
fore given,  that  in  Isaac  and.  m  him 


B.  C.  1872.] 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


0 


6  And  Abraham  took  the  wood 
of  the  burnt- offering,  and  ^  laid  it 
upon  Isaac  his  son;  and  he  took 
the  fire  in  his  hand  and  a  knife  : 
and  they  went  both  of  them  to- 
gether. 

<i  John  19.  17. 


7  And  Isaac  spake  unto  Abraham 
his  father,  and  said,  My  father:  and 
he  said,  Here  am  I,  my  son.  And 
he  said.  Behold  the  fire  and  the 
wood  :  but  where  is  the  lamb  for  a 
burnt-offering  1 


only,  should  his  seed  be  called  and  mul- 
tiplied, could  not  fail,  he  must  have 
been,  on  the  whole,  persiiaded  that  God 
would  accomplish  his  word  by  raising 
his  son  from  the  dead.  Accordingly 
the  Apostle  goes  on  to  affirm  that '  he  re- 
ceived Isaac  from  the  dead  in  a  figure,' 
or  parable.  That  is,  as  he  is  said  to 
have  been  not  actually,  but  intentional- 
ly and  virtually  offered  up  ;  so  he  was 
riot  literally,  but  virtually  and  figurative- 
ly restored  to  life  from  the  dead.  Oth- 
ers, however,  refer  this  to  a  parabolical 
representation  of  the  sufferings,  death, 
and  resurrection  of  Christ. 1^  Go  yon- 
der and  worship.  Heb.  ninr.mjl  lit.  and 
bow  down,  the  usual  posture  of  worship  ; 
thus  confirming  the  conjecture  above 
mentioned,  that  the  Divine  glory  appear- 
ed on  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  He 
had  a  good  reason  therefore  for  pro- 
posing to  go  thither  and  worship. 

6.  Laid  it  upon  Isaac.  As  the  sacri- 
fice was  to  be  burnt  to  ashes,  no  small 
quantity  of  wood  would  be  requisite ; 
and  from  Isaac's  bearing  such  a  burden 
up  the  hill,  it  is  inferred,  that  although 
in  V.  5  he  is  called  in  our  translation 
•lad,'  instead  of  young  man,  yet  he 
must  now  have  arrived  at  adult  age. 
Josephus  makes  him  twenty-five ; 
others  thirty-three,  that  his  age  might 
correspond  with  that  of  his  great  anti- 
type at  the  time  of  his  crucifixion.  The 
point  is  wholly  uncertain.  If,  however, 
as  intimated  above,  the  transaction  in 
the  main  were  designed  to  be  prefigu- 
rative  of  the  crucifixion  of  the  Saviour, 
we  see  no  objection  to  considering  this 
particular  incident  as  typical  of  Christ's 
bearing  his  cross  as  related  by  the  Evan- 
gelist, John,  19.  17.    Yet  there  is  not, 


perhaps,  sufficient  ground  for  a  positive 
affirmation  on  the  subject. 

7.  And  Isaac  spake,  &c.     At  the  pe- 
riod of  life  to  which  Isaac  had  now  ar- 
rived, he  must  necessarily  have  been 
conversant  with  the  rites  and  ceremo- 
nies which  obtained  in  the  Abrahamic 
age,  and  more  especially  with  the  man- 
ner in  which  expiation  was  made  for 
sin, — that    for    this    purpose     it    was 
necessary    that    the  lives    of   animals 
should  be  sacrificed,  and  the  blood  of 
bulls  and  of  goats  should  be  shed.  It  was 
natural,  therefore,  seeing  they  were  un- 
attended by  any  thing  by  which  the  re- 
quisite  expiation   could  be  made,   that 
Isaac  should  propose  the  question  here 
mentioned,  and  which  was  so  well  cal- 
culated  to  harrow  up  a  father's  heart 
For  we  must  assuredly  regard  it,  under 
the  circumstances,  as  one  of  the  most 
affecting  questions   ever  addressed  to 
mortal    ears.      How    keenly    must    it 
have  put  the  faith  of  Abraham  to   the 
test !     Let  the  tender  parent  substitute 
himself  in    the  place  of  the  patriarch, 
and  he  cannot  but  understand  and  feel 
the  ineffable   pathos   comprehended  in 
this   brief   interrogation.      'If,'   as  Bp. 
Hall  remarks,  '  Abraham's  heart  could 
have  knowTi  how  to  relent,  that  question 
of  his  dear,  innocent,  and  pious  son  had 
melted  it  into  compassion.     I  know  not 
whether  that    word,  'my  father,'   did 
not    strike   Abraham    as    deep  as  the 
knife  of  Abraham  could  strike  his  son.* 

^  Where  is  the  lamb  ?   Heb.  fltD  seh, 

applied  to  the  young  either  of  sheep  or 
goats.  Ex.  12.  5.  Deut.  14.  4.  The 
Gr.,  however,  has  to  rrpoParov  ro  cig  oXo' 
Kap-zoi(yiv  the  sheep  for  holocaust. 

8.  God  will  provide  himself  a  lamb  far 


10 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1872. 


8  And  Abraham  said,  My  son, 
God  will  provide  himself  a  lamb  for 
a  burnt-offering :  so  they  went  both 
of  them  together. 

9  And  they  came  to  a  place 
which   God  had  told  him  of;  and 


Abraham  built  an  altar  there,  and 
laid  the  wood  in  order  ;  and  bound 
Isaac  his  son,  and  «laid  him  on  the 
altar  upon  the  wood. 

eHeb.  11.  17.    Jam.  2.  21. 


ahumt'offering.  Heb.  ri'iTn  ib  U^^^  V'^' 
reh  lohasseh,  will  see  for  liimself  the  lamb. 
Chal.  '  My  son,  there  will  be  revealed 
before  God  for  himself  a  lamb  for  a  burnt 
offering.'  Gr.  oipcrai  eav-M  -rrpoParov, 
wUl  see  for  himself  a  sheep.  The  idiom 
is  Hebraic,  that  language  having  no  oth- 
er term  iox  provide  ox  foresee,  than/o  see. 
Thus  1  Sam.  16, 1,  '  I  have  provided  me  a 
king  among  his  sons.'  Heb.  I  have  seen 
me  a  king,  &c.  Gen.  41.  33, '  Now  there- 
fore, let  Pharaoh  look  out  a  man  discreet 
and  wise,'  &c.  Heb.  Let  Pharaoh  see 
a  man,  &c.  The  answer  thus  returned, 
though  evidently  evasive,  was  yet  so 
happily  framed,  that  it  could  not  but 
have  been  satisfactory  to  Isaac.  Piety 
to  God,  and  filial  reverence  and  defer- 
ence to  his  father,  had  no  doubt  been 
among  the  earhest  lessons  with  which 
his  mind  was  imbued  ;  and  the  present 
reply  addressed  itself  to  both  these 
principles.  It  was  clear  that  his  father, 
from  the  fixed  solemnity  of  his  manner, 
and  from  the  strange  and  inexplicable 
nature  of  the  whole  proceeding,  was 
engaged  in  some  religious  service  of 
more  than  usual  sacredness  ;  and  as  he 
knew  from  his  father's  general  conduct 
that  he  would  neither  do  nor  say  any 
thing  unadvisedly,  and  as  he  was  doubt- 
less aware  that  he  had  entered  upon 
the  business  in  obedience  to  a  divine 
command,  he  would  probably  take  it 
for  granted  that  Abraham  was  fully  au- 
thorised to  reply  as  he  did,  and  that  he 
did  not  speak  at  random  in  saying  that 
God  would  provide  himself  a  lamb  for 
sacrifice.  His  ready  acquiescence, 
therefore,  in  the  answer  made  to  his  en- 
quiry, shews  the  working  of  a  genuine 
faith  in  him  as  well  as  in  his  father. 
9.  Bound  Isaac  his  son,  and  laid  him 


on  the  altar  on  the  wood.  Not  that  this 
was  necessary  as  a  measure  of  precau- 
tion to  prevent  Isaac's  escaping,  but 
simply  to  conform  to  the  usual  rites  pre- 
scribed in  the  offering  up  of  animal  sac- 
rifices. As  the  victims  were  bound  by 
their  four  legs,  so  Isaac  was  doubtless 
bound  by  the  hands  and  feet. — Hitherto 
it  appears  that  Abraham  had  not  inform- 
ed his  son  of  the  true  import  of  the  com- 
mand which  he  had  received.  But 
now  the  mighty  secret  with  which  his 
bosom  labored  must  be  divulged,  and 
the  lamb  for  the  burnt-offering  produced. 
The  Jewish  historian,  Josephus,  presents 
us  with  a  dialogue  which  passed  be- 
tween the  father  and  the  son  on  this  oc- 
casion, striking  and  pathetic  indeed, 
but  far  inferior  to  the  beautiful  simplici- 
ty of  3Ioses.  He  has  not,  it  is  true,  in- 
formed us  of  the  express  words  in  which 
the  annunciation  was  made  to  Isaac ; 
but  whatever  they  were,  their  purport 
was  evidently  this  ; — '  Thou  thyself,  my 
dear  child,  art  the  destined  victim. 
That  God,  who  graciously  gave  thee  to 
my  longing  desires,  is  now  pleased  to 
require  thee  again  at  my  hand.  The 
Lord  gave,  the  Lord  taketh  away ; 
let  us  both  adore  the  name  of  the  Lord.' 
But  the  sacred  historian  has  thrown  a 
veil  over  this  affecting  scene,  that  the 
imagination  of  the  reader  might  portray 
to  him  more  vividly  than  it  is  in  the 
power  of  language  to  do,  the  struggle  of 
the  father  and  the  agonies  of  the  son. 
Had  not  the  patriarch  been  sustained 
by  the  consciousness  that  he  was  doing 
every  thing  in  obedience  to  the  will  of 
God,  it  is  easy  to  perceive  that  the  con- 
flict would  have  been  too  great  for  hu- 
man endvu-ance.  We  cannot  see  how 
it  would  have  been  possible  for  him  so 


B.  C.  1872.J 


CHAPTER  XXIL 


11 


10  And  Abraham  stretched  forth 
his  hand,  and  took  the  knife  to  slay 
his  son. 

11  And  the  Angel  of  the  Lord 


coolly  and  composedly  to  have  gone 
about  the  execution  of  the  fearful  order. 
And  as  it  was,  what  must  he  have  suf- 
fered while  building  the  altar — laying 
on  the  wood — binding  his  beloved  son — 
and  placing  him  upon  the  pile  so  soon  to 
be  smeared  with  his  blood  and  mingled 
with  his  ashes  !  Every  %aew  we  can 
take  of  the  affecting  procedure  works 
our  sympathies  to  a  higher  pitch  of  in- 
tensity, and  elevates  the  character  of 
the  patriarch  immeasurably  in  our  es- 
teem. But  let  not  the  almost  equal  me- 
rit of  Isaac  be  forgotten.  The  conside- 
ration of  his  exemplary  conduct,  his 
meek  and  pious  resignation  to  the  divine 
appointment,  is  perhaps  apt  to  be  lost  in 
the  vague  impression  that  he  was  too 
young  to  entertain  an  adequate  sense  of 
his  danger,  and  too  feeble  to  have  made 
resistance,  had  he  been  so  inclined. 
But  allowing  him  to  have  been  no  more 
than  twenty-five,  can  it  be  supposed 
that  an  old  man  an  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  could  have  bound,  with- 
out his  consent,  a  young  man  in  the  ve- 
ry prime  and  vigor  of  life  ?  Unques- 
tionably Isaac  now  approved  himself 
the  worthy  son  of  such  a  sire  ;  and  in 
his  cheerful  compHance  we  seem  to 
hear  him  saying,  '  I  should  be  unworthy 
of  life,  were  I  capable  of  shevdng  re- 
luctance to  obey  the  will  of  my  father 
and  my  God.  It  were  enough  for  me 
that  my  earthly  parent  alone  called  me 
to  the  altar ;  how  much  more  when  my 
heavenly  father  re- demands  his  owti.' 
Thus  it  was  not  so  much  the  superior 
strength,  or  even  the  parental  authority, 
of  the  father,  as  the  filial  affection  and 
pious  obedience  of  the  son,  that  prevail- 
ed on  this  trying  occasion. 

10.  And  Abraham  stretched  forth  his 
hand,  &c.  We  feel  an  involuntary 
shuddering  as  we  draw  near  to  the  fear- 


called  unto  him  out  of  heaven,  and 
.d,  Abraham,  Abraham.  And  he 
said.  Here  am  I. 


ful  crisis.  Nature  shrinks  back  at  the 
spectacle  here  presented  of  a  father 
hfting  up  his  hand  armed  with  a  deadly 
weapon  against  the  life  of  his  son !  But 
here  was  the  completion  of  Abraham's 
obedience  and  of  his  faith.  Any  thing 
short  of  this,  and  all  would  have  been 
unavailing.  This  last,  this  agonizing 
moment,  when  the  knife  was  taken 
and  the  hand  outstretched  to  strike, 
consummated  the  trial  of  Abraham, 
and  bequeathed  his  faith  to  the  church 
of  God  as  the  most  perfect  model  which 
mere  mortality  has  ever  offered  of  it. 
And  as  he  proceeded  so  far  in  his  obe- 
dience as  to  afford  demonstrative  evi- 
dence that  he  would  have  gone  to  the 
utmost  extent  of  the  letter  of  the  com- 
mand, God  accepted  the  will  for  the 
deed,  and  the  apostle  therefore  speaks 
of  it,  Heb.  21.  17,  as  if  the  act  were 
really  performed ;  '  By  faith  Abraham, 
when  he  was  tried,  offered  up  Isaac : 
and  he  that  had  received  the  promises, 
offered  up  his  only  begotten  son ;'  where 
the  term  is  that  usually  employed  to  sig- 
nify not  a  purposed  but  an  actual  offering. 
11.  The  Angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto 
him,  &c.  A  moment  more,  and  the  vic- 
tim would  have  been  smitten ;  but  in 
that  moment  the  awful  mandate  is  coun- 
termanded. A  voice  too  familiar  to 
Abraham  not  to  be  at  once  recognised  as 
that  of  God  himself  addresses  him  out 
of  heaven,  and  averts  the  dire  catastro- 
phe. Though  termed  an  Angel,  yet  it 
is  evident  from  the  manner  in  which  he 
here  speaks  of  himself,  and  from  what  is 
said  v.  12,  16,  that  he  was  not  a  created 
being,  but  was  no  other  than  the  divine 
personage  so  often  introduced  into  the 
sacred  narrative  under  the  title  of  the 
Angel  Jehovah,  the  Angel  of  the  Cove- 
nant, &c.  respecting  whom  see  note  on 
Gen.  16.  7. 


12 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1872. 


12  And  he  said,  ^  Lay  not  thine 
hand  upon  the  lad,  neither  do  thou 
any  thing  unto  him  :  for  ^  now  I 
know  that  thou  fearest  God,  seeing 
thou  hast  not  withheld  thy  son, 
thine  only  son,  from  me. 


f  1  Sam.  15.  22. 
Jam.  2. 22. 


Mic.  6.  7,8.    g   ch.26.5. 


12.  Lay  not  thy  hand  upon  the  lad, 
&c.  The  Heb.  'lib'i  yeled,  is  applied 
not  only  to  lads  or  children,  but  also  to 
grown  up  young  men,  as  above  to 
Abraham's  armed  or  trained  servants, 
ch.  14.  14  ;  to  the  young  man  of  She- 
chem  who  ravished  Dinah,  ch.  34.  19 ; 
to  Joseph  when  called  to  interpret  Pha- 
raoh's dreams,  ch.  41.  12 ;  to  Joshua 
acting  as  a  servant  or  minister  to 
Moses,  Ex.  33.  11;  and  to  Absalom 
making  war  against  his  father,  2  Sam. 
18,  29.  The  command  w^as  intended 
merely  for  trial;  and  as  it  fully  ap- 
peared on  trial  that  Abraham  was  cor- 
dially willing  and  determined  to  resign 
his  son  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  God, 
the  end  of  the  command  was  answered ; 
consequently  the  counter-command  to 
forego  the  sacrifice  is  not  to  be  viewed 
as  militating  at  all  with  the  imchange- 
ableness  of  the  divine  counsels. — '  The 
voice  of  God  was  never  so  welcome, 
never  so  sweet,  never  so  seasonable  as 
now.  It  was  the  trial  that  God  intend- 
ed, not  the  fact.  Isaac  is  sacrificed,  and 
is  yet  alive  ;  and  now  both  of  them  are 
more  happy  in  what  they  would  have 
done,  than  they  could  have  been  dis- 
tressed, if  they  had  done  it.  God's 
charges  are  oftentimes  harsh  in  the  be- 
ginnings and  proceeding,  but  in  the  con- 
clusion always  comfortable.  True  spir- 
itual comforts  are  commonly  late  and 
sudden;  God  defers,  on  purpose  that 
our  trials  may  be  perfect,  our  deliver- 
ance welcome,  our  recompences  glo- 
rious.'    Bp.  Hall. IT  I  know  thai  thou 

fearest  God,  &c.  God  previously  knew 
aU  this,  and  had  in  eflfect  declared  it, 
ch.  18.  19     The  idea  is  simply  that  he 


13  And  Abraham  lifted  up  his 
eyes,  and  looked,  and  beheld  behind 
him  a  ram  caught  in  a  thicket  by 
his  horns  :  and  Abraham  went  and 
took  the  ram,  and  offered  him  up 
for  a  burnt-offering  in  the  stead  of 
his  son. 


knew,  by  a  new  proof,  by  having  actu- 
ally made  trial  of  him.  He  speaks  here, 
as  in  multitudes  of  other  cases,  in  accom- 
modation to  human  usages  of  speech. 
It  is  common  for  men  to  say  that  they 
know  that  which  they  have  found  out  by 
special  trial,  which  they  have  learned 
as  the  result  of  experiment ;  and  the 
Most  High  is  here  pleased  to  adopt  the 
same  language.  Thus  Ps.  139.  23,  it  is 
said, '  Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my 
heart ;'  though  the  psalmist  had  just  be- 
fore said,  V.  2,  '  Thou  understandest  my 
thoughts  afar  off.'  For  himself  he  need- 
ed not  the  patriarch's  obedience  to  dis- 
cover to  him  the  state  of  his  mind ;  but 
for  our  sakes  he  made  the  exhibition  of 
Abraham's  obedience  a  ground  for  ac- 
knowledging the  existence  of  the  inward 
principle  from  which  it  sprang.  It  is  by 
a  holy  and  obedient  deference  to  the 
divine  authority  that  faith  and  fear  are 
made  manifest.  As  a  sinner,  Abraham 
was  justified  by  faith  only  ;  but  as  a  pro- 
fessing believer,  he  was  justified  by  the 
works  which  his  faith  produced.  This 
view  will  probably  reconcile  the  appa- 
rent discrepancy  of  Pavil  and  James  in 
regard  to  Abraham's  justification.  They 
both  allege  his  case  as  an  example  of 
what  they  are  teaching,  but  the  one  res- 
pects him  as  ungodly,  the  other  as  god- 
ly. In  the  first  instance  he  is  justified 
by  faith  exclusive  of  works  ;  in  the  last 
by  faith,  as  producing  works,  and  there- 
by proving  him  the  friend  of  God. 

13.  Behold,  behind  him  a  ram-  caught 
in  a  thicket.  This  was  in  fact  an  accom- 
plishment of  what  Abraham  himself 
had  a  little  while  before  unwittingly  pre- 
dicted.    In  reply   to  Isaac's  question, 


B.  C.  18r2.] 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


13 


14  And  Abraham  called  the  name 
of  that  place  Jehovah-jireh  :  as  it  is 


Where  is  the   lamb  for  a  burnt-offer- 


ing ?'  he  had  said,  '  3Iy  son,  God  will 
provide  himself  with  a  burnt-offering.' 
By  this  answer  he  merely  intended  to 
satisfy  his  son's  mind  for  the  present, 
till  the  time  should  come  for  making 
known  to  him  the  command  which  he 
had  received  from  God,  in  which  com- 
mand that  provision  was  actually  made. 
But  now,  through  the  miraculous  inter- 
position of  Heaven  and  the  substitution 
of  the  ram  in  Isaac's  place,  it  had  been 
hterally  verified  in  a  way  which  he  him- 
self had  never  contemplated.  '  He  that 
made  that  beast  brings  him  thither,  fast- 
ens him  there.  Even  in  .sra^all  things 
there  is  a  great  providence  !'  Bp.  Hall. 
The  command  to  sacrifice  the  ram, 
though  not  expressly  affirmed,  is  yet  to 
be  presumed  from  the  cirsumstances ; 
and  in  that  incident  we  perceive  not  on- 
ly the  gracious  interposition  of  Heaven 
in  behalf  of  Abraham,  but  also  a  clear 
intimation  of  that  system  of  animal  sac- 
rifices which  afterwards  constituted  the 
grand  feature  of  the  Jewish  economy, 
and  which  was  designed  typically  to  fore- 
shadow the  future  paramount  sacrifice 
of  the  'Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world.'  In  order  to  intimate 
this  still  more  forcibly,  it  can  scarcely 
admit  of  doubt  that  the  very  place 
where  the  ram,  after  getting  entangled, 
was  offered  up,  was  the  place  subse- 
quently chosen  for  the  site  of  the  Tem- 
ple, and,  by  consequence,  of  the  oflfer- 
ing  up  of  the  stated  perpetual  sacrifices 
of  the  children  of  Israel.   3  Chron.  3.  I. 

14.  Abraham  called  the  name  of  that 
place  Jehovah-jireh.  Heb.  nii'~i'i  ilin^ 
Yehovah-yireh,  the  Lord  vill  see  or  provide. 
Gr.  Kvpios  eiSsv,  the  Lord  hath  seen. 
The  import  of  this  will  be  considered 
in  the  note  on  the  ensuing  clause.  The 
name  was  doubtless  given  in  allusion  to 
the  expression  mentioned  above,  v.  8, 
'  God   will  provide   himself  a  'amb  for 

VOL.  ir.  2 


said  to  this  day,  In  the  mount  of 
the  Lord  it  shall  be  seen. 


a  burnt-offering.'  The  striking  cor- 
respondence between  this  name  and 
'  Moriah '  will  be  evident  upon  re- 
ferring to  what  is  said  of  the  etymol- 
ogy of  that  word  in  v.  2.  The  whole 
thread  of  the  sacred  story  makes  it 
evident  that  good  men  of  old  were  par- 
ticularly solicitous  to  express  in  some 
public  and  permanent  manner  their 
grateful  sense  of  the  divine  mercies. 
Hence  they  scarcely  ever  received  any 
remarkable  deliverance  from  evil  or 
communication  of  good  from  God,  but 
they  erected  some  memorial  of  it,  and 
gave  either  to  the  place  or  to  the  memori- 
al itself,  some  name  that  should  transmit 
to  posterity  a  remembrance  of  the  bless- 
ing vouchsafed.  Such  was  '  Beth-el,' 
where  Jacob  was  favored  with  a  special 
vision,  Gen.  28, 19;  and  'Peniel,'  where 
he  wrestled  with  the  angel,  Gen.  32. 
30;  and  '  Eben-ezer,'  the  stone  erected 
by  Samuel  in  memory  of  Israel's  vic- 
tory over  the  Philistines,  1  Sam.  7.  12, 
Frequently  the  name  of  Jehovah  him- 
self was  annexed  to  some  word  expres- 
sive of  the  event  commemorated,  as 
'  Jehovah-nissi,'  the  Lord  my  banner, 
Ex.  17.  15  ;  '  Jehovah-shalom,'  the  Lord 
send  peace,  Judg.  6.  24  ;  '  Jehovah-sham- 
mah,'  the  Lord  is  there,  Ezek.  48.  25.  In 
like  manner  the  father  of  the  faithful 
bestows  a  commemorative  name  upon 
the  scene  of  this  remarkable  transaction. 

IT  As    it  is  said  to  this  day,  In  the 

mount  of  the  Lord  it  shall  be  seen.  Heb. 
nji^'i  yeraeh,  it  shall  be  seen  ;  the  same 
letters  as  in  the  preceding  clause,  but 
diffJerently  pointed  and  pronounced. 
Gr.  ev  TO)  opei  Kvpiog  u6dri  in  the  moun- 
tain the  Lord  hath  been  seen.  The  Chal. 
evidently  interprets  it  of  the  future 
erection  of  the  Temple  as  a  place  of  wor- 
ship on  the  spot,  '  And  Abraham  prayed 
and  served  (God)  there  in  that  place, 
and  said  before  the  Lord,  Here  shall  the 
generations     (to    come)    serve     (God). 


14 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  L 


15  TT  And  the  angel  of  the  Lokd 
called  unto  Abraham  out  of  heaven 
the  second  time, 

Therefore  was  it  said  in  this  day,  In  this 
mount  Abraham  served  before  the  Lord.' 
With  this  the  Jewish  critic  Jarchi  agrees, 
saying,  '  The  simple  sense  is  that  ex- 
pressed by  the  paraphrast,  viz.  that  it 
should  be,  that  God  would  provide  or 
elect  for  himself  this  place,  in  which  he 
would  cause  the  presence  of  his  majesty 
to  dwell,  and  oblations  to  be  offered  to 
him.'  Some  commentators  have  sup- 
posed that  this  clause  should  be  transla- 
ted more  nearly  in  accordance  with  the 
Greek,  '  In  the  mount  the  Lord  will  ap- 
pear';  or,  disregarding  the  points,  '  The 
Lord  will  provide'  ;  but  this  is  less  con- 
formable to  the  Hebrew,  and  gives  at 
any  rate  a  sense  differing  only  by  a 
shade  from  the  obvious  import,  viz. 
that  in  the  crisis  of  need  God  will  inter- 
pose. The  passage  is  undoubtedly 
meant  to  inform  us  that  the  incident 
here  related  was  so  remarkable,  the  di- 
vine intervention  so  illustrious,  that  it 
gave  rise  to  the  well-known  proverbial 
saying,  '  In  the  mount  of  the  Lord  it 
shall  be  seen ;'  an  expression  of  which 
perhaps  the  nearest  equivalent  in  En- 
glish is  the  familiar  apothegm,  '  Man's 
extremity  is  God's  opportunity.'  The 
name,  thus  become  a  proverb  in  Israel, 
not  only  furnished  a  memorial  of  God's 
goodness  to  Abraham,  but  a  promise  al- 
so that  w?ien  those  that  trusted  in  him 
were  reduced  to  the  most  trying  straits, 
and  no  way  of  extrication  appeared,  he 
would  interpose  at  the  critical  moment, 
and  provide  for  their  deliverance  and 
safety.  The  circumstance  plainly 
teaches  us,  that  whatever  God  has  at 
at  any  time  done  for  the  most  favored 
of  his  saints,  may  be  expected  by  us 
now,  as  far  as  our  necessities  call  for  it. 
Of  all  the  events  related  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, scarcely  any  one  was  so  pe- 
culiar and  so  exclusive  as  this.  Who 
besides   Abraham   was   ever  called   to 


16  And  said,  ^  By  myself  have  I 
sworn,  saitli  the  Lord,  for  becausc 

hPti.lOS.S.     Lukel.73.    fleb.G.  13,  ]■;. 

sacrifice  his  own  son  ?  WTio  besidei- 
him  was  ever  stayed  by  a  voice  from 
neaven  in  the  execution  of  such  a  com- 
mand? And  yet,  behold  this  very 
event  was  made  the  foundation  of  the 
proverb  before  us ;  and  from  this,  par- 
ticular and  exclusive  as  it  was,  all  be- 
lievers are  taught  to  expect  that  God 
will  interpose  for  them  in  hke  manner, 
in  the  hour  of  their  extremity.  Philoso- 
phy and  reason  may  remonstrate,  and 
say  that  we  have  no  grounds  to  look  for 
miracles  to  be  wrought  in  our  behalf; 
but  faith  will  assure  us,  that  though  out- 
ward miracles  may  be  withheld,  yet 
that  what  ^-as  formerly  done  by  visi- 
ble exercises  of  miraculous  power  shall 
now  in  effect  be  done  by  the  invisible 
agency  of  God's  providential  care.  The 
mode  of  effecting  our  deHverance  may 
be  varied,  but  the  deUverance  itself 
shall  be  secured.  We  are  indeed  very 
prone  to  ask,  In  what  w-ay  will  he  inter- 
pose ?  But  to  this  our  answer  is,  It 
must  be  left  to  him.  He  is  not  hmited 
to  any  particular  means.  He  can  work 
6y  means,  or  toithout  them,  as  seemeth 
to  him  good.  The  whole  creation  is  at 
his  command.  But  two  things  we  cer- 
tainly know  ;  namely,  that  he  will  inter- 
pose seasonably  ;  and  that  he  will  inter- 
pose effectually  ;  for  he  is,  and  ever  will 
be,  'a  very presenthelp  in  time  of  trou- 
ble.' Let  us  then  confidently  trust  him 
in  seasons  of  the  greatest  darkness  and 
distress. 

15,  16.  The  Ajigel  of  the  LORD  — 
said,  By  myself  have  I  sworn,  &c.  Chal. 
'  By  my  Word.'  Abraham  now  reaps 
the  reward  of  his  faith,  and  sees  the  effi- 
cacy of  his  persevering  obedience.  The 
promise  of  redemption  is  renewed, 
a  clearer  revelation  of  the  divine  will  is 
made,  a  more  cheering  annunciation  of 
the  future  prosperity  of  his  family  is  gi- 
ven.    And  all  this  is  confirmed  and  rati- 


B.  C.  1872.1 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


15 


thou  hast  done  this  thing,  and  hast 
not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son : 
17  That  in  blessing  I  will  bless 
thee,  and  in  multiplying  I  will  mul- 
tiply thy  seed  '  as  the  stars  of  the 

i  cli.  15.  5.    Jer.  33.  22. 


fied  by  the  solemnity  of  an  oath,  in 
which  we  are  told  by  the  apostle  Heb. 
6.  13, 14,  God  swears  by  himself  because 
he  could  swear  by  no  greater.  And 
this  affords  a  clear  proof  of  the  divinity 
of  the  speaker  ;  for  had  he  been  a  mere 
created  angel,  he  could,  of  course,  have 
sworn  by  a  greater  had  he  sworn  by 
his  Maker  :  but  as  it  is  expressly  affirm- 
ed that  he  could  swear  by  no  greater, 
the  inference  is  inevitable  that  he  must 
have  been  God.  His  swearing  thus  on 
this  occasion  was  virtually  pledging 
the  honor  of  his  holy  name,  and  of  all 
his  perfections,  as  the  security  for  the 
fulfilraent  of  his  engagements  to  Abra- 
ham. This  was  done  not  only  that  the 
patriarch  himself,  but  '  that  we  also  might 
have  strong  consolation,  who  have  fled 
for  refuge   to  lay  hold   on  the   hope  set 

before  us.' IT  Because  thou  hast  done 

this  thing,  &c.  Not  that  we  are  to  sup- 
pose that  Abraham  had  properly  merit- 
ed or  purchased  the  blessings  conveyed 
in  the  following  promises,  for  it  is  clear 
that  the  same  things  for  substance  had 
been  freely  promised  him  long  before. 
Gen.  12.  2 — 13. 16.  But  as  he  had  now 
put  forth  a  new  and  signal  demonstra- 
tion of  his  faith,  it  pleased  God  with  this 
to  connect  the  promise  of  the  stupen- 
dous benefaction  which  he  designed 
for  his  servant.  Indeed,  it  will  be 
observed,  that  the  language  is  something 
more  than  that  of  mere  repetition.  The 
terms  are  stronger  than  had  been  used 
on  any  former  occasion,  and,  as  such, 
more  expressive  of  divine  complacency  ; 
and  the  whole  being  couched  in  the 
form  of  an  oath,  it  constituted  a  more 
3mphatic  declaration  of  blessing  than 
\braham  had  yet  received. 
17.  Thy  seed  shall  possess  the  gate  of 


heaven,  ^  and  as  the  sand  which  is 
upon  the  sea-shore ;  and  '  thy  seed 
possess  "  the  gate  of  his  ene- 


shall 
mies 


kch.  13.  16.    ich.24.60.    =»Mic.  1. 


his  enemies.  That  is,  the  '  gates,'  collect, 
sing,  for  plur.  according  to  common  idi- 
om. Gr.  K\T]()ovoiir]crci  rag  i:o\cis  tmv 
vnEvavTtojv  shall  inherit  the  cities  of  their 
adversaries.  Chal.  '  Shall  inherit  the  ci- 
ties of  them  that  hate  them.'  The 
meaning  plainly  is,  that  they  should 
subdue  their  enemies.  As  gates  were 
in  ancient  times  the  principal  places  of 
resort,  as  not  only  their  markets  were 
held  there,  but  also  their  courts  of 
justice  and  their  deliberative  assemblies, 
hence  it  is  common  for  the  scrip- 
tures to  speak  of  the  power  of  a  city  be- 
ing concentrated  in  its  gate  or  gates. 
The  possession  of  the  gates  was  therefore 
the  possession  of  the  cities  to  wdiich  they 
pertained;  and  this  view  of  the  sub- 
ject goes  to  explain  and  justify  the  Greek 
version. — '  In  this  and  several  other  pas- 
sages, the  gate  is  emblematic  of  authori- 
ty and  dominion  ;  even  as  in  Europe  the 
delivery  of  the  keys  of  a  town  is  a  for- 
mal act  of  submission  to  a  conquering 
or  superior  power.  Sometimes  the  word 
'gate'  denotes  'power'  in  a  more  gene- 
ral and  absolute  sense.  A  familiar  in- 
stance of  this  is  where  we  speak  of  the 
Turkish  power  as  '  the  Porte,'  '  the  Sub- 
lime Porte,'  '  the  Ottoman  Porte.'  This 
denomination  is  derived  from  the  prin- 
cipal gate  or  'porte'  of  the  Turkish 
Sultan's  palace  at  Constantinople. 
When  the  writer  saw  this  gate,  it  did 
not  seem  to  him  very  '  sublime,'  but  the 
mention  of  the  gate  involves  the  idea  of 
the  palace,  and  of  the  power  which  re- 
sides there.'  Pict.  Bible.  We  shall 
hereafter  have  frequent  occasion  to  ad- 
vert to  this  usage.  The  words  are  not 
to  be  understood,  however,  as  intimat- 
ing that  Abraham's  seed  were  to  be  tini- 
formly  and  perpetually  victorious  over 


16 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1872. 


18  °  And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed ;  °  be- 
cause thou  hast  obeyed  my  voice. 


n  ch.  12.  3.  &  18. 18.  &  26.  4. 
Gal.  3.  8.  9,  16,  18.     o  ver.  3,  10. 


Acts.  3.  2 
cli.26.  5. 


their  enemies,  that  they  were  neuer  to  be 
in  subjection  to  a  foreign  foe,  which  we 
learn  from  their  history  was  not  the  fact ; 
but  that  on  the  whole  and  in  the  final 
issue  they  should  attain  to  a  triumphant 
ascendancy  over  '  every  adversary  and 
evil  occurrent '  The  true  construction, 
however,  embraces  not  only  the  tem- 
poral conquests  of  Israel  under  Joshua, 
David,  Solomon,  and  others,  but  also 
the  higher  spiritual  victories  to  be 
achieved  by  him  who  w  as  preeminently 
the  seed  of  the  woman  as  well  as  the 
seed  of  Abraham ;  and  of  w^hom  it  is 
elsewhere  predicted  that  he  shall  reign  till 
all  his  enemies  are  put  under  his  feet. 
Comp.  Num.  24.  17—19.  Josh.  1.— 10. 
2  Sara.  8. 10.  Ps.  2.  8,  9  ;  72.  8,  9.  Dan. 
2.  44,  45.  Luke  1.  68—75.  Rev.  11. 
15. 

18.  In  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth  he  blessed.  Or.  Heb.  "lil^r.n 
hithbareltu,  shall  bhss  themselves,  or  count 
themselves  blessed,  according  to  the  na- 
tive force  of  the  Hithpael  conjugation. 
Comp.  Is.  65.  16.  The  Gr.  however 
has  cvev\oyrj9r]aovrat.  shall  be  blessed, 
which  our  translators  have  seen  fit  to 
follow.  The  expression  is  more  em- 
phatic than  any  which  has  hitherto  oc- 
curred in  reference  to  the  same  subject, 
and  implies  how  highly  they  should 
value  the  promised  seed,  and  the  bless- 
ings of  which  he  should  be  the  procur- 
ing cause.  The  phrase  '  in  thy  seed,' 
it  can  scarcely  be  doubted,  has  for  the 
most  part  a  collective  import,  implying 
that  the  posterity  descending  from  Abra- 
ham should  ultimately  and  instrumen- 
tally  become  a  signal  blessing  to  the 
whole  world.  But  from  the  Apostle's 
language.  Gal.  3.  16,  we  are  plainly 
taught  that  the  words  are  to  be  taken  in 
a  more  restricted  apphcation,  and  to  be 


19  So  Abraham  returned  unto 
his  young  men,  and  they  rose  up, 
and  went  together  to  p  Beer-sheba; 
and  Abraham  dwelt  at  Beer-sheba- 

p  chap.  21.  31. 


understood  of  one  particular  person,  even 
that  illustrious  and  divine  individual,  who 
formed  the  substance  of  all  the  exceed- 
ing great  and  precious  promises  made 
to  or  through  the  patriarchs  or  prophets 
of  old  ; — '  He  saith  not.  And  to  seeds,  as 
of  many ;  but  as  of  one.  And  to  thy 
seed,  which  is  Christ.'  Yet  it  would 
perhaps  be  putting  constraint  upon  the 
apostle's  words  to  interpret  them  as  ab- 
solutely excluding  the  collective  sense 
which  the  expression  usually  bears. 
His  remarks  seem  to  be  grounded  ra- 
ther upon  the  letter  of  the  phrase,  which 
he  would  give  us  to  understand  natural- 
ly and  prominently  refers  to  an  individ- 
ual, who,  of  course,  can  be  no  other  than 
Christ;  while  at  the  same  time  this  in- 
terpretation does  not,  we  apprehend, 
necessitate  the  inference  that  that  in- 
dividual actually  exhausts  the  full  im- 
port of  the  term.  Christ  was,  however, 
so  far  the  leading  and  dominant  object  of 
the  oracle,  as  to  justify  the  apostle's 
application  of  it  principally  to  him. 

19.  So  Abraham  returned  unto  his 
you7ig  men,  <fec.  With  what  diflJerent 
feehngs  did  Abraham  now  descend  from 
Jehovah-jireh !  His  Isaac  lives,  and 
yet  his  sacrifice  is  offered.  He  came  to 
yield  his  dearest  earthly  delight  at  the 
call  of  God,  and  he  goes  away,  not  only 
accompanied  by  his  son,  whom  he  had 
virtually  resigned,  but  enriched  with 
new  blessings  and  fresh  promises  !  So 
true  is  it  that  God  is  ever  better  to  his 
people  than  their  fears,  5'ea,  than  their 
hopes.  No  sacrifice  was  ever  yet  sincere- 
ly made  for  him,  but  it  finally  redounded 
a  hundred-fold  to  the  gain  and  the  conso- 
lation of  the  oflferer.  '  Isaac  had  never 
been  so  precious  to  his  father,  if  he  had 
not  been  recovered  from  death ;  if  he 
had  not  been  as  miraculously  restored  as 


B.  C.  1872.] 


20  T[  And  it  came  to  pass  after 
these  things,  that  it  was  told  Abra- 
braham,  saying-,  Behold  "  Milcah, 
she  hath  also  borne  children  unto 
thy  brother  Nahor  ; 

21  ""  Huz  his  first-born,  and  Buz 
his  brother,  and  Kemuel  the  father 
«  of  Aram, 

qch.  11.29.    rJob.  1.1.    "Job.SS.  2. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


17 


given. 


Abraham  had  never  been  as 


blessed  in  his  seed,  if  he  had  not  neg- 
lected Isaac  for  God.  The  only  way  to 
find  comfort  in  an  earthly  thing  is,  to 
surrender  it  in  a  believing  carelessness 
into  the  hands  of  God.'     Bp.  Hall. 

20.  It  came  to  pass  after  these  thiiigs, 
&c.  The  genealogy  here  given,  and 
occupying  the  remaining  verses  to  the 
end  of  the  chapter,  is  undoubtedly  in- 
troduced in  order  to  make  way  for  the 
following  account  of  Isaac's  marriage  to 
Rebekah,  a  daughter  of  the  family  of 
Nahor.  It  was  contrary  to  the  design 
of  heaven  that  the  family  of  Abraham 
should  intermarry  with  the  heathen 
races  among  whom  he  now  dwelt,  and 
to  add  to  the  recent  tokens  of  the  divine 
favor,  he  is  now  cheered  by  the  wel- 
come tidings  of  the  prosperity  of  his 
brother's  house,  in  which  he  would  not 
fail  to  perceive  how  kindly  God  was 
preparing  the  way  for  the  higher  happi- 
ness of  his  son  and  the  further  fidfdment 
of  his  promises. 

21.  Huz  his  first-horn.  Heb.  fi;? 
Ootz  or  Uz,  the  letter  z  in  scripture  pro- 
per names  being  almo.st  invariably  the 
representative  of  the  Ileb.  tz.  The  '  land 
of  Uz',  the  country  of  Job,  was,  it  may 
be  supposed,  so  called  from, this  indi- 
vidual. He  and  his  brother  Buz  seem 
to  have  emigrated  and  settled  south, 
either  in  Edom  or  the  northern  regions 
of  Arabia.  Buz  was  probably  the  fa- 
ther or  one  of  the  ancestors  of  Elihu, 
who,  in  Job  32.  2,  is  called  '  Elihu  the 

Buzite.' "ir  The  father  of  Aram.     Gr. 

itaTipa   ^vpioiv   Father   of  the   Syrians; 


22  And  Chesed,  and  Hazo,  and 
Pildash,  and  Jidlaph,  and  Bethuel. 

23  And  ^  Bethuel  begat  "  Rebe- 
kah :  these  eight  Milcah  did  bear  to 
Nahor,  Abraham's  brother. 

24  And  his  concubine,  whose 
name  was  Reumah,  she  bare  also 
Tebah,  and  Gaham,  and  Thabash, 
and  Maachah. 

1 1  ch.  ai.  15.  «  Called,  Rom.  9. 10,  Rebecca. 

probably  a  correct  rendering,  as  the 
names  of  individuals  in  the  scriptures, 
who  were  the  founders  of  nations,  usu- 
ally stand  for  the  nations  themselves. 
'  Aram'  throughout  the  Bible  is  render- 
ed by  the  Greek  '  Syria'  and  '  Syrians,' 
as  is  '  3Iitzraim'  by  '  Egypt,'  and  '  Cush' 
by  '  Ethiopia.'  This  usage  of  the  Sep- 
tuagint  has  for  the  most  part  governed 
that  of  all  the  later  versions. 

22.  Chesed.  Ileb.  Tr3  Kesed,  that 
is,  the  Kasdim  or  Chaldeans,  respecting 
whom  and  their  origin  see  Note  on  Gen. 
11.  23.  Of  the  other  four  individuals 
whose  names  follow,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Bethuel,  the  sacred  writers  give 
us  no  information. 

24.  His  concvhine.  Heb.  "^mbS;  pi^^f^- 
gesh,  from  whence  the  Gr.  TraWuKig  pal- 
lalcis  and  Lat.  peJlex.  Our  English  word 
'■conciihine''  is  derived  from  a  Latin  com- 
pound con  and  cuho,  implying  simply  m^u- 
tual  cohahifation  withoiit  a  duly  solem- 
nized marriage.  The  Heb.  term,  how 
ever,  supposed  to  be  derived  from  3^5 
palag,  to  divide,  and  -j-rj^  nagash,  to  ap- 
proach, did  not,  as  the  word  concuhine 
does  with  us,  imply  any  thing  immoral 
or  reproachful.  Its  true  import  is  that 
of  a  half-wife,  divided  or  secondary  wife, 
from  the  impUed  division  of  the  hus- 
band's affections  and  attentions  between 
two  objects.  An  accurate  knowledge 
of  oriental  customs  and  notions  is  ne- 
cessary to  enable  one  to  enter  fully  in- 
to the  force  of  the  term  as  distinguished 
from  our  sense  of  the  word  concuhine. 
This,  as  it  is  well  known,  denotes  a 
woman  who,  without  being  married  to 


13 


a  man,  lives  with  him  as  his  wife.  In 
fact,  in  its  usual  acceptation  it  dif- 
fers not  from  mistress,  and  of  course 
conveys  the  idea  of  a  connexion  in  the 
highest  degree  unlawful  and  abhorrent 
to  the  fundamental  laws  of  Christianity. 
But  with  the  sacred  writers  concubi- 
nage runs  into  polygamy,  the  word  being 
used  to  designate  a  lawful  wife,  but  one 
of  secondary  or  subordinate  rank.  She 
differed  from  the  proper  wife  in 
not  being  wedded  with  all  the  usual 
ceremonies  and  solemnities ;  in  not 
bringing  with  her  a  dowry  ;  and  in  hav- 
ing no  share  in  the  government  of  the 
family.  Wives  of  this  description  are 
at  present  known  in  the  East  under  the 
title  of  odaliques,  and  it  is  generally  un- 
derstood that  they  are  subject  to  the 
mistress  of  the  family,  or  the  principal 
wife,  whose  nuptials  have  been  cele- 
brated according  to  the  usual  rites. 
They  are  at  the  same  time  treated  with 
every  respect  as  a  secondary  order  of 
wives— very  seldom,  unless  in  cases  of 
criminality,  with  the  indignities  inflicted 
on  a  slave.  The  children  of  the  principal 
wife  usually  inherit  the  father's  fortune 
in  preference  to  the  children  of  the  oda- 
liques.  In  the  harem  slie  takes  the 
upper  seat  on  the  sofa,  directs  the  econ- 
omy of  the  women's  apartments,  and 
when  her  consort  forgets  her  charms  for 
those  of  another,  her  title  to  supremacy 
still  remains  unaltered.  She  sits  too  on 
the  same  sofa  with  her  husband,  al- 
though at  its  extreme  edge ;  while  the 
odaliques  sit,  their  feet  folded  under 
ihem,  upon  cushions  spread  upon  the 
carpet.  When  she  first  appears  among 
the  latter  in  the  morning,  it  is  the  usage 
that  they  should  kneel  down  and  kiss 
the  hem  of  her  garment.  See  Quin's 
Life  in  the  East. 

Remarks.— The  transaction  which 
we  have  now  considered,  taken  in  all 
its  bearings,  is  rich  in  practical  instruc- 
tion.   We  learn  from  it, 

(1)     Tfie  nature  and  working  of  true 


GENESIS.  [B.  C.  1872. 


power  of  this  principle  was  probably 
never  put  forth  by  a  human  being.  In 
addition  to  all  the  aggravating  circum- 
stances above  detailed,  it  should  be  con- 
sidered that  Abraham's  previous  trials 
had  been  very  severe.  The  same 
things,  we  well  know,  may  be  more  or 
less  trying  according  to  the  situation  or 
state  of  mind  in  which  they  find  us.  If 
the  treatment  of  Job's  friends  had  not 
been  preceded  by  the  loss  of  his  sub- 
stance, the  untimely  death  of  his  chil- 
dren, the  rash  counsel  of  his  wife,  and 
the  heavy  hand  of  God,  it  would  have 
been  much  more  tolerable.  So  if  Abra- 
ham's faith  and  patience  had  not  been 
exercised  in  the  manner  they  were  an- 
terior to  this  temptation,  he  could  doubt- 
less more  easily  have  borne  it.  But 
it  was  '  after  these  things'  that  God  ap- 
pointed this  sore  trial  to  his  servant — 
after  his  being  called  away  from  his 
country  and  kindred— after  his  pilgrim- 
age to  Egypt— after  his  domestic  troubles 
and  his  parting  with  Ishmael— after  five 
and  twenty  years'  waiting  for  the  child 
of  promise— after  hope  had  been  raised 
to  the  highest  pitch,  yea,  after  it  had 
been  actually  turned  into  enjoyment— 
and  when  the  child  had  lived  long 
enough  to  discover  an  amiable  and  pious 
spirit— yet  after  all  this  he  is  called  to 
pass  through  another  ordeal  still  more 
trying  than  any  preceding  one  !  And 
how  plausible  were  the  pleas  which 
might  have  been  urged  against  so  fear- 
ful a  command  ?  Murder  was  an  ob- 
ject both  of  human  and  divine  abhor- 
rence ;  and  what  would  the  surrounding 
heathen  say  when  they  should  hear  of 
this  cruel  massacre  ?  What  would  they 
think  of  him  and  his  religion  when  he 
could  rejfresent  such  a  horrid  deed  of 
blood  as  an  act  of  piety  performed  in 
obedience  to  a  divine  mandate  ?  Would 
they  not  universally  have  exclaimed 
against  him  as  a  monster  of  cruelty,  and 
said  of  him  at  every  turn,  '  There  goes 
the  man  that  cut  the  throat  of  his  own 


faith.    A  more  illustrious  display  of  the   son.'    Again,  Avith  what  face  could  ha 


B.  C.  1872.] 


CHAPTER  XXll. 


19 


look  upon  his  wife  whose  son  he  had 
murdered  ?  How  could  she  entertain  the 
executioner  of  Isaac,  or  beUeve  that  such 
an  order  emanated  from  God  ?  In  all  these 
respects  it  is  easy  to  see  with  what  a 
strength  of  reason  his  faith  had  to  wres- 
tle, to  say  nothing  of  the  still  sorer  con- 
flict with  affection.  But  faith  had  taught 
Abraham  not  to  argue,  but  to  obey. 
Pie  knew  that  what  God  commanded 
was  good,  and  what  he  promised,  infal- 
lible ;  and  therefore  went  forward  with- 
o\it  wavering  in  absolute  submission  to 
the  will  of  the  Most  High.  Such  was 
the  triumph  of  Abraham's  faith.  And 
now,  do  we  desire  to  form  an  estimate 
of  the  reality  and  strength  of  our  own 
faith  ?  Let  us  place  ourselves  for  a  mo- 
ment in  a  .situation  similar  to  that  of  the 
patriarch.  Let  us  think  of  that  per.son, 
of  that  object,  which  is  the  dearest  to 
us  of  any  on  earth  •  and  let  us  imagine 
the  breath  of  the  destroying  angel  wither- 
ing it,  hke  Jonah's  gourd,  at  our  feet, — 
its  beauty  fled,  and  the  grave  about  to 
shut  it  for  ever  from  our  view  ;  and  let 
us  ask  ourselves  whetlier  we  could  re- 
ceive such  a  visitation  without  a  mur- 
mur from  the  hands  of  our  heavenly 
Father?  Could  we  say  with  the  Shu- 
namite,  in  answer  to  the  prophet's  mes- 
sage, 'Is  It  well  with  the  child  ?' that 
child  which  had  just  expired  in  her  arms 
— could  we  say  with  her,  'It  is  well.' 
This  is  the  office  of  faith,  and  one  of 
its  most  difficult  works.  Yet  it  has  been 
achieved  by  thousands,  and  must  be 
achieved  by  us  e»e  patience  shall  have 
had  her  perfect  work.  The  most  val- 
uable of  the  gifts  of  heaven,  the  dearest 
of  our  earthly  delights,  must  all  be  held 
as  Isaac  in  his  father's  arms,  ready  at 
the  slightest  bidding  to  be  laid  and  to  be 
sacrificed  on  the  altar  of  God. 

(2  )  The  certainty  that  God  mill  inter- 
pose for  his  people  in  the  hour  of  their 
necessity.  This  is  the  plain  import  of 
the  proverb,  '  In  the  mount  of  the  Lord 
it  shall  be  seen.'  We  may  therefore 
confidently   trust  in  him   in  seasons  of 


the  greatest  darkness  and  distress.  He 
may  not  come  to  our  help  at  the  mo- 
ment that  our  impatient  minds  may  de- 
sire. On  the  contrary,  he  may  tarry 
long  till  we  are  ready  to  cry,  '  The  Lord 
hath  forsaken  us,  and  our  God  hath  for- 
gotten us.'  But  he  has  wise  and  gra- 
cious purposes  to  answer  by  such  de 
lays.  Hemakesuseof  them  tostirusu 
to  more  earnest  importunity  ;  to  render 
us  more  simple  and  humble  in  our  de- 
pendence, to  display  more  gloriously  the 
riches  of  his  power  and  goodness. when 
he  does  appear ;  and  to  teach  both  us 
and  others  the  wisdom  of  waiting  his 
time.  Whatever,  then,  our  unbelieving 
fears  may  say,  let  us  be  assured  that 
God  is  no  inattentive  observer  of  our 
condition,  and  that  at  the  critical  mo- 
ment, when  his  succour  shall  be  most 
welcome,  it  shall  come.  And  where  is 
the  christian  heart  that  hath  not  had 
engraven  upon  it  many  precious  remem- 
brances of  the  fulfilment  of  this  pro- 
mise ?  In  temporal  and  in  spiritual  dif- 
ficulties :  in  the  day  of  i-orrow,  and  on 
the  bed  of  sickness;  in  the  hour  of  dan- 
ger to  ourselves  or  to  those  we  have 
loved,  the  Lord  has  most  unexpectedly 
appeared  in  our  behalf,  and  enabled  us 
to  exclaim  '  Jehovah-jireh'  in  view  of 
the  joyful  deliverance.  Wliat  then 
ought  to  be  the  effect  of  these  repeated 
interferences  of  divine  mercy  in  our 
behalf?  Surely  to  teach  us  never  to 
doubt,  never  to  despair,  never  to  des- 
pond. If  called  to  give  up  our  dearest 
possession,  the  wife  of  our  bosom,  the 
children  of  our  love,  let  us  bow  even 
amidst  our  keenest  sufferings,  to  ki.ss 
the  rod  and  him  who  hath  appointed 
it.  He  that  hath  been  with  us  in  six 
troubles  will  not  leave  us  in  seven  ;  and 
it  will  only  be  adding  ingratitude  to  un- 
belief, to  rob  ourselves  of  the  comfori 
of  this  delightful  assurance.  Nor  is  it 
in  life  only  that  we  are  to  sustain  our- 
selves by  cleaving  to  this  confidence, 
fn  nature's  final  conflict,  when  our  faith 
may  be  expected  to  meet  its  severest 


20 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1860. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

AND  Sarah  was  an  hundred 
and  seven  and  twenty  years 
old :  these  ivere  the  years  of  the  life 
of  Sarah. 


shock,  ihen  shall  these  cheering  words 
stand  out  in  letters  of  light,  which  even 
the  closing  eye  can  read  and  the  faint- 
ing heart  can  dwell  upon. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

1.  And  Sarah  was  an  hundred  and 
seven  and  twenty  years  old.  Heb.  1^n"i 
JlTU  ^^Tl  yihyu  haye  Sarah,  the  lives 
of  Sarah  were,  &c.  according  to  the 
Heb.  idiom  which  always  employs  the 
plur.  for  '  life ;'  a  u.sage  designed,  ac- 
cording to  Calvin,  to  intimate  the  va- 
rious events  of  life,  its  numerous  and 
often  rapid  vicissitudes,  which  seeming- 
ly divide  it  into  several  different  lives. 
Another  solution,  liowever,  of  a  physio- 
logical character,  is  given  Gen.  2.  7.  It 
is  somewhat  remarkable  that  Sarah  is 
the  only  female  mentioned  in  the  scrip- 
tures, whose  age,  death,  and  burial  are 
distinctly  noted.  She  was  65  at  the  pe- 
riod of  Abraham's  departure  from  Ha- 
ran,  hved  with  him  in  his  pilgrim  state 
62  years,  and  died  3S  years  before  him. 
She  is  always  spoken  of  in  the  sacred 
writings  as  the  pattern  of  conjugal  fi- 
delity and  love,  and  her  example  is  held 
forth  by  the  apostle,  1  Pet.  3.  6,  as  the 
highest  model  for  christian  Women,  and 
the  title  of  her  '  daughters'  as  their  most 
honorable  distinction.  The  very  fact 
that  so  few  of  the  incidents  of  her  his- 
tory are  recorded  speaks  strongly  in 
her  favor  ;  for  there  is  httle  in  the  even 
tenor  of  female  life,  when  that  life  is 
passed  in  the  retired  and  noiseless  path 
of  devotedness  to  God,  and  in  the  peace- 
ful round  of  domestic  duties,  which  can 
or  ought  to  form  the  subject  of  the  his- 
torian's pen.  The  very  privacy  of  the 
christian  graces,  manifested  in  such  a 
walk  and  conver-sation.  while  it  endears 


2  And  Sarah  died  in  ^  Kirjath- 
arba  ;  the  same  is '' Hebron  in  the 
land  of  Canaan :  and  Abraham 
came  to  mourn  for  Sarali,  and  to 
weep  for  her. 

a  Josh.  14.  15.  JudfT.  1. 10.  b  ch.  13. 18.  ver.  19. 


them  the  more  to  the  select  circle  in 
which  they  move,  and  which  alone  can 
duly  appreciate  their  unobtrusive 
amiableness  and  worth,  is  adverse  to 
their  gaining  eclat.  The  traits  of  char- 
acter which  best  en^irfe  them  to  celebrity, 
are  the  very  ones  which  prevent  their 
attaining  it. 

2.  Sarah  died  in  Kirjath-arha.  The 
patriarch,  after  having  enjoyed  the  ten- 
derest  of  all  relationsh'ps  during  a  longer 
period  than  that  of  which  a  whole  life, 
at  the  present  day  usually  consists,  is 
at  length  caUed  to  feel  the  pang  of  sepa- 
ration. Sarah  pays  the  debt  of  nature, 
and  is  removed  to  that  world  where  they 
neither  '  marry  nor  are  given  in  mar- 
riage '  Although  there  is  ahvays  some- 
thing in  the  breaking  of  this  tie  more 
affecting,  perhaps,  than  in  the  disruption 
of  any  other  which  unites  us  to  our 
kind,  yet  the  bitterness  of  the  bereave- 
ment was  enhanced  to  Abraham  by  pe- 
culiar circumstances.  Sarah  had  been 
his  '  companion  in  tribulation.'  They 
had  shared  together  in  a  series  of  trying 
dispensations  through  a  long  course  of 
years,  and  their  union  had  at  length 
been  cemented  by  a  pledge,  such  as 
had  never  before,  and  but  in  one  in- 
stance since,  gladdened  the  heart  of  a 
parent.  The  stroke  therefore  could 
not  but  be  one  of  deep  affliction  to 
the  survivor,   and    the    sequel    clearly 

informs  us  that  he  felt  it  as  such. 

IT  Kirjath-arha.  Heb.  SD'HJ*  Jl'^lp 
lit.  the  city  of  the  four ;  so  called,  if  wo 
may  believe  the  Jewish  tradition,  from 
the  circumstance  of  the  four  illustrious 
men,  viz.  Adam,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  being  buried  there,  as  also  the 
four  distinguished  yvomen.  Eve,  Sarah, 
Rebekah,  and  Leah.    All  these  perscma 


B.  C.  I860.] 


CHAPTER  XXIll. 


21 


were  certainly  buried  there,  except 
Adam  and  Eve,  whose  place  of  inter- 
ment is  nowhere  mentioned.  But  as  to 
the  origin  of  this  name,  see  Josh.  14. 15. 
Whoever  built  the  city,  it  must  have 
been  one  of  the  most  ancient  in  the  world. 
Egypt  was  one  of  the  first  countries  set- 
tled after  the  deluge,  and  its  inhabitants 
made  much  boast  of  the  antiquity  of  their 
cities  ;  yet  we  are  informed  in  Num.  13. 
22,  that  Hebron  was  built  seven  years 
before  Zoan,  or  Tanis,  the  ancient  capi- 
tal of  Lower  Egypt.  At  the  conquest 
of  Palestine  by  the  Israelites  Hebron 
was  possessed  by  the  Anakims,  and  was 
taken  by  Caleb,  whose  possession  it  be- 
came, being  in  the  allotment  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah.  It  was  afterwards  assigned 
to  the  Levites,  and  became  a  city  of 
refuge.  David  kept  his  court  there  in 
the  first  seven  years  of  his  reign,  before 
Jerusalem  was  taken.  Afterwards  Ab- 
salom raised  the  standard  of  rebelhon 
in  Hebron.  During  the  Babylonish  cap- 
tivity, the  Edoraites  appropriated  He- 
bron when  they  invaded  the  south  of 
Judah,  and  it  became  the  capital  of  a 
district  which  continued  to  be  called 
Idumsea  long  after  the  territory  of  the 
Edomites  had  been  incorporated  with 
Judaja.  Wells  think  it  became  the 
site  of  a  bishopric  in  the  early  times  of 
Christianity,  and  it  was  certainly  made 
f-uch  when  the  Crusaders  conquered 
Palestine.  Hebron  is  now  merely  a 
village,  called  Habroun  and  El  Khalyl, 
i.  e.  the  friend,  from  its  having  been  the 
residence  of  Abraham,  the  friend  of 
God.  It  is  situated  about  27  miles  south 
of  Jerusalem,  eastward  of  a  chain  of 
hills  which  intersects  the  country 
from  north  to  south.  It  stands  on  the 
slope  of  an  eminence,  at  the  summit 
of  which  are  some  mis-shapen  ruins 
of  an  ancient  castle.  It  has  some  small 
manufactures  of  cotton,  soap,  glass- 
lamps,  and  trinkets,  which  render  it  the 
most  important  place  of  the  district.  It 
is  rather  a  neat  town,  with  unusually 
high  houses  ;  but  the  streets  are  narrow 


and  winding.  The  adjoining  district, 
which  is  no  doubt  'the  valley  of  He- 
bron,' is  an  oblong  hollow,  or  valley,  di- 
versified with  rocky  hillocks,  groves  of 
fir,  and  some  plantations  of  vines  and 

oUve  trees. IT  Abraham  came  to  mourn 

for  Sarah,  and  to  weep.  Heb.  (l^,w-b 
livkothah,  to  xoeep  her ;  i.  e.  to  bewail  or 
lament  lier.  Mourning  for  the  pious 
dead  is  but  a  suitable  tribute  to  the  me- 
mory of  their  living  worth.  Abraham 
was  sensible  of  his  loss,  and  gave  vent 
to  the  natural  expressions  of  sorrow. 
His  religion  was  not  of  that  sort  which 
values  itself  on  doing  violence  to  nature. 
He  knew  nothing  of  that  philosophy 
which  affects  to  deny  what  it  feels. 
Neither  had  an  old  age  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  years,extinguished  in  his  heart 
those  tender  emotions  which  such  an 
event  was  calculated  to  awaken.  He 
who  does  not  weep  on  such  an  occasion, 
is  something  more  or  less  than  a  man. 
From  the  example  of  our  Lord  himself, 
who  wept  over  the  bier  of  Lazarus,  we 
are  taught  that  there  is  nothing  abhor- 
rent from  true  wisdom  or  manly  virtue 
in  grave  and  temperate  lamentation  for 
our  departed  friends.  But  the  Christian 
is  not  to  mourn  as  those  that  have  no 
hope,  nor  is  his  mourning  to  be  allowed 
to  interfere  with  the  grand  duties  of 
Hfe. — In  what  sense  Abraham  is  said  to 
have  'come'  to  mourn  for  Sarah,  is  not 
clear.  Harmer  thinks  that,  according  to 
a  custom  among  the  Syrians  and  Greeks, 
of  mourning  at  the  door  within  which  a 
dead  body  lay,  the  patriarch  came  from 
his  own  tent  to  sit  mourning  on  the 
ground  at  the  door  of  Sarah's,  which 
was  distinct  from  his  owti.  Gen.  24.  67. 
But  as  it  is  common  for  those  that  lead 
the  nomade  mode  of  life,  for  the  con- 
venience of  feeding  their  numerous 
flocks,  to  have  several  places  of  tem- 
porary residence,  we  should  rather  in- 
fer that  he  was  absent  from  Hebron  at 
the  time  of  her  death,  but  hastened 
thither  to  perform  the  last  duties  when 
he  received  the  intelligence 


22 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1860. 


3  IT  And  Abraham  stood  up 
from  before  liis  dead,  and  spake 
unto  the  sons  of  Heth,  saying, 

4  "  I  am  a  stranger  and  a  sojourn- 
er with  you :  "^  give  me  a  possession 

c  ch.  17.  8.  1  Chron.  29.  15.  Ps.  105.  12. 
Heb.  11.  9,  13.    d  Acts  7.  5. 


3.  Abraham  stood  up  from  before  h's 
dead.  Or,  Heb.  tp"^  yakom,  rose  up ; 
an  expression  denoting  the  moderation 
of  his  grief,  and  the  comparative  ease 
with  which,  from  a  principle  of  piety, 
he  was  enabled  to  subdue  his  emotions, 
and  to  rise  up  and  engage  in  the  active 
duties  of  Ufe.  As  there  is  a  time  for 
weeping,  so  there  is  a  time  to  refrain 
from  w'eeping ;  and  it  is  well  there  is. 
The  necessary  cares  connected  with  our 
condition  in  this  world  are  a  merciful 
means  of  raising  us  from  the  torpor  of 

melancholy. IT  Spake  ttnto  the  sons  of 

Heth.  The  descendants  of  Heth,  the 
son  of  Canaan,  and  grandson  of  Ham, 
elsewhere  called  Hittites.  He  w-as  now 
sojourning  in  their  country. 

5.  A  stranger  and  a  sojourner  with  you. 
We  have  now  been  tracing  the  history 
of  Abraham  through  the  space  of  near- 
ly one  hundred  years,  during  the  great- 
er portion  of  which  the  promise  of  God 
was  pledged  to  him  that  all  the  land  of 
Canaan  should  be  his  ;  and  here  we  find 
him,  at  the  close  of  a  long  and  toilsome 
life,  obtaining  his  first  inheritance  in  it, 
and  that — a  sepulchre  for  his  wife.  In 
all  this  time  he  was,  and  he  felt  himself 
to  be,  '  a  stranger  and  a  sojourner.'  It  is 
to  the  acknowledgment  that  he  here 
makes  to  the  sons  of  Heth,  that  Paul  so 
expressly  refers  in  Heb.  11.13,  'They 
confessed  that  they  were  strangers  and 
pilgrims  on  the  earth.'  Abraham,  how- 
ever, did  not  sustain  this  character 
alone.  Israel,  when  put  in  possession  of 
the  land,  were  taught  to  view  themselves 
in  the  same  hght ;  Lev.  25.  23, 'The 
land  shall  not  be  sold  forever ;  for  the 
land  is  mine,  for  ye  are  strangers  and  so- 
journers with  me.'     Even  David,  when 


of  a  burying-place  with  you,  that 
I  may  bury  my  dead  out  of  my 
sight. 

5  And  the   children  of  Heth  an- 
swered Abraham,  saying  unto  him, 


king  of  Israel,  makes  the  same  confes- 
sion, Ps.  39.  11,  'For  I  am  a  strange? 
with  thee,  and  a  sojourner,  as  all  my 
fathers  were.'  But  Abraham's  confes 
sion,  though  true  at  all  times,  was  pa 
culiarly  true  and  striking  when  thus  ul 
tered  at  the  grave  of  Sarah.  So  w 
all  feel  it  to  have  been  with  him,  and  s( 
with  ourselves.  Never  does  the  im 
pression  of  this  great  truth  come  upoi 
us  with  such  force,  never  do  we  fee? 
the  ties  that  bind  us  to  the  earth  sc 
loosened,  so  nearly  rent  asunder,  as 
when  we  stand  by  the  grave  of  those 
we  love.  However  at  other  and  hap 
pier  times  we  may  forget  the  frail  te 
nure  by  which  we  hold  this  earthly  tab 
ernacle,  we  are  strongly  impressed  with 
the  conviction  then.  We  then,  indeed, 
'  know  the  heart  of  a  stranger,'  and 
wonder  that  we  have  ever  felt  domes- 
ticated here  on  earth,  where  there  is  so 
much  sin  and  suffering,  so  little  stability 
and  peace.  Would  that  we  could  car- 
ry this  abiding  conviction  along  with  us 
into  the  daily  business  of  life.  How 
httle  influence  would  its  trials  and  dis- 
appointments possess  over  us.  How 
much  internal  peace  would  it  bestow,  to 
feel  that  we  were  'strangers  and  pil- 
grims' on  earth,  and  that  soon,  amid 
the  comforts  of  our  Father's  house,  we 
should  smile  at  the  little  disquietudes  of 

the  way. IT  Give  me  a  possession  of 

a  burying-place,  &c.  That  is,  sell  rae. 
He  did  not  ask  it  as  a  gift,  as  is  clear 
from  V.  9.  He  wished  to  purchase  a 
burying-place  for  the  interment  of  his 
dead  in  general,  not  of  Sarah  in  par- 
ticular ;  and  in  making  this  proposition, 
he  exhibited  a  striking  evidence  of  his 
faith  in  the  promise  of  the  future  pos- 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


B.  C.  I860.] 

6  Hear  us,  my  lord;  thou  art 
"  a  mighty  prince  among  us :  in 
the  choice  of  our  sepulchres  bu- 
ry thy  dead:  none  of  us  shall 
withhold  from  thee  his  sepulchre, 
but  that  thou  mayest  bury  thy  dead. 

=  ch.  U.  -2.  &  14. 14.  &.  24.  35. 


23 


session  of  this  land  by  his  posterity ; 
for  the  procuring  a  sepulchre  of  one's 
own  was  regarded  as  a  sign  of  the  con- 
firmation of  a  man's  right  and  title 
to  the  land  in  which  it  is  situated.  This 
doubtless  is  the  import  of  the  following 
passage;  Is.  22.  16,  'What  hast  thou 
here,  and  whom  hast  thou  here,  that 
thou  hast  hewed  thee  out  a  sepulchre 
here,  as  he  that  heweth  hira  out  a  se- 
pulchre on  high,  and  that  graveth  a  hab- 
itation for  himself  in  a  rock;'  i.  e.  hast 
taken  possession  as  though  the  land  of 

Israel  were  thine  own. IT  Bun/  my 

dead  out  of  my  sight.  An  expression 
that  forcibly  reminds  us  of  the  triumphs 
of  death.  The  faces  which  once  excited 
the  strongest  sensations  of  pleasure, 
now  require  to  be  buried  out  of  our  sight. 
The  beauty  which  conjugal  affection 
doated  upon,  has  disappeared  ;  and  those 
who  were  but  so  recently  the  desire  of 
our  eyes,  have  now  become  a  loathing 
unto  all  flesh !  Abraham  cannot  now 
endure  to  look  upon  her  whom  he  once 
shuddered  to  think  the  eyes  of  another 
might  regard  with  too  much  desire,  and 
he  is  now  as  anxious  to  remove  her 
from  his  presence  as  he  formerly  was 
to  retain  the  possession  of  her  wholly 
to  himself.  Let  the  beautiful,  the  gay, 
the  vain,  the  valued,  think  of  this  and 
dismiss  their  self-complacency.  Dust 
thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shall  thou  re- 
turn. 

6.  Thou  art  a  mighty  prince  amoug  us, 
Heb.  fi^.j!^  iD'^nbi^  J^'^'iIJD  nesi  Elohirn 
attah,  a  prince  of  God  art  thou.  Gr. 
(3aai\evs  Ttapa  Ocov  av  ei  tv  rifxtv  a  king 
from  God  art  thou  among  us.  Chal.  '  A 
prince  before  the  Lord.'    The  name  of 


7  And  Abraham  stood  up  and 
bowed  himself  to  the  people  of  the 
land,  even  to  the  children  of  Heth. 

8  And  he  communed  with  them, 
saying,  If  it  be  your  mind  that  I 
should   bury  my   dead   out   of  my 


God  is  frequently  affixed  to  words  to 
give  intensity  of  meaning,  or  to  denote 
excellence  of  the  superlative  degree  in 
the  subject  spoken  of.  Thus,  Ps.  36.  6, 
'  Great  mountains  ;'  Heb.  Mountains  of 
God.  Gen.  30.  8,  '  Great  wrestlings  ;' 
Heb.  WrestUngs  of  God.  1  Sam.  14. 15, 
'  Very  great  trembling ;'  Heb.  Trembling 
of  God.  Ps.  80.  10,  '  Goodly  cedars  ;' 
Heb.  Cedars  of  God.  Acts  7.  20,  (3Ioses) 
was  exceeding  fair ;'  Gr.  '  Fair  to  God. 
So  in  1  Chron.  24.  5,  the  priests  who  in 
ourtransladon  are  termed  'governors of 
the  house  of  God,'  are  in  the  original 
called  'princes  of  God;'  i.  e.  eminent 
and  honorable  rulers.  The  term  however 
does  not  imply  the  exercise  of  any  autho- 
rity or  dominion  on  the  part  of  Abraham, 
but  simply  his  enjoyment  of  the  bless- 
ings of  heaven  in  a  pre-eminent  degree  of 

worldly  prosperity. IT  In  the  choice 

of  our  sepulchres.  That  is,  in  the  choicest 
or  best  of  our  sepulchres,  or  in  any 
that  thou  shalt  choose.  From  the  Heb. 
■^Hft  keber,  sepulchre,  is  derived  by  a  com- 
mon transposition  of  letters,  the  German 
'  Grab,'  (Kereb,  Kreb,  Greb,  Grab,)  and 
from  this  comes  our  Eng.  '  Grave.'  The 
predominant  import  of  the  original  is  a 
subterranean  vault  or  grotto,  geiierally  ex- 
cavated by  human  art,  used  as  a  place  of 
deposit  for  the  dead.  Tombs  of  this  des- 
scription  were  almost  universally  made 
use  of  as  places  of  interment  for  the 
rich  and  noble,  while  the  inferior  classes 
were  usually  buried  in  the  pubUc  ceme- 
teries, which  resembled  the  grave-yards 
of  modern  times.  A  more  particular  ac- 
count of  the  ancient  mode  of  burial 
will  be  found  in  a  note  below,  v.  19. 
7.  Abraham  stood  up  and  housed  him- 


24 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1860. 


sight,  hear  me,  and  entreat  for  me 
to°Ephron  the  son  of  Zohar, 

9  That  he  may  give  me  the  cave 
of  Machpelah,  which  he  hath,  which 


self.  Heb.  intTa*^  yishtahu,  homed  or 
did  obeisance,  the 
same  word  as  that 
often  rendered  'wor- 
ship,' and  importing 
an  act  of  respectful 
reverence.  Gr.  tt^oo-- 
tKvvri<j£.  The  pos- 
ture is  no  doubt 
correctly  represent- 
ed in  the  cut,  which 
is  exactly  that  des- 
cribed by  Herodotus 
=.^  as  practised  among 
"^  the  ancient  Egypt- 
ians,-and  which  continues,  as  a  devotional 
attitude,  in  the  East  to  the  present  day. 

♦  The  politeness  of  Abraham  may  be 
seen  exemphfied  among  the  highest  and 
the  lowest  of  the  people  of  the  East : 
in  this  respect  nature  seems  to  have 
done  for  them  what  art  has  done  for 
others.  With  what  grace  do  all  classes 
bow  on  receiving  a  favor,  or  in  paying 
their  respects  to  a  superior  !  Sometimes 
they  bow  down  to  the  ground ;  at  other 
times  they  put  their  hands  on  their  bo- 
soms, and  gently  incline  the  head  ;  they 
also  put  the  right  hand  on  the  face 
in  a  longitudinal  position;  and  some- 
times give  a  long  and  graceful  sweep 
with  the  right  hand,  from  the  forehead  to 
the  ground.'     Roberts. 

8.  If  it  he  yourmind.  Heb.  n;^  6i^ 
CiID&3  ri5%  i^  y^s^  ^^^  naphshekem,  if  it 
be  With  your  soul.  Gr.  ei  excrs  tt\  4'^Xfl 
vixoiv  if  ye  have  it  in  your  soul.  Chal. 
'  If  it  be  the  pleasure  of  your  soul.' 

•  Soul'  often  occurs  in  the  sacred  writings 
m  the  sense  of  will,  desire,  prevailing  in- 
clination. Thus,  Ps.  27.  12, '  Deliver  me 
not  over  unto  the  will  of  mine  enemies.' 
Heb.  Unto  the  soul.  Deut.  21.  14,  '  Go 
wliither  she  wilV  Heb.  Go  according  to 
her  soul    Ps.   105.  22,    'To  bind  his 


is  in  the  end  of  his  field ;  for  as 
much  money  as  it  is  worth  he  shall 
give  it  me,  for  a  possession  of  a  bu- 
ry ing-place  among  you. 

princes  at  his  pleasure ;'  Heb.  At  his 
soul. 

9.  That  he  may  give  me  the  cave  of 
Machpelah.  Heb.  tlbciS^^n  niJlO  meu- 
rath  hamrrmkpelah.  Gr.  to  airrjXaiov  to 
Snr\ovv,the  twofold  cave.  Chal. '  The  cave 
of  doubleness.'  It  is  a  much  disputed 
point  among  bibhcal  critics  whether  the 
term  is  to  be  understood  as  a  proper 
name  or  as  an  appellative.  The  Jew- 
ish commentators  maintain  the  latter, 
deriving  nbC^'O  Macpelah,  from  ^5^ 
kaphal,  to  he  double,  as  if  the  cave  con- 
sisted of  two  separate  chambers,  or 
were  furnished  with  two  distinct  en- 
trances. Others,  we  think  with  better 
rea.son,  upon  comparing  vss.  17,  19, 
make  it  a  proper  name,  although  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  there  was 
was  some  peculiarity  in  the  topography 
of  the  place  which  first  gave  rise  to  the 
appellation.  This  is  perhaps  most  satis- 
factorily explained  by  the  extracts  from 

Purchas  in  a  subsequent  note. T  At 

the  end  of  his  field.  That  is,  in  one  ex- 
tremity of  his  territory ;  the  original 
word  for  '  field'  denoting  a  far  larger 
region  than  this  term  does  with  us.  In- 
deed, it  answers  much  more  nearly  to  a 
modern  township  or  county  than  to  the 
little  tract  of  land  which  we  usually  de- 
miate  '  a  field.'  In  Hos.  12. 13,  it  is  taker 
in  a  still  more  extensive  sense;  'Jacol 
fled  into  the  country  of  Syria  (n'li^  tllul 

field  of  Syria.y IT  For  as  much  money 

as  it  ts  worth.  Heb.  5^b?2  C]05i  haTike- 
seph  male,  for  full  silver,  i.  e.  full  money. 
Silver  is  often  used  by  the  sacred  writers 
for  money,  and  full  for  full  weight,  as  it 
is  evident  from  v.  16,  that  money  was 
formerly  thus  computed.  A  similar 
phraseology  occurs  1  Chron.  21.  24,  'I 
will  verily  buy  it  !^^?2  t)D^;3  for  the 
full  silver ;'  where  the  parallel  passage 
2  Sam.  24. 24,  relates  the  same  fact  thus 


B.  C.  1860.1 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


25 


10  And  Ephron  dwelt  among  the 
children  of  Heth.  And  Ephron  the 
Hittite  answered  Abraham  in  the 
audience  of  the  children  of  Heth, 
even  of  all  that  *"  went  in  at  the  gate 
of  his  city,  saying, 

fch.  34.20,24.    Ruth  4.  4. 


I  will  surely  buy  it  of  thee  '^'in^iln  ^^ 
a  price.'  It  is  worthy  of  observation 
that  this  is  the  first  money  transaction 
which  we  read  of  in  the  world.  Till 
then  and  long  after,  both  among  the 
posterity  of  Abraham  and  other  nations, 
wealth  was  estimated  by  the  number 
and  quality  of  cattle,  and  cattle  were 
the  principal  instruments  of  commerce. 
Thus  we  read  in  many  places  of  Homer 
of  a  coat  of  mail  worth  an  hundred 
oxen;  a  caldron  worth  twenty  sheep;  a 
cup  or  goblet  worth  twelve  lambs  ;  and 
the  like.  The  words  belonging  to  com- 
merce or  exchange  of  coipaiodities,  in 
the  Greek  language,  are  mostly  derived 
from  the  names  of  certain  animals,  by 
means  of  which  that  exchange  was  ori- 
ginally carried  on.  Thus  the  word 
which  signifies  to  barter,  traffic,  or  com- 
mute one  kind  of  goods  for  another 
{apvvaQai)  is  derived  from  that  which  sig- 
nifies a  hxmb  ;  the  verb  translated  to  sell 
(iTcoXciv)  comes  from  a  noun  signifying  a 
colt;  the  Greek  word  for  buy  (coveiaOai) 
comes  from  that  which  signifies  an  ass  ; 
while  the  term  denoting  rent  or  revenue 
(irpoBacns),  and  that  which  signifies  a 
sheep  (npoSarov),  are  of  kindred  origin 
and  import.  A  criminal,  according  to 
the  magnitude  of  his  oflfence,  was  an- 
ciently condemned  to  pay  a  fine  of  four, 
twelve,  or  an  hundred  oxen.  A  wealthy 
person  was  said  to  be  a  person  of  many 
lambs.  Two  rival  brothers  are  repre 
sented  in  Hesiod  as  fighting  with  each 
other  about  the  sheep  of  their  father ; 
that  is,  contending  who  shoidd  be  his 
heir.  But  from  the  present  narrative 
it  appears,  that  as  early  as  the  time  of 
Abraham,  silver  was  employed  as  a 
VOL.  ir.  3 


lis  Nay,  my  lord,  hear  me  :  the 
field  give  I  thee,  and  the  cave  that 
is  therein,  I  give  it  thee  ;  in  the 
presence  of  the  sons  of  my  people 
give  I  it  thee  :  bury  thy  dead. 

E  See  2  Sam.  24.  21—24. 


more  commodious  medium  of  traffic. 
From  that  period  to  the  present  the 
precious  metals  have  been  mostly  em- 
ployed by  all  civilized  and  commercial 
nations  for  the  same  purpose. 

10.  Ephron  answered  Abraham  in  the 
audience  of  the  children  of  Heth.  Heb. 
^jTiiln  beozne,  in  the  ears  of. — —IT  AU 
that  went  in  at  the  gates  of  the  city.  Bar- 
gains and  covenants  used  anciently  to 
be  entered  into  and  solemnly  ratified  in 
the  gates  of  cities,  from  the  ease  of  pro- 
curing witnesses  among  the  crowds  that 
resorted  tliither,  written  documents  be- 
ing then  but  little  in  vogue.  It  was  es- 
pecially of  importance  to  Abraham  that 
this  purchase  sliould  be  known  and  rati- 
fied. Had  he  accepted  the  sepulchre  as 
a  present,  or  bought  it  in  a  private  way, 
his  title  to  it  might  at  some  subsequent 
period  liave  been  disputed,  and  his  de- 
scendants been  deprived  of  that  which 
he  was  desirous  of  securing  to  them.  But 
all  fears  of  this  kind  were  efiectually 
prevented  by  the  pubUcity  of  the  trans- 
action. The  chief  persons  of  the  city 
were  not  only  wellnesses  of  it,  but  agents, 
by  whose  mediation  Ephron  was  induced 
to  conclude  the  bargain.  Being  v«t- 
nessed,  moreover,  by  all  who  went  in 
or  out  of  the  gate  of  the  city,  there  was 
Uttle  likelihood,  after  possession  was 
once  taken,  that  any  doubt  could  ever 
arise  respecting  the  transfer  of  the  pro- 
perty, or  the  title  of  Abraham's  posteri- 
ty to  possess  it. 

11.  Nay,  my  lord,  hear  me.  '  Respecta- 
ble people  are  always  saluted  with  the 
dignified  tide  My  lord ;'  hence  English 
gentlemen,  on  their  arrival,  are  apt  to 
suppose  they  are  taken  for  those  of  very 


26 


GENESIS. 


[B,  C.  186a 


12  And  Abraham  bowed  down 
himself  before  the  people  of  the 
land. 

13  And  he  spake  unto  Ephron  in 
the  audience  of  the  people  of  the 


high  rank.  The  man  of  whom  Abra- 
ham offered  to  purchase  Machpelah,  af- 
fected to  give  the  land.  '  Nay,  my  lord, 
hear  me,  the  field  I  give  thee.'  And 
this  fully  agrees  with  the  conduct  of 
those  who  are  requested  to  dispose  of  a 
thing  to  a  person  of  superior  rank.  Let 
the  latter  go  and  ask  the  price,  and  the 
owner  will  say,  '  My  lord,  it  will  be  a 
great  favor  if  you  will  take  it.'  'Ah, 
let  me  have  that  pleasure,  my  lord.' 
Should  the  possessor  believe  he  will  one 
day  need  a  favor  from  the  great  man, 
nothing  v^ill  induce  him  to  sell  tlie  arti- 
cle, and  he  will  take  good  care  (through 
the  servants  or  a  friend)  it  shall  soon  be 
in  his  house.  Should  he,  however,  have 
no  expectation  of  a  favor  in  future,  he 
will  say  as  Ephron,  '  The  thing  is  worth 
80  much ;  your  pleasure,  my  lord.' — Ro- 

herts. IT  The  field  I  give  thee,  &c.  '  In 

after-times  we  find  that  the  Hittites  were 
not  at  all  a  popular  people  with  the  Is- 
raeUtes.  This  Ephron  is  the  first  of  that 
nation  who  comes  under  our  notice ; 
and  his  tone  and  manner  on  this  occa- 
sion do  no  great  credit  to  his  tribe.  We 
are  not  surprised  that  Ephron's  respect- 
ful and  seemingly  hberal  conduct  has 
been  beheld  favorably  in  Europe,  for 
only  one  who  has  been  in  the  East  can 
properly  appreciate  the  rich  orientalism 
it  exhibits.  We  will  therefore  state  the 
transaction  as  illustrated  by  what  we 
have  ourselves  seen  in  Persia.  Abra- 
ham wishes  to  purchase  of  Ephron  a 
certain  field  containing  a  cave  :  Ephron, 
feeling  the  value  of  the  opportunity  of 
laying,  or  seeming  to  lay,  under  obliga- 
tion so  great  a  person  as  Abraham, 
makes  a  parade  of  his  readiness  to  give 
it : — '  TTie  field  give  I  thee,  and  the  cave 
that  is  therein,  I  give  it  thee ;  in  the  pre- 


land,  saying,  But  if  thou  wilt  give 
iU  I  pray  thee,  hear  me :  I  will 
give  thee  money  for  the  field  :  take 
it  of  me,  and  1  will  bury  my  dead 
there. 


sence  of  the  sons  of  my  people  give  lit 
thee.^  This  is  exquisitely  oriental,  as  ■will 
be  seen  by  the  following  extract  from 
Mr.  Frazer's  'Journey  into  Khorasan:' — 
'  The  least  a  Persian  says  when  he  re- 
ceives you  is,  that  he  is  your  slave  ;  that 
his  house,  and  all  it  contains — nay, 
the  town  and  country — are  all  yours ; 
to  dispose  of  at  your  pleasure.  Every 
thing  you  accidentally  notice — his  calle- 
eons  (water  smoking-pipes),  his  horse, 
equipage,  clothes — are  all  Peshcush-e- 
Sahib — presents  for  your  acceptance.'^ 
This  mode  of  address,  as  Francklin  ob- 
ser\-es,  is  not  confined  to  the  great;  but 
the  meanest  artisan  will  not  hesitate  to 
offer  the  citj*  of  Shiraz,  with  all  its  ap- 
purtenances, as  a  present  to  a  stranger 
on  his  arrival.  All  this  is  understood  to 
mean  no  more  than  'Your  obedient,  hum- 
ble servant,'  at  the  end  of  our  letters. 
But  it  often  happens,  that  if  the  stranger 
be  a  person  of  wealth  or  influence,  the 
man  is  really  anxious  to  force  upon  his 
acceptance  any  article  he  happens 
to  admire,  or  expresses  a  ^^ish  to 
purchase.  But  if  the  stranger  is  in- 
considerate enough  to  accept  iJ,  it  will 
not  be  long  before  he  discovers  that  by 
this  act  he  is  considered  to  have  given 
the  person  a  claim  either  upon  his  good 
offices  and  favor,  or  for  a  present  o} 
much  more  than  equal  value  in  return. 
If,  like  Abraham,  he  understands  these 
matters,  and  is  not  disposed  to  receive 
such  obligation,  his  best  course  is  either 
'not  to  admire'  at  all,  or  to  insist  on  at 
once  paying  the  value  of  that  which  at- 
tracts his  admiration.  In  the  latter  case, 
the  man  will  name  the  price,  like  Ephron, 
in  a  slight  way,  as  a  thing  of  no  conse- 
quence :  '  It  is  worth  so  much ;  what  is 
that  betwixt  me  and  thee  ?'    But  when 


B.  C.  ISCO.] 


CHAPTER  XXlll. 


27 


14  And  Ephron  answered  Abra- 
ham, saying  unto  him, 

15  My  lord,  hearken  unto  me : 
the  land  is  worth  four  hundred  ^  she- 
kels of  silver  :  what  is  that  betwixt 
me  and  theel  bury  therefore  thy 
dead. 

16  And  Abraham  hearkened  un- 
to Ephron,  and  Abraham  '  weighed 
to  Ephron  the  silver,  which  he  had 
named  in  the  audience  of  the  sons 

!>  Exod.  30.  15.     Ezek.  45.  12.    i  Jcr.  32.  9. 


the  money  is  produced,  he  counts  it 
carefully,  and  transfers  it  to  the  pocket 
or  bosom  of  his  vest  in  a  business-like 
manner,  without  any  indication  that 
shekels  of  silver  are  undervalued  by 
him.'     Pict.  BMe. 

16.  Four  hundred  shekels.  Heb.  ^j^Jti; 
shekel,  from  bp"d  shakal,  to  weigh 
whence  we  have  by  transposition  of 
letters  the  Eng.  '  scale,'  an  instrument 
of  weighing.  It  is  so  called  from  the 
fact  that  the  value  of  money  was  in 
those  early  ages  reckoned  by  weight. 
For  this  reason  the  word  sJiekel  is  at 
once  the  name  of  a  weight  and  a  coin 
The  value  of  the  Jewish  shekel  was  not 
far  from  fifty  cents,  American  money 
The  price,  therefore,  that  Ephron  setup 
on  his  field,  may  be  fixed  at  about  two 
hundred  dollars  ;  consequently  it  could 
not  have  been  a  very  small  tract  which 
in  that  age  could  have  brought  so  con- 
siderable a  sum. IT  What  is  that  be- 
twixt me  and  thee  7  '  We  all  know  what 
a  proof  of  arrogance  or  ignorance  it  is 
considered  for  a  person  to  name  himself 
before  another,  even  though  that  other 
should  be  an  inferior  ;  and  what  odium 
Cardinal  Wolsey  incurred  by  writing 
himself  before  the  king, — '^  Ego  et  rex 
metis,  land  my  king.^  Yet  here  Ephron 
mentions  himself  before  Abraham,  to 
whom  he  nevertheless  speaks  with  great 
respect :  and  David,  while  he  continues 
to  treat  Saul  as  his  sovereign,  and  ap- 
pears before  him  in  a  most  submissive 
attitude,  uses  the  same  expression,  '  me 


of  Heth,  four  hundred  shekels  of 
silver  current  money  with  the  mer- 
chant. 

17  IT  And  k  the  field  of  Ephron 
which  was  in  Machpelah,  which  was 
before  Mamre,  the  field  and  the  cave 
which  was  therein,  and  all  the  trees 
that  were  in  the  field,  that  were  in 
all  the  borders  round  about,  were 
made  sure 

k  ch.  25.  9  &  49.  30,  31,  32.  &  50.  13.  Acts 
7.16. 


and  thee'  (1  Sam.  xxv.  12).  This  was 
not  therefore  considered  disrespectful 
even  in  an  inferior  ;  nor  is  it  now  in  the 
East — at  least  not  in  Persia — where  the 
strict  and  minutely  regulated  etiquette 
of  society  does  not  regard  this  practice 
as  improper.'   Pict.  Bible. 

17.  Were  made  sure.  Heh.  12^)"^  yakoni, 
stood,  or  stood  up ;  i.  e.  were  made  sta- 
ble, «ure,  confirmed.  The  same  term  v. 
20,  rendered  by  the  Gr.  £Kvpo}Or],  was  con- 
firmed. Throughout  the  above  transac- 
tion, there  was  much  more  in  the  mind 
of  Abraham  than  was  known  to  the  peo- 
ple with  whom  he  was  deaUng.  The  im- 
mediate and  ostensible  reason  for  making 
the  purchase  was,  to  procure  a  place  of 
interment  for  his  wife.  But  he  had  others 
no  less  important.  One  of  these,  as  we 
have  already  intimated,  was  to  express  his 
confidence  in  the  divine  promise.  God  had 
promised  to  him  and  to  his  seed  the  land 
wherein  he  sojourned.  But  Abraham  had 
continued  there  till  this  time  without 
gaining  in  it  so  much  as  one  foot  of  land. 
Yet  it  was  not  possible  that  the  promise 
could  fail.  He  was  as  much  assured  that 
it  should  be  fulfilled,  as  if  he  had  seen  its 
actual  accomplishment.  Under  this  con- 
viction he  purchased  the  field  as  a  pledge 
and  earnest  of  his  future  inheritance.  A 
similar  compact,  made  with  precisely 
the  same  view,  occurs  in  the  prophecies 
of  Jeremiah,  ch.  33.  6—16,  42—44.  The 
prophets  had  foretold  the  speedy  deso- 
lation of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar, 
and  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  to  their 


28 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1860. 


18  Unto  Abraham  for  a  posses- 
sion in  the  presence  of  the  children 
of  Heth,  before  all  that  went  in  at 
the  g^ate  of  liis  city. 

19  And  after  this,  Abraham  bu- 
ried Sarah  his  wife  in  the  cave  of 
the  field  of  Machpelah,  before  Mam 


ovMi  land  after  a  captivity  of  seventy- 
years.  His  uncle's  son,  alarmed,  as  it 
should  seem,  by  the  approach  of  the 
Chaldean  army,  determined  to  sell  his 
estate  ;  and  offered  it  to  Jeremiah  first, 
because  the  right  of  redemption  belong- 
ed to  him.  By  God's  command,  Jere- 
miah bought  the  inheritance,  and  hav- 
ing had  tiie  transfer  signed  and  sealed 
in  a  public  manner,  he  buried  the  writ- 
ings in  an  earthen  vessel,  that,  being  pre- 
served to  the  expiration  of  the  Babylo- 
nish captivity,  they  might  be  an  evi- 
dence of  his  title  to  the  estate.  This 
was  done,  not  that  the  prophet  or  his 
heirs  might  be  enriched  by  the  purchase, 
but  that  his  conviction  of  the  truth  of 
his  own  prophecies  might  be  made  man- 
ifest. But  in  addition  to  this,  and  close- 
ly connected  with  it,  Abraham  designed 
to  perpetuate  among  his  posterity  the  ex- 
pectation of  the  promised  land.  It  was 
to  be  four  hundred  years  before  his  seed 
were  to  possess  the  land  of  Canaan. 
In  that  length  of  time  it  was  probable 
that  without  some  memento,  the  prom- 
ise itself  would  be  forgotten  ;  and  more 
especially  during  their  Egyptian  bond- 
age. But  their  having  a  burying-place 
in  Canaan,  where  their  bones  were  to 
be  laid  with  the  bones  of  their  father 
Abraham,  was  the  mosthkely  meansof 
keeping  alive  in  every  succeeding  gen- 
eration the  hope  of  ultimately  possessing 
the  whole  land.  Accordingly  we  find 
it  did  produce  tbis  very  effect ;  for  as 
Abraham  and  Sarah  were  buried  in  that 
cave,  so  were  Isaac  and  Rebekah,  and 
Jacob  and  Leah,  notwithstanding  Jacob 
died  in  Egypt.  And  Joseph  also,  though 
buried  m  Egypt,  gave  commandment 
that  when  the  IsraeUtes  should  depart 


re ;    the   same   is   Hebron   in  the 
land  of  Canaan. 

20  And  the  field,  and  the  cave 
that  is  therein  '  were  made  sure 
unto  Abraham  for  a  possession  of  a 
burying-place,  by  the  sons  of  Heth. 

1  See  Ruth  4.  7,  8,  9,  10.    Jer.  32. 10,  11. 


out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  to  possess  the 
land  of  Canaan,  they  should  carry  up 
his  bones  with  them,  and  bury  them  in 
the  sepulchre  of  his  progenitors. 

19.  Buried  Sarah  his  wife,  in  the  cave, 
&c.  'This  chapter  affords  the  earhest 
notice  of  the  practice,  which  was  for- 
merly very  prevalent  in  the  East,  of  de- 
positing the  dead  in  natural  or  artificial 
caves,  great  numbers  of  which  are  still 
to  be  found  in  Palestine,  Syria,  Egypt, 
and  Persia.  In  the  mountainous  coun- 
try of  southern  Palestine  there  are 
abundance  of  natural  caves  in  the  rocks, 
which  might  easily  be  formed  into  com- 
modious sepulchral  vaults ;  and  where 
such  natural  caves  are  wanting,  sepul- 
chres were  hewn  in  the  rock  for  such 
families  as  were  able  to  incur  the  neces- 
sary expense  ;  for  this  was  the  mode  of 
sepulchre  decidedly  preferred  by  those 
who  could  obtain  it.  The  arrangement 
and  extent  of  these  caves  varied  with 
circtimstances.  Those  in  the  declivity 
of  a  mountain  were  often  cut  in  horizon 
tally  ;  but  to  others  there  was  usually  ^ 
descent  by  steps  from  the  surface.  The 
roofs  of  the  vaults  are  commonly  arched ; 
and  sometimes,  in  the  more  spacious 
vaults,  supported  by  colonnades.  These 
rocky  chambers  are  generally  spacious, 
being  obviously  family  vaults,  intended 
to  receive  several  dead  bodies.  Niches, 
about  six  or  seven  feet  deep,  are  usually 
cut  in  the  sides  of  the  vault,  each  adapt- 
ed to  receive  a  single  corpse ;  but  in 
some  vaults  small  rooms  are  cut  in  the 
same  manner;  and  in  others,  stone 
slabs  of  the  same  length  are  fixed  hori- 
zontally against  the  walls,  or  cut  out  of 
the  rock,  one  above  another,  serving  as 
shelves  on  which  the  corpses  were  de 


B.  C.  I860.] 


CHAPTER  XXIll. 


29 


posited  :  in  others,  however,  the  floor  it- 
self is  excavated  for  the  reception  of  the 
dead,  in  compartments  of  various  depths, 
and  in  the  shape  of  a  coffin.  Some  of 
the  bodies  were  placed  in  stone  coffins, 
provided  with  sculptured  lids  ;  but  such 
sarcophagi  were  by  no  means  in  gene- 
ral use  ;  the  bodies,  when  wound  up  in 
the  grave-clothes,  being  usually  deposit- 
ed without  any  sort  of  coffin  or  sarco- 
phagus. The  vaults  are  always  dark,  the 
only  opening  being  the  narrow  entrance 
which  is  usually  closed  by  a  large  stone 
rolled  to  its  mouth ;  although  some  of 
a  superior  description  are  shut  by  stone 
doors,  hung  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
doors  of  houses,  by  pivots  turning  in 
holes  in  the  architrave  above  and  in  the 
threshold  below.  Some  of  these  vaults 
consist  of  several  chambers,  one  within 
another,  connected  by  passages.  The 
innermost  chambers  are  usually  deeper 
than  the  exterior,  with  a  descent  of  se- 
veral steps.  When  there  is  more  than 
one  chamber,  the  outermost  seems  to 
have  been  a  sort  of  ante-room,  the 
walls  being  seldom  occupied  with  se- 
pulchral niches  or  shelves.  This  cave  of 
Machpelah  became,  after  the  purchase 
by  Abraham,  the  family  sepulclire  ol 
the  Hebrew  patriarchs ;  and  it  is  rea- 
sonable to  conclude  that  it  was  of  supe- 
rior size,  and  contained  more  than  one 
apartment.  The  Spanish  Jew,  Benja- 
min of  Tudela,  visited  the  place  about 
650  years  ago ;  and  as  his  account  is 
precise  and  interesting,  we  quote  it  from 
'  Purchas  his  Pilgrimes,'  1625.  '  I  came 
to  Hebron,  seated  in  a  plaine ;  for  He- 
bron, the  ancient  metropolitan  citie, 
stood  upon  an  hill,  but  it  is  now  deso- 
late. But  in  the  valley  there  is  a  field, 
wherein  there  is  a  duphcitie,  that  is,  as 
it  were,  two  little  valleyes,  and  there  the 
citie  is  placed  ;  and  there  is  an  huge  tem- 
ple there  called  Saint  Abraham,  and  that 
place  was  the  synagogue  of  the  levves, 
at  what  time  the  country  was  possessed 
ny  the  Ishmaehtes.  But  the  Gentiles, 
>vho  afterwards  obtayned  and  held  the 
3* 


same,  built  sixe  sepulchres  in  the  tem- 
ple, by  the  names  of  Abraham,  Sara, 
Isaac,  Rebecca,  Jacob,  and  Lia  (Leah). 
And  the  inhabitants  now  tell  the  pil- 
grimes that  they  are  the  monuments  of 
the  patriarkes:  and  great  summes  of 
m.oney  are  offered  there.  But  surely, 
to  any  lew  coming  thither,  and  offering 
the  porters  a  reward,  the  cave  is  shew- 
ed, with  the  iron  gate  opened,  which 
from  antiquitie  remayneth  yet  there. 
And  a  man  goeth  dorni  with  a  lamp- 
light into  the  first  cave,  where  nothing 
is  found,  nor  also  in  the  second,  untill  he 
enter  the  third,  in  which  there  are  the 
sixe  monuments,  the  one  right  over 
against  the  other  ;  and  each  of  them  are 
engraven  with  characters,  and  distin- 
guished by  the  names  of  every  one  of 
them  after  this  manner, — Sepulchrum 
Abraham  patris  7iostn,  super  quern  pax 
sit ;  and  so  the  rest,  after  the  same  ex- 
ample. And  a  lampe  perpetually  burn- 
eth  in  the  cave,  day  and  night ;  the  offi- 
cers of  the  temple  continually  minister- 
ing oile  for  the  maintenance  thereof. 
Also,  in  the  self-same  cave,  there  are 
tuns  full  of  the  bones  of  the  ancient  Is- 
raehtes,  brought  thither  by  the  famiUes 
of  Isreal,  which  even  untill  this  day  re- 
mayne  in  the  self-same  place.'  This 
curious  account  agrees  pretty  well  the 
above  general  description.  The  Avord 
Machpelah  means  'double,'  applied  rather 
the  field  containing  the  cave,  than  to  the 
cave  itself.  Benjamin's  mention  of  the 
two  valleys  forming,  as  Purchas  trans- 
lates, 'the  field  of  duplicity,'  explains 
the  application  which  has  perplexed 
Calmet  and  others.  Sandys,  who  was 
there  early  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
and  who  describes  the  valley  of  He- 
bron as  '  the  most  pregnant  and  pleasant 
valley  that  ever  eye  beheld,'  mentions 
the  'goodly  temple'  built  by  the  em- 
press Helena,  the  mother  of  Constan- 
tine,  and  afterwards  changed  into  a 
mosque,  as  a  place  of  much  resort  to 
Moslem  pilgrims.  John  Sanderson  was 
there  in  the  summer  of  1601,  and  the 


30 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1860. 


account  he  gives  agrees,  as  far  as  it  goes, 
with  that  of  the  Spanish  Jew ;  but  ac- 
cess to  the  cave  was  more  restricted 
than  it  seems  to  have  been  in  the  time 
of  the  latter.  He  saj's,  '  Into  this  tombe 
not  any  are  suffered  to  enter,  but  at  a 
square  hole  through  a  thick  wall  they 
may  discern  a  Uttle  light  of  a  lamp.  The 
levves  do  their  ceremonies  of  prayer 
there  without.  The  3Ioores  and  Turkes 
are  permitted  to  have  a  Uttle  more  sight, 
which  is  at  the  top,  where  they  let  down 
the  oyle  for  the  lampe ;  the  lampe  is  a 
very  great  one,  continually  burning.' 
For  upwards  of  a  century  only  two  or 
three  Europeans  have  been  able,  either 
by  daring  or  bribery,  to  obtain  access  to 
the  mosque  and  cave.  Ali  Bey,  who 
passed  as  a  Mussulman,  has  given  a  des- 
cription of  it ;  but  his  account  is  so  in- 
compatible with  all  others,  and  with  the 
reports  of  the  Turks,  that  it  is  difficult 
to  admit  its  accuracy.  According  to  all 
other  statements,  the  sepulchre  is  a 
deep  and  spacious  cavern,  cut  out  of 
the  sohd  rock ;  the  opening  to  which  is 
in  the  centre  of  the  mosque,  and  is  sel- 
dom entered  even  by  Moslems  :  but  Ali 
Bey  seems  to  describe  each  separate 
tomb  as  a  distinct  room,  on  the  level  of 
the  floor  of  the  mosque.  These  rooms 
have  their  entrances  guarded  by  iron 
gates,  and  by  wooden  doors  plated  with 
silver,  with  bolts  and  padlocks  of  the 
same  metal.  He  says,  '  All  the  sepul- 
chres of  the  patriarchs  are  covered 
with  rich  carpets  of  green  silk,  magnifi- 
cently embroidered  with  gold  ;  those  of 
their  wives  are  red,  embroidered  in  like 
manner.  The  sultans  of  Constantino- 
ple furnish  these  carpets,  which  are  re- 
newed from  time  to  time.  I  counted 
nine,  one  over  the  other,  upon  the  se- 
pulchre of  Abraham.  The  rooms  aho 
which  contain  the  tombs  are  covered 
with  rich  carpets.'  We  can  only  recon- 
cile this  with  other  statements  by  sup- 
posing that  the  Turks  have  put  tlic:-e 
monuments  upon  the  level  of  the  floor, 
immediately  over  the  supposed  resting- 


places  of  the  patriarchs  in  the  cave  un- 
derneath ;  and  that,  instead  of  conduct- 
ing them  into  the  crypt,  these  tombs 
above  ground  are  shown  to  ordinary 
visiters.' — Pict  Bible.  The  accompany- 
ing cut  from  3Iaundrell  will  give  a  tole- 
rably correct  idea  of  the  ground-plan  of 
the  excavated  sepulchres  of  the  East. 

L, 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
As  the  sacred  story  proceeds,  we  see 
more  and  more  of  the  simple  manners 
of  those  ancient  times,  but  we  see  also, 
what  is  far  better,  the  deep  regard  which 
Abraham  had  to  the  word  and  promise 
of  God  in  all  his  transactions.  He  car- 
ries the  great  principle  of  Faith  into  all 
his  domestic  arrangements,  and  has  a 
single  eye  intent  upon  one  object,  what- 
ever he  does.  By  the  death  of  Sarah, 
the  care  and  anxiety  that  naturally 
gathered  about  the  dear  object  of  their 
common  afTection  becomes,  of  course, 
much  increased  to  the  surviving  parent. 
Isaac  was  now  arrived  at  man's  estate, 
and  it  was  fit  that  the  heir  of  the  prom 


B.  C.  1857.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


31 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

AND  Abraham  *  was  oid  aiw?  well 
stricken  in  age  :  and  the  Lord 
''  had  blessed  Abraham  in  ail  things. 

«  ch.  13. 11.  &  21.  5.      b  ch.  13.  2.  ver.  35. 
Ps.  112.  3.   rrov.  10.  22. 


ise  shotild  be  established  in  a  family  of 
his  own.  This  becomes  now  the 
great  theme  of  the  patriarch's  solicitude 
and  the  chapter  before  us  details  with 
the  most  simple  and  interesting  minute 
n«ss  th«  steps  taken  to  bring  about  the 
wished-for  event.  The  narrative  affords 
a  striking  instance  of  the  sovereignty  of 
inspiration.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  not  gov 
emed  by  human  estimates  of  the  relative 
importance  of  events.  The  great  revo- 
lutions which  take  place  in  the  world, 
the  rise  and  overtiirow  of  secular  king- 
doms, are  disregarded  by  God  as  com- 
paratively unworthy  of  notice,  while 
the  most  trivial  things  that  appertain  to 
his  church  and  people  are  often  re- 
corded with  the  most  minule  exactness. 
We  have  here  a  whole  chapter,  and  tliat 
one  of  the  longest  in  the  Bible,  taken 
up  with  an  account  of  the  marriage  of 
Isaac,  an  incident  which  might  as  well, 
to  all  appearance,  have  been  narrated  in 
a  few  words.  But  nothing  is  trivial  in 
Giod's  eyes  which  can  serve  to  illustrate 
the  operations  of  his  grace  or  tend  to 
the  edification  of  his  church ;  and  he 
may  deem  it  no  less  important  for  men 
to  be  brought  to  recognize  and  admire 
his  providence  in  the  most  inconsidera- 
ble affairs  of  life  than  in  the  most  mo- 
mentous. It  is  perhaps  for  this  reason 
that  we  have  here  such  a  detailed  ac- 
count of  the  incidents  and  conversation 
connected  with  Eliezer's  expedition, 
while  in  other  things  involving  the  deep- 
est mysteries,  the  greatest  brevity  is 
studied. 

1.  Abraham  was  old.  As  he  was  an 
hundred  when  Isaac  was  born,  ch.  21.  5, 
and  Isaac  was  forty  when  he  married, 
ch.  25.  20,  it  follows  that  h3  was  now 
one  hundred  and  forty. IT  Wellstnck- 


2  And  Abraham  said  unto  his 
elder  servant  of  his  house,  that  ^  rul- 
ed over  all  that  he  had,  'Put,  X 
pray  thee,  thy  hand  under  my  thigh : 

c  ch.  15.  2.  d  ver.  10.  ch.  39.  4,  5, 6. 

«  ch.  47.  29.    1  Chron.  29.24.  Lam.  5.  6, 

en  in  age.  Heb.  d'^^D'^n  5^^  coming,  or 
going,  into  days  ;  i.  e.  into  years,  as  the 
word  days  often  signifies. 

2.  His  eldest  servant  of  his  house 
Heb.  I^^n  yi^il  nnSJ  his  servant,  the  el- 
der of  his  house.  So  also  the  Gr.  tm 
iraiSi  avTov  Toi  npec-0VTepi,y  rris  otKiag 
avTov,  his  servant  the  elder  of  his  house, 
allusion  being  probably  had  to  Eliezer, 
of  whom  see  Gen.  15.  2.  The  scriptu- 
ral usage  in  respect  to  both  these  terms, 
servant  and  elder,  is  important,  as  they 
are  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  New 
Testament,  and  belong  to  that  class  of 
words  whose  import  deserves  to  be  fix- 
ed with  the  utmost  precision.  This  can 
only  be  done  by  a  comparison  of  the 
passages  in  which  they  occur,  and  the 
result  of  such  a  comparison  will  clearly 
evince  that  they  are  both,  in  many  cas- 
es, titles  of  office,  with  which  the  idea  of 
subordinate  or  ministerial  ruling  is  close- 
ly connected.  Thus,  wherever  mention 
is  made  of  the  '  servants'  of  a  king  or 
prince,  the  term  is  for  the  most  part  to 
be  understood  of  counsellors,  ministers, 
or  other  officers  pertaining  to  the  court 
The  leading  idea  is  not  that  of  servitude, 
as  understood  among  us  at  the  present 
day.  Thus,  Gen.  40.  20, '  Pharaoh  made 
a  feast  unto  all  his  servants ;  i.  e.  unto 
all  his  officers.  Ex.  12.  30,  'Pharaoh 
rose  up  in  the  night,  he  and  all  his  ser- 
vants ;'  i.  e.  all  his  officers.  In  this  sense 
Moses  is  emphatically  called  '  the  serv 
ant  of  the  Lord,'  Deut.  34.  5  ;  Heb.  3. 5, 
from  being  intrusted  with  administration 
of  divine  things.  Retaining  this  sense 
of  ministerial  rather  than  of  serviZe  agen- 
cy, the  term  is  used  in  the  New  Testa 
ment  with  nearly  the  import  of  steward, 
and  with  prevailing  reference  to  office- 
bearers in  the  church,  rather  than  ordj- 


32 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1857. 


nary  members.  With  a  view  accord- 
ingly to  this  import  of  steivards  or  upper 
servants,  Paul  and  the  other  Apostles  fre- 
quently denominate  themselves  the 
servants  of  Jesus  Christ.  So  in  like 
manner,  in  the  parable  of  the  servants 
receiving  the  talents,  Mat.  25. 14—30, 
reference  is  chiefly  had  to  ministers  of 
the  Gospel,  who  are  stewards  in  the 
household  of  God.  So  too  Rev.  1.  1, 
'  The  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ  which 
God  gave  unto  him  to  show  unto  his 
servants  the  things  which  must  shortly 
come  to  pass;'  i.  e.  to  show  unto  his 
ministering  servants,  the  pastors  and 
teachers  of  the  churches,  for  whom  the 
prophetic  mysteries  of  this  book  were 
principally  designed,  simply  for  the  rea- 
.son  that  they  might  naturally  be  ex- 
pected to  possess  means  and  advantages 
for  understanding  and  expounding  them, 
which  would  not  ordinarily  fall  to  the 
lot  of  other  Christians. — The  dominant 
usage  of  the  term  '  elder'  is  strikingly 
analogous  to  that  of '  servant.'  Tho  ugh 
originally  and  properly  a  designation  of 
age,ns  the  office  of  ruling  or  administering 
the  aflfairsof  a  community  was  generally 
i»trusted  to  men  of  mature  years,  whose 
judgment  was  sound  and  theirdeportment 
grave,  yet  it  gradually  came  to  denote 
the  office  itself,  apart  from  the  conside- 
ration of  age,  and  therefore  is  repeated- 
ly used  as  synonymous  with  ruler  or 
governor.  Thus,  Gen.  50.  7,  '  And  with 
him  went  up  all  the  servants  of  Pharaoh^ 
the  elders  of  his  house,  and  all  the  elders 
of  the  land  of  Egypt ;'  i-  e.  the  rulers, 
the  governors  of  his  house,  and  of  the 
provinces.  Ruth,  4.  2, '  And  he  took 
ten  men  of  the  elders  of  the  city  ;'  i.  e. 
of  the  magistrates  of  the  city.  Thus  in 
the  New  Testament,  1  Tim.  5.  17,  'Let 
the  elders  that  ride  well  be  counted  wor- 
thy of  double  honor.'  The  kind  of  rul- 
ing imported  by  this  term  is  not  that  of 
lordship,  force,  or  despotic  coercion,  but 
the  mild  influence  of  moral  suasion, 
founded  upon  the  revealed  truths  of  in- 
Bpiration.    The  true  spiritual  ruling  in- 


stituted in  the  Christian  Church  consists 
not  merely  or  mainly  in  the  administra- 
tion of  discipline  or  the  determination 
of  controversies,  but  in  the  exercise  of 
a  salutary  moral  influence,  especiaUy 
by  admonition  and  example,  upon  those 
who  are  the  subjects  of  it. 

2.  Put,  I  pray  thee,  thy  hand  under  my 
tldgh.  Great  obscurity  rests  upon  the 
design  of  the  act  here  prescribed  by 
Abraham  to  his  servant.  No  allusion 
to  a  similar  formality  is  found  anywhere 
else  in  the  sacred  volume,  except  Gen. 
47.  29,  where  Jacob  requires  the  same 
ceremony  from  his  son  Joseph ;  nor  is 
there  any  evidence  from  history  that 
this  was  a  customary  rite  in  taking  or 
administering  oaths  among  any  known 
ancient  people.  How  then  is  the  action 
to  be  explained  ?  We  cannot  perhaps 
advance  beyond  a  probable  conjecture 
in  making  the  attempt.  The  phrase 
'  come  out  of  the  thigh'  is  equivalent  to 
being  horn  of  or  descended  from  one. 
Gen.  46.  26  :  Ex.  1.  5.  Again,  a  name 
written  on  the  thigh  was  an  emblem  of 
power  and  authority,  as  Rev.  16.  16,  and 
'  girding  the  sword  upon  the  thigh,'  Ps. 
45.  3,  is  to  be  considered  as  a  symboli- 
cal action  of  the  same  import.  Connect- 
ing therefore  the  ideas  oi generation  ^nA 
dominion  with  the  word  thigh,  and  bear- 
ing in  mind  the  very  peculiar  and  un- 
wonted title  which  Abraham  here  gives 
to  the  Most  High,  '  the  Lord,  the  God  of 
heaven  and  the  God  of  the  earth,' 
may  we  not  suppose  that  the  patri- 
arch did  in  fact  require  his  servant 
to  swear  by  Him  who  was  to  descend 
from  Ids  loins,  and  who  was  to  be  in- 
vested with  kingly  dignity  and  domin- 
ion ? — in  other  words,  by  the  very  Per- 
sonage who  is  elsewhere  described  as 
having  'on  his  A-esture  and  on  his  thigh 
a  name  written.  King  of  kings  and  Lord 
of  lords.'  It  is  not  unhkely  that  there 
is  something  euphemistic  in  the  phrase, 
and  that  as  Abraham's  circumcision  was 
a  seal  of  his  faith  in  the  divine  promise, 
the  cerem.ony  had  a  special  relation  to 


B.  C.  1857.J 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


33 


3  And  I  will  make  thee  *"  swear 
by  the  Lord,  the  God  of  heaven 
and  the  God    of  the    earth,   that 

fch.14.22.    Deut.  6.  13.    Josh.  2.  12. 

that  part  of  the  person  which  bore  the 
mark  of  this  ordinance.  This  is  the 
opinion  of  most  of  the  Jewish  commen- 
tators, which  is  confirmed  by  the  Arabic 
version, — 'Put  thine  hand  upon  my 
compact,  or  covenant ;'  i.  e.  upon  the 
token  of  the  covenant. 

3.  /  will  make  thee  swear.  Heh. 
^'S'-^Ztl^i/^  dshhiaka,  Twill  swear  thee;  i.  e- 
I  will  adjure  thee  ;  I  will  bind  thee  by 
the  solemnity  of  an  oath.  The  terra 
has  a  reference  to  the  act  which  was 
about  to  be  performed.  The  swear- 
ing on  the  part  of  the  servant  was  not 
verbal,  but  consisted  in  performing  the 
rite  required  by  Abraham.  Thus  he 
was  sworn  as  a  witness  is  sworn  before 
a  magistrate,  when  he  has  the  oath  ad- 
muiistered  to  him,  and  lifts  his  hand  or 
applies  his  lips  to  the  holy  volume  in 

token  of  his  assent. ^  Thou  shall  not 

take  a  wife,  &c.  Upon  comparing  this 
injunction  with  the  general  conduct  and 
character  of  Abraham,  we  see  in  it 
another  striking  instance  of  his  prevail- 
ing faith.  His  great  anxiety  was  that 
Isaac  should  not  connect  himself  wiih 
the  people  among  whom  he  was  so- 
journing ;  and  why  ?  Had  he  contracted 
an  unreasonable  prejudice  against  them  ? 
Far  from  it.  From  what  is  related  in  the 
preceding  chapter,  it  is  evident  he  had 
no  objection  to  exchange  with  them  the 
common  civilities  of  life.  He  could  es- 
timate their  hospitality  and  kindness  as 
they  deserved.  He  had  no  ground  to 
complain  of  their  treatment  of  him, 
but  he  cannot  be  insensible  to  their 
alienation  from  God ;  and  to  take  their 
daughters  in  marriage,  he  is  convinced 
would  bo  a  sure  w-ay  to  corrupt  his  own 
family.  The  grand  design  of  God  in 
giving  the  land  to  Abraham's  posterity, 
was  the  ultimate  overthrow  of  idolatry. 


^  thou  shalt  not  take  a  wife  unto  my 
son  of  the  daucrhtorsof  the  Canaan- 
ites  among  whom  I  dwell : 

gch.  2-1  35.  &27.  46.  &:  23.  2.    Exod.  34. 16 
Deut.  7.  3. 


and  the  establishment  of  his  true  wor 
ship  on  earth.  To  what  purpose  then 
was  he  called  from  among  Chaldean 
idolaters,  if  his  son  were  to  join  affinity 
with  those  of  Canaan  ?  Was  there  not 
every  probability  that  Isaac  might  even- 
tually be  led  to  renounce  the  God  of  his 
father,  and  adopt  the  abominations  of 
his  new  kindred?  Without  any  spe- 
cial distrust  of  the  general  firmness  of 
Isaac's  principles,  he  was  still  too  well 
acquainted  with  the  infirmities  of  our 
nature  not  to  be  aware,  that  there  was 
more  likelihood  of  even  the  son  of  Abra- 
ham's being  perverted  by  an  idolatrous 
wife,  than  of  such  a  wife's  being  brought 
to  the  true  faith  by  a  believing  husband. 
But  even  should  Isaac  retain  his  integ- 
rity, there  was  some  hazard  that  his  pos- 
terity, partly  deriving  their  origin  from 
these  heathen  races,  and  mingled  among 
them,  should  gradually  conform  to  their 
idolatrous  practices.  He  would  there- 
fore erect  the  strongest  possible  safe- 
guard around  the  pure  faith  of  his  seed  ; 
and  to  this  he  was  still  more  strongly 
urged,  .by  knowing  that  the  inhabitants 
of  Canaan  were  devoted  to  destruction. 
He  saw  them  filling  up  the  measure  of 
their  iniquities,  and  he  feared  lest  his  be- 
loved Lsaac  and  his  descendants,  becom- 
ing partakers  of  their  evil  deeds,  should 
share  also  in  their  punishment.  The 
measure  proposed,  therefore,  was  every 
way  worthy  of  this  great  pattern  of  be- 
lievers. Throughout  the  whole,  there 
appears  not  the  least  taint  of  worldly 
policy,  or  any  of  those  motives  which 
usually  govern  men  in  the  settlement  of 
their  children  No  mention  is  made  of 
riches  or  honors  or  natural  accomplish- 
ments. The  patriarch,  with  the  solici- 
tude of  a  good  father,  is  desirous  of 
matching  his  son  rather  prudently  and 


34 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1857. 


4  ^  But  thou  shalt  go  '  unto  my 
country,  and  to  my  kindred,  and 
take  a  wife  unto  my  son  Isaac. 

5  And  the  servant  said  unto 
him,  Peradventure  the  woman  wnll 
not  be  willing  to  follow  me  unto 

h  ch.  28.  2.    i  cli.  12.  1. 


piou.sly,  than  wealthily  or  splendidly. 
In  his  esUmate,  no  consideration  could 
outweigh  that  of  the  religious  character 
of  the  person  sought  as  a  companion  for 
his  son.  How  admirable  a  pattern  is  this 
for  parents,  in  reference  to  the  forming 
of  matrimonial  connections  for  their 
children  I  Unhappily  great  numbers, 
even  among  the  professors  of  godliness, 
bring  nothing  but  worldly  considerations 
to  this  all-important  subject.  The  out- 
ward advantages  of  fortune,  rank,  or  per- 
sonal attractions,  are  the  only  things  re- 
garded. But  what  comparison  can  these 
bear  to  the  internal  qualities  of  sound 
principle,  good  sense,  amiable  temper, 
and  meek  devoted  piety?  What  per- 
manent happiness  can  we  promise  our- 
selves in  connection  with  one  who  can- 
not understand  our  views  or  enter  into 
our  feelings? — to  whom  we  cannot 
speak  of  religion  so  as  to  be  sympathiz- 
ed with,  advised,  or  comforted  ? — with 
whom  we  cannot  take  sweet  counsel  on 
the  things  of  all  others  most  interesting 
and  absorbing  to  our  souls  ?  No  won- 
der that  in  such  unions,  comfort  and  se- 
renity of  spirit  are  banished  from  our 
abodes.  No  wonder  that  there  arise  es- 
trangement of  affection,  diversity  of 
pursuits,  contrariety  of  will,  domestic 
jangling,  mutual  accusations  and  retorts, 
and  all  that  embitters  or  poisons  the 
springs  of  love  and  peace.  Whether, 
therefore,  we  are  choosing  for  ourselves 
in  this  matter,  or  sanctioning  the  choice 
of  others,  let  the  example  of  this  holy 
man  have  its  due  weight  in  governing 
our  conduct.  Let  us  learn  from  him  to 
subordinate  every  thing  to  the  one  great 
concern — the  interests  of  the  sojil.  Let  j 
every  plan  and    purpose    entertained,  j 


this  land  :  must  I  needs  bring  thy 
son  again  unto  the  land  from 
whence  thou  camest? 

6  And  Abraham  said  unto  him, 
Beware  thou,  that  thou  bring  not 
my  son  thither  again. 

7  *ir  The  Lord  God  of  heaven, 

every  occupation  chosen,  every  place 
of  residence  selected,  every  connec- 
tion formed,  express  our  firm  and  un- 
varying conviction  of  the  reahty,  the  im- 
portance, the  preciousness  of  those  in- 
terests which  infinitely  transcend  all 
others. 

4.  Thou  shalt  go  unto  my  country,  &t 
That  is,  into  3Iesopotamia,  v.  10,  where 
he  had  lived  for  some  time  after  leaving 
Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  and  where  Nahor 
and  his  family  still  remained  after  Abra- 
ham had  departed  for  Canaan.  It  was 
not  therefore  the  land  of  his  nativity, 
but  the  land  of  his  former  temporary 
sojourning,  which  he  here  calls  his,  and 
to  which  the  servant  was  commanded 
to  go.  See  Note  on  Gen.  11.  23,  31. 
From  the  narrative  contained  in  ch.  31, 
respecting  Laban,  it  appears  that  some 
vestiges  of  idolatry  still  lingered  even 
among  the  kindred  of  Abraham,  but 
doubtless  it  was  far  less  prevalent  than 
in  Canaan. 

5,  6.  Peradventure  the  woman  will  not 
he  tvilling,  &c.  As  was  very  natural, 
the  servant  being  about  to  bind  himself 
by  an  oath,  is  tenderly  concerned  lest 
he  should  be  '  .snared  by  the  words  of 
his  mouth,'  and  engage  in  more  than  he 
is  able  to  perform.  His  conduct  in  this 
matter  is  much  to  be  praised.  The  ob- 
Hgation  of  an  oath  should  not  be  assum- 
ed without  a  full  understanding  of  its 
import,  and  the  imposers  of  oaths  ought 
always  to  be  ready  to  sadsfy  the  rea 
sonable  scruples  of  those  who  take  them. 
But  the  ansvi-er  of  Abraham  is  equally 
worthy  of  our  attention.  W^hatever 
were  his  anxiety  that  his  son  should 
take  a  wife  from  among  his  own  kindred, 
he  here  evinces  an  equally  strong  re- 


B.  C.  1857.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


35 


which  ^  took  me  from  my  fath- 
er's house,  and  from  the  land  of  my 
kindred,  and  which  spake  unto  me, 
and  that  sware  unto  me,  saying-, 
1  Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  this  land  : 
""  he   shall  send   his   angel   before 

k  ch.  12. 1,  7.  I  c^■.  12.  7.  &  13.  15.  &  15. 18. 
&  17.  8.  Exod.  32. 13.  Deut.  1.  8.  &  34. 4. 
Acts.  7.  5.  m  Exod.  23. 20,  23.  &  33.  2.  Heb. 
1.14. 


pugnance  to  his  returning  and  settling 
in  the  country  out  of  which  he  had 
been  called.  He  had  had  a  promise 
given  him  that  the  land  into  which  he 
had  been  brought,  should  be  his  and  his 
seed's;  and  he  lived  and  acted  upon 
that  promise  all  his  life  long.  Against 
present  appearances  and  human  proba- 
bilities, he  maintained  an  unshaken  con- 
fidence in  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise, 
and  took  all  his  measures  accordingly. 
As  he  had  buried  Sarah  in  it  under  this 
assured  expectation,  so  he  would  not 
allow  Isaac  on  any  account  to  remove 
out  of  it ;  and  thus  do  what  tended  di- 
rectly to  frustrate  the  promise.  It  was 
perhaps  owing  in  a  great  measure  to 
his  extreme  solicitude  on  this  head,  that, 
instead  of  sending  Isaac,  who  was  now 
forty  years  of  age,  and  abundantly  ca- 
pable of  managing  the  negotiation  him- 
self, he  despatched  his  aged  servant  to 

conduct  the  affair  in  his  behalf IT 

Bring  again.  Isaac,  it  is  true,  had  never 
been  in  that  land  in  person,  but  in  the 
loins  of  his  father  he  had :  and  it  is  a 
common  usage  of  the  sacred  writers  to 
speak  of  a  family  or  line  of  descendants 
as  one  continued  person.  Upon  this 
idiom  the  use  of  the  word  again  in  this 
place  is  no  doubt  founded.  In  like 
manner,  it  is  said  Gen.  15,  16,  'In  the 
fourth  generation  they  shall  come 
hither  again,'  although  that  generation 
had  of  course  never  been  in  that  land 
before. 

7.  The  LORD  God  of  heaven,  &c. 
Rather  according  to  the  Heb.  'The 
Lord,  the  God  of  heaven   C^l-jV^    nin*^ 


thee,  and  thou  shalt  take  a  wife  un- 
to my  son  from  thence. 

8  And  if  the  woman  will  not  be 
willing  to  follow  thee,  then  "  thou 
shalt  be  clear  from  this  mine  oath  ; 
only  bring  not  my  son  thither 
again. 

n  Josh.  2. 17,  20. 


d'^?2L'n)Gr.  Kt)f3tof  0  eeoi,the  Lord,  the 
God,  &c.  The  assurance  which  Abra- 
ham here  gives  his  servant  of  the  di- 
vine presence  and  guidance  on  his  jour- 
ney appears  to  be  the  result  of  a  strong 
conviction  in  his  mind,  wrought  by  the 
experience  of  the  past,  rather  than  by 
any  communication  to  that  effect  ex- 
pressly received  from  God.  'Every 
former  favor  is  a  pledge  of  a  future. 
'  Thou  hast — thou  wilt'  is  a  scripture 
demonstration.  See  in  Ps.  86,  1 — i,  six 
'thou  basts,'  whereupon  he  infers  anden- 
forceth  his  '  Turn  us,  O  God  of  our  sal- 
vation.'--7V«/)p.  So  the  patriarch's 
language  here  is  the  expression  of  a 
firm,  unshaken  confidence  in  the  pros- 
perous issue  of  the  expedition.  He 
had  been  prompted  by  the  most  sincere 
regard  to  the  will  of  God  in  having  it 
undertaken,  and  he  could  not  but  infer 
from  all  that  had  been  before  done  for 
him,  and  said  to  him,  that  he  would  put 
the  seal  of  his  approbation  upon  the 
step  proposed.  And  how  pleasant  is 
it  to  enter  upon  our  work  with  such 
an  inward  assurance ! — to  be  able  unhesi- 
tatingly to  promise  ourselves  or  others, 
the  presence,  protection  and  blessing  of 
the  God  of  heaven  in  our  enterprises ! 
If  governed  in  the  main  by  the  pious 
spirit  of  Abraham,  this  confidence  may 
be  freely  entertained.  God  will  regard  it 
as  an  acceptable  exercise  of  faith,  and 
not  as  the  promptings  of  an  unhallowed 

presumption IT  Will  send  his  angel 

before  thee.  Nothing,  we  think,  is  more 
susceptible  of  proof,  than  that  the  term 
'  angel'  in  scriptural  usage  is  employed 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1857. 


9  And  the  servant  put  his  hand 
under  the  thigh  of  Abraham  his 
master,  and  sware  to  him  concern- 
ing that  matter. 

IlO  it  And  the  servant  took  ten 


not  only  to  denote  those  personal  agents 
whom  the  Most  High  may  see  fit  to 
make  the  executors  of  his  will,  but  also 
in  an  impersonal  sense,  implying  in  ma- 
ny cases  merely  a  dispensation  of  provi- 
dence, whether  in  a  way  of  mercy  or 
of  judgment.  The  phraseology,  indeed, 
but  rarely  occurs  in  respect  to  the  ordi- 
nary incidents  of  life,  but  extraordinary 
operations  of  providence,  or  events 
fraught  with  momentous  consequences, 
and  as  such,  having  a  peculiarly  notice- 
able character,  though  accomplished  by 
natural  means,  are  in  Scripture  spoken 
of  as  '  angels.'  Thus  the  destruction  of 
the  first-born  in  Egypt  is  attributed  to 
an  angel,  because  such  an  event  was 
extraordinary  and  memorable  in  the 
highest  degree.  In  hke  manner,  the 
destruction  of  Sennacherib's  army 
is  ascribed  to  angelic  agency  for  the 
same  reason.  In  both  cases  we  cannot 
doubt  that  the  judgment  was  executed 
directly  and  immediately  by  the  hand  of 
God.  Thus,  too,  as  to  the  present  decla- 
ration. We  suppose  the  angel  to  be  the 
personification  of  a  special  providence. 
God  would  send  his  angel  before  the 
servant  in  the  sense  of  preparing  his 
vny,  of  removing  difficulties  and  objec- 
tions, and  fully  reconciling  the  minds  of 
his  kindred  to  ths  step.  See  Note  on  Ex. 
12.  23,  for  fuller  confirmation  of  this 
idea. 

9.  Abraham  his  master.     Heb.   I^jIJ^ 
adonav,  his  lord.     So  also  in  the  next 

verse. IT  Sware  to  him.     Heb.  '$':i''^^ 

yish-sha-ba,  wassworn  to  him.  The  Heb. 
verb  for  swearing,  is  always  used  in  the 
passive  voice,  as  if  it  were  an  act  which 
no  one  was  supposed  to  engage  in  vol- 
untarily, but  only  as  he  w^as  adjured  by 
another. 


camels,  of  the  camels  of  his  master, 
and  departed  ;  (°  for  all  the  goods, 
of  his  master  were  in  his  hand;) 
and  he  arose,  and  went  to  Mesopo- 
tamia, unto  the  city  of  Nahor. 


over.ii.    Pch.  27.  43. 


10.  Took  ten  camels,  &c.  Although 
we  are  not  expressly  told  that  this  was 
done  by  Abraham's  direction,  yet  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  the  whole  busi- 
ness of  the  preparation  and  outfit  was 
conducted  under  his  eye,  and  ordered 
with  his  approbation.  The  brevity  of 
the  scripture  narrative  often  requires  us 
to  supply  from  the  character  of  the  par- 
ties or  the  circumstances  of  the  case 
many  subordinate  items  which  are  omit- 
ted by  the  writer.  Such  inferential  ad- 
ditions are  frequently  clearly  confirmed 
by  subsequent  parts  of  the  narrative,  or 
the  parallel  recitals  elsewhere  found. 
Thus,  in  the  present  passage  nothing  is 
said  of  the  servant's  being  accompanied 
by  attendants  ;  yet  it  is  evident  that  one 
man  woidd  be  unable  to  manage  so  ma- 
ny camels,  nor  w-ould  it  be  at  all  con- 
sonant with  Oriental  customs  or  notions 
for  such  an  expedition  to  be  undertaken 
for  such  an  object  by  a  single  individ- 
ual ;  and  from  vss.  32,  59,  it  is  obvious 
that  it  was  not.  Without  allowing  his 
faith  such  a  paramount  influence  as  to 
lead  to  the  neglect  of  prudent  means, 
he  no  doubt  designed  by  fitting  out  such 
an  imposing  retinue,  amounting,  in  fact, 
to  a  small  caravan,  to  make  an  impression 
upon  the  minds  of  the  maiden  and  her 
family,  whoever  they  might  be,  to  whom 
the  proposals  should  be  made.  It  would 
obviously  tend  to  a  favorable  result 
were  they  to  receive  such  an  idea  of 
Abraham's  and  Isaac's  substance,  as 
should  preclude  the  apprehension  of  a 
female's  losing  or  lessening  the  comforts 
of  her  present  condition  by  acceding  to 
the  proposed  connection.  Had  the  ser- 
vant gone  alone,  without  any  evidences 
of  his  master's  wealth,  it  is  clear  that  he 
could  not  reasonably  have  expected  to 


B.  C.  1857.J 


11.  And  he  made  his  camels  to 
kneel  down  without  the  city  by  a 
well  of  water,  at  the  time  of  the 


obtain  the  same  credence  for  his  asser- 
tions on  the  subject.  The  measure, 
therefore,  was  in  every  view  poHtic  and 
wise,  although  we  cannot  question  that 
both  Abraham  and  his  servant,  as  ha- 
bitually pious  men,  placed  more  depend- 
ence on  a  secret  divine  interposition,  than 
upon  any  devices,  however  well  chosen, 

of  their  own. IT  For  all  the  goods  of 

his  master  were  in  his  hand.  More  lite- 
rally ^And  all  the  goods,'  &c.  The  ori- 
ginal term  ^ItJ  toob,  here  rendered  goods, 
is  the  proper  Heb.  word  for  goodness  or 
excellency  of  any  kind,  whether  moral 
or  physical.  In  such  connections  as  the 
present,  it  evidently  has  a  secondary  or 
accommodated  import,  being  applied  to 
riches  or  substance,  because  these  are 
what  men  usually  esteem  good,  and  in- 
dustriously pursue  as  such.  The  exact 
purport  of  this  parenthetic  clause  is  a 
matter  of  some  doubt.  Calvin,  and  per- 
haps most  commentators,  understand  it 
as  rendering  a  reason  for  the  servant' s 
large  and  sumptuous  preparations  for 
the  journey.  Having  all  his  master's 
goods  at  his  disposal,  he  might  exercise 
a  discretionary  power  in  making 
provision  for  the  expedition.  But  per- 
haps the  rendering  of  the  Gr.,  adopt- 
ed also  by  Jerome  in  the  Vulgate,  is  to 
be  preferred.  In  both  these  versions 
the  construction  is,  '  And  (he  took  and 
carried)  of  all  his  master's  goods  (some- 
thing) with  him.'  According  to  this  the 
idea  is  that  the  servant  took  with  him 
'  in  his  hand'  a  portion  of  the  choicest, 
the  best,  the  most  precious  of  his  master's 
effects,  of  which  to  make  presents  to 
the  lady  elect  and  her  family.  Thus  it 
is  said  of  the  present  brought  by  Ha- 
zael  from  Ben-hadad  to  Elisha,  2  Kings, 
8.  9,  that  he  '  took  a  present  with  him, 
even  of  every  good  thing  (ilts  ^w  ^^ol 
toob)  of  Damascus  ;'  i.  e.  of  the  mo.st 
VOL.   II.  4 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


37 


evening,  even  the    time  nhat  wo- 
men go  out  to  draw  water : 

1  Exod.  2.  16. 


precious  things  of  all  kinds.  So  the 
term  is  elsewhere  repeatedly  used  in 
an  emphatic  sense  to  denote  that  which 
is  pecidiarly  choice  and  valuable.  Comp. 
Gen.  45.  18,20.  Is.  1.  19.  Deut.  e.'ll. 
On  the  whole,  we  cannot  but  deem  this 
the  most  correct  interpretation  of  the 
two ;  and  we  suppose,  moreover,  that 
the  articles  mentioned  vv.  22,  52,  were 
a  part  of  the  mtO  goods,  here  said  to 
have  been  in  the  hand  of  the  servant 

when  he  departed. IT  Went  to  MesO' 

potamia.  Heb.  ^'^"mj  Q'^i^  Aram  naha- 
rayim,  that  is,  Syria  of  the  two  rivers ; 
denoting  the  region  lying  between  the 
rivers  Euphrates  and  Tigris.  The  same 
country  is  elsewhere  called  Q'nii  y['^ 
padan  Aram,  or,  the  plain  of  Aram,  or 
Syria.  '  Mesopotamia'  is  a  Greek  word 
signifying  the  country  between  the  rivers. 
The  '  city  of  Nahor,'  i.  e.  the  city  of 
Nahor's  residence,  was  no  doubt  Haran 
(Charran),  of  which,  see  Note  on  Gen. 
11.31. 

11.  Made  the  camels  to  kneel  down.  As 
this  immediately  precedes  an  act  of 
prayer  on  the  part  of  the  servant,  it 
m.ight  possibly  be  thought  that  he  in- 
tended in  some  sort  to  make  his 
camels  participators  in  that  act.  But 
kneeling  is  not  peculiarly  an  attitude  of 
devotion  in  the  East ;  and  Eliezer  him- 
self did  not  kneel ;  for  even  in  his  prayer, 
he  describes  himself  as  standing  by  the 
well.  He  merely  intended  to  give  the 
wearied  camels  a  little  rest,  kneehng  be- 
ing the  posture  in  which  camels  always 

repose. IT  The  time  that  women  go  out 

to  draw  water.  Heb.  !r;:Ji".l'n  r.^!2  fi^'b 
leaith  tzeth  hash-sho-abofh,  at  the  time  of 
the  going  forth  of  the  women-drawers  {of 
water.)  '  Water  is  usually  drawn  in  the 
evening  and  frequently  in  the  cool  of  the 
morning  also.  Fetching  water  is  one  of 
the  heaviest  of  the  many  heavy  duties 


38 


GENESIS. 


B.  0.  1857. 


which  devolve  upon  the  females  in  the 
East,  and  one  which  most  sensibly  im- 
presses us  with  a  sense  of  their  degraded 
condition.  The  Usage  varies  in  differ- 
ent countries.  Among  the  Arabs  and 
other  nomades,  and  also  in  many  parts 
of  India,  it  is  the  exclusive  employment 
of  the  women,  without  distinction  of 
rank.  But  in  Turkey  and  Persia,  the 
poorer  women  only  are  subject  to  this 
.servile  employment,  respectable  fami- 
lies being  supplied  daily  by  men  who 
make  the  supplying  of  water  a  distinct 
business.  The  tents  of  the  Bedouins 
are  seldom  pitched  quite  near  to  the 
well  from  which  tliey  obtain  their  wa- 
ter ;  and  if  the  distance  is  not  more  than 
a  mile,  the  men  do  not  think  it  necessa- 
ry that  the  water  should  be  brought  up- 
on the  camels;  and,  unless  there  are 
asses  to  be  employed  on  this  service, 
the  women  must  go  every  evening, 
sometimes  twice,  and  bring  home  at 
their  backs  long  and  heavy  bags  full  of 
water.  The  wells  are  the  property  of 
tribes  or  individuals,  who  are  not  al- 
ways wilhng  that  caravans  should  take 
water  from  them ;  and  in  that  case,  a 
girl  is  sometimes  posted  at  the  well  to 
exact  presents  from  those  who  wish  to 
have  water.  It  is  not  likely  that  Abra- 
ham's servant  travelled  without  a 
leathern  bucket  to  draw  water,  and  itis 
therefore  probable  that  he  abstained 
from  watering  his  ten  camels  until  he 
should  have  obtained  permission.  The 
women,  when  they  are  at  the  wells  in 
the  evening,  are  generally  obhging  to 
travellers,  and  ready  to  supply  such  wa- 
ter as  they  may  require  for  themselves 
or  their  beasts.  The  women  of  towns 
in  Turkey  and  Persia  have  seldom  far 
to  go,  except  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances in  the  situation  or  soil  of  the 
place,  or  quality  of  its  water.  Their 
uater-vossel  depends  much  upon  the 
distance ;  if  rather  far,  a  skin  will  pro- 
bably be  preferred  as  most  convenient 
for  carrying  a  good  quantity  ;  but  if  near, 
an  earthen   jar  will    often  be  chosen. 


The  present  well  seems  to  have  been 
quite  near  the  town,  and  we  concur  ir 
the  translation  which  renders  Rebekah'f 
Vessel '  a  pitcher.'  The  word  "^  hid  v. 
different  from  that  (-"^H  chemath)  ren 
dered '  bottle'  in  the  narrative  of  Ilagnr' 
expulsion  ;  and  is  the  same  word  u.=e( 
to  describe  the  vessels  in  which  Gideon"; 
soldiers  concealed  their  torches,  anc' 
which  they  broke  to  produce  a  crashing 
and  alarming  noise.  The  women  con- 
trive to  draw  an  enjoyment  even  out  of 
this  irksome  duty,  as  it  affords  the  best 
opportunity  they  have  of  meeting  and 
talking  together,  and  of  displaying  their 
finery  to  each  other.  They  by  no 
means  appear  to  the  worst  advantage, 
as  to  dress,  at  the  wells ;  and  this  cir- 
cumstance shows  that  Abraham's  ser- 
vant might  there,  without  any  incongrui- 
ty, invest  Rebekah  with  the  ornaments 
he  had  brought.  To  a  traveller  in  the 
East,  the  best  opportunities  of  making 
his  observations  on  the  females  will  oc- 
cur in  the  evening  at  the  wells.  Eliezer 
was  aware  of  this,  and  regarded  the  op- 
portunity as  favorable  for  his  purpose. 
It  appears  that  the  unmarried  females 
even  of  tov\Tis  went  unveiled,  or  only 
partially  veiled,  on  ordinary  occasions  in 
these  early  times.  Now  all  go  veiled  ; 
and  the  more  extended  use  of  the  veil 
in  modern  times  has  probably,  in  one 
respect,  operated  favorably  for  the  wo- 
men, by  exonerating  those  in  families 
decently  circumstanced,  from  the  very 
heavy  duty  of  fetching  water,  the  pro- 
per management  of  the  veil  being 
scarcely  compatible  with  the  perform- 
ance of  this  laborious  office.  Accord- 
ingly we  find  that  this  duty  devolves 
more  exclusively  on  the  females,  with- 
out distinction  of  rank,  in  those  Asiatic 
countries  or  tribes  where  the  women 
are  not  obliged  to  veil  their  faces,  as  in 
India,  and  among  the  Arabian  and  othe 
nomade  tribes.  We  have  already  no 
ticed  the  Arabian  usage.  In  consequence 
of  the  modifications  which  we  venture 
to  think  that  the  extended  u.se  of  the 


B.  C.  1857.1 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


12  And  lie  said,  ■■  O  Lord,  God 
of  my  master  Abraham,  I  pray  thee, 

I  ver.  27.  ch.  26. 24.  &.  28. 13.  &  32.  9.  Exod. 
3.  6,  15. 


veil  has  produced  nmongthe  inhabitants 
of  towns  west  of  the  Indus,  it  is  perhaps 
in  India  we  are  to  look  for  the  most  pre- 
cise parallels  to  the  patriarchal  customs. 
Accordingly  we  find,  that  in  many  parts 
of  India,  women  of  the  first  distinction 
draw  water  daily  from  the  pubhc  wells. 
They  always  fetch  it  in  earthern  jars 
carried  upon  their  heads.  Sometimes 
two  or  three  jars  are  thus  carried  at 
once,  one  upon  the  other,  forming  a  pH- 
larupon  the  bearer's  head.  As  this  ne- 
cessarily requires  the  most  perfect  steadi- 
ness, the  habit  gives  to  the  females  a 
remarkably  erect  and  stately  air.  It 
seems  that  it  is  a  distinction  to  carry  the 
jar  on  the  shoulder;  and  Forbes,  in  his 
'  Oriental  Memoirs,'  relates  an  anecdote 
of  an  intelligent  native  who,  when  this 
highly  interesting  passage  was  read  to 
him,  inferred  that  Rebekah  was  of '  high 
caste,'  from  her  carrying  the  pitcher  on 
her  shoulder  (verse  15).  The  text,  how- 
ever, does  not  necessarily  imply  that  she 
carried  the  jar  erect  upon  her  shoulder, 
but  quite  as  probably  means  that  it  was 
carried  at  the  back,  the  handle  being 
held  over  the  shoulder  by  the  hand  or  a 
leathern  strap.' — Pict.  Bible. 

12.  O  Lord  God,  &;c.  or  rather  as  be- 
fore, v.  7.  '  O  Lord,  the  God,'  &c.  The 
character  of  Eliezer,  if  he  were  indeed 
the  person  charged  with  the  present 
commission,  shines  brighter  at  every 
step.  He  shews  himself  throughout,  to 
have  been  eminently  worthy  of  being 
entrusted  with  so  momentous  a  negoti- 
ation. And  not  only  so,  but  his  conduct 
reflects  additional  credit  upon  Abraham, 
the  influence  of  whose  pious  example 
is  to  be  recognized  in  the  humble  and 
devout  deportment  of  his  servant.  A 
devoted  and  exemplary  master  will  sel- 
dom fail  to  make  religion  respected  in 
his  household,  and  domestics  will  often 


'  send  me  (rood  speed  this  day,  and 
shew  kindness  unto  my  master 
Abraham. 

BNeh.  1.11.    Ps.  37.  5. 

be  brought  to  know  and  love  that  of 
which  they  would  otherwise  have  re- 
mained ignorant  and  negligent.  This 
w  as  doubtless  the  case  with  this  head- 
servant  of  the  patriarch,  who  shows  his 
concern  for  the  welfare  of  his  master's 
household,  not  by  an  ostentatious  pa- 
rade of  his  services,  but  by  praying  de- 
voutly to  God  for  success  upon  the  mis- 
sion confided  to  him.  The  prayer  is 
remarkable  for  (1)  The  faith  in  which  it  is 
offered.  He  speaks  all  along  under  a 
full  persuasion  that  the  providence  of 
God  extended  to  the  minutest  events, 
and  that  there  was  no  presumption  in 
appealing  to  him  on  the  present  occa- 
sion. His  words  are  full  of  confidence 
that  God  would  direct  him  in  a  matter  of 
so  much  importance  to  his  church  in  all 
future  ages.  (2)  The  correct  views  of  the 
character  of  Jehovah  which  he  expresses. 
He  addresses  him  as  the  covenant  God  of 
Abraham,  who  had  given  him  exceed- 
ing great  and  precious  promises.  In  ap- 
proaching him  in  this  character,  he  would 
occupy  the  best  possible  vantage  ground 
for  urging  his  request,  as  any  promise 
made  to  Abraham  would  furnish  a  plea 
which  could  scarcely  fail  to  be  eflTectual. 
(3)  The  sign  which  he  presumed  to  ask 
for.  A  better,  he  could  not  well  have 
desired ;  for  such  an  oflfer  freely  made 
to  a  stranger  would  indicate  a  most 
amiable  disposition.  It  would  demon- 
strate at  once  the  humility,  the  industry, 
the  courtesy,  the  extreme  kindness  of 
the  female,  and  would  be  a  pledge  that 
she  possessed  all  the  qualifications  which 
he  deemed  most  desirable  in  a  compan- 
ion worthy  of  his  master's  son.  She 
who  could  be  thus  complaisant  and 
obliging  to  a  stranger,  would  certainly 
conduct  herself  well  in  the  relation  of  a 
wife.  It  is  a  natural  inquiry,  whether 
the  servant  did  right  in  thus  fixing  in 


40 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1857.. 


13  Behold,  '  I  stand  here  by  the 
well  of  water  ;  and  "  the  daughters 
of  the  men  of  the  city  come  out  to 
draw  water : 

14  And  let  it  come  to  pas?,  that 
the  damsel  to  whom  I  shall  say, 
Let  down  thy  pitcher,  I  pray  thee, 
that  I  may  drink  ;  and  she  shall  say. 
Brink,  and  I  will  give  thy  camels 
drink  also  :  lei  the  same  he  she  that 


t  ver.  43. 


1  ell.  29.  9.  Exod.  2. 16. 


his  own  mind  iipon  a  sign,  and  apparent- 
ly prescribing  it  to  God  as  a  test  of  the 
selection  about  to  be  made.  In  reply 
we  may  observe,  (1.)  That  the  event 
seems  clearly  to  prove  that  the  proceed 
ing"  received  the  divine  approbation,  if 
it  were  not  in  fact  of  divine  sugges 
tion.  (2.)  Let  the  circumstances  of 
the  case  be  considered.  It  does  not  ap 
pear  that  any  particular  individual  or 
particidar  family  had  been  designated 
by  Abraham,  to  whom  his  servant  was 
to  apply.  All  was  uncertainty  in  this 
respect ;  and  yet  a  choice  was  to  be 
made  without  any  great  delay,  which 
might  have  been  attended  with  special 
inconveniences  on  all  sides.  The  exi- 
gency, therefore,  was  peculiar,  and  the 
servant  seems  to  have  determined  to 
do  what  common  prudence  would  have 
dictated  to  any  sensible  man  under  sim- 
ilar circumstances.  Being  an  entire 
stranger  to  all  the  people  of  the  city,  he 
resolved  to  take  his  stand  at  the  public 
watering-place,  and  judge  as  well  as  he 
could  from  the  deportment  of  the  young 
women,  which  of  them  promised  fairest 
to  possess  the  requisite  endowments  of 
person,  temper,  and  manners.  All  this, 
as  far  as  we  can  see,  was  both  proper 
and  politic  under  the  circumstances  ;  and 
being  an  habitually  pious  man,  when 
once  he  had  fixed  upon  a  definite  course 
of  action,  he  looks  up  to  God,  and  im- 
plores his  blessing  upon  it.  This  was 
all.  But  his  conduct,  except  in  implor- 
ing the  divine  blessing  upon  whatever 


thou  hast  appointed  for  thy  servant 
Isaac  ;  and  "  thereby  shall  1  know 
that  thou  hast  shewed  kindness  un- 
to my  master. 

15  11  And  it  came  to  pass,  before 
he  had  done  speaking,  that  behold, 
Rebekah  came  out,  who  was  born 
to  Bethuel,  son  of  ^  Milcah,  the  wife 
of  Nahor,  Abraham's  brother,  with 
her  pitcher  upon  her  shoulder. 

w  See  Judg.  6.  17,  37.    1  Sam.  6.  7.  &  14.  8. 
&  20.  7.         X  ch.  11.  29.  &  22.  23. 

he  undertook,  is  evidently  no  rule  for 
us  in  the  ordinary  transactions  of  life. 

IT  Send  me  good  speed.   Heb.  u'lpfl 

hakreJi,  bring  it  to  pass,  or  cause  it  to  liap- 
pen ;  i.  e.  the  object  of  the  journey. 
Gr.  svoScoaov  tvavnov  cfiov  prosperously 
direct  he/ore  me.  Chal.  '  Meet  me  this 
day.'  The  same  word  occurs  in  the 
original.  Gen.  27.  20,  '  And  Isaac  said 
unto  his  son.  How  is  it  that  thou  hast 
found  it  so  quickly,  my  son  ?  And  he 
said,  Because  the  Lord  thy  God  brought 
it  to  me';  i.  e.  made  it  to  occur.  It  is 
used  in  speaking  of  events  and  occur- 
rences, which,  though  ordered  by  the 
special  providence  of  God,  befall  men 
so  little  in  consequence  of  their  own 
skill  or  foresight,  that  in  common  dis- 
course they  are  ascribed  to  chance. 
Thus,  Luke  10.  31,  '  And  by  chance  there 
came  down  a  certain  priest  that  way.' 
When  Eliezer  repeats  the  incidents  of 
his  journey,  v.  42,  the  parallel  word  em- 
ployed is  'prosper.' 

13.  Well  of  water.  Heb,  Q'l^^ri  '^^5> 
awn  hammayim,  fountain  of  water. 
'  Well'  and  '  fountain'  are  often  used  in 
the  scriptures  interchangeably.  The 
original  has  '  well,'  v.  11,  and  '  fountain,' 
v.  13.  Theprimary  and  common  signifi- 
cation of  '^"ij)  ayiji  is  eye ;  but  as  the  eye 
is  the  source  from  which  tears  flow,  so  an 
opening  in  the  earth  from  which  waters 
gush  out  has  the  same  term  appHed  to  it. 

14.  Hast  appointed.  Heb.  f.'n'Zn  ho- 
kahta ;  a  term  having  the  import  of  de- 
monstratively prepared. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


B.  C.  1857.] 


16  And  the  damsel  >'  teas  very 
fair  to  look  upon,  a  virgin  ;  neither 
had  any  man  known  her  :  and  she 
went  down  to  the  well,  and  filled 
her  pitcher,  and  came  up. 

17  And  the  servant  ran  to  meet 

y  ch.  26.  7. 


41 


15.  It  came  to  pass  before  he  had  done 
speaking.  In  the  subsequent  recital,  v. 
45,  Eliezer  says,  '  Before  I  had  done 
speaking  in  mine  heart,'  from  which  it 
appears  that  this  was  a  mental  instead  of 
a  verbal  prayer  ;  and  in  reference  to  the 
speedy  answer  with  which  it  met,  we 
may  cite  the  -vipry  apposite  remark  of 
Bochart,  that '  so  forward  is  God  to  be- 
stow his  benefits  upon  us,  that  they  do 
not  so  much  follow  our  prayers,  ?is pre- 
vent and  go  before  them.'  Is.  65.  24, 
'And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  before 
they  call,  I  will  answer  ;  and  while  they 

are  yet  speaking,  I  will  liear.' ^  Her 

pitcher  upon  her  shoulder.  '  The  East- 
ern women,  according  to  Dr.  Pococke, 
sometimes  carry  their  jars  upon  their 
heads ;  but  Rebecca's  was  carried  on 
her  shoulder.  In  such  a  case,  the  jar  is 
not  to  be  suppo.sed  to  have  been  placed 
upright  on  the  shoulder,  but  held  by  one 
of  the  handles,  with  the  hand  over  the 
shoulder,  and  suspended  in  this  manner 
on  the  back ;  held,  I  should  imagine, 
by  the  right  handover  llie  left  .shoulder. 
Consequently,  when  it  was  to  be  pre- 
sented to  Abraham's  servant,  that  he 
might  drink  out  of  it,  it  was  to  be  gently 
moved  over  the  left  arm,  and  being 
suspended  by  one  hand,  while  the  other, 
probably,  was  placed  under  the  bottom 
of  the  jar,  it  was  in  that  position  pre- 
sented to  Abraham's  servant,  and  his 
attendants,  to  drink  out  of  '  She  said, 
Drink,  my  lord  ;  and  she  hasted,  and 
let  down  her  pitcher  upon  her  hand,  and 
gave  him  to  drink.'  v.  1 3. — Jlarmer. 

16.  Very  fair  to  look  upon.  Ileb. 
n&^1?2  £"1-12  tohath  mareh,  good  of  coun- 
tenance, or  visage.^  Comp.  Gen.  26.  7. 
E.x.  2.  2. IT  Went  down  to  theivelland 

4* 


her,  and  said,  Let  me,  I  pray  thee, 
drink  a  little  Vv^ater  of  thy  pitcher. 
'  18  ^  And  she  said,  Drink,  my 
lord  :  and  she  hasted,  and  let  down 
her  pitcher  upon  her  hand,  and  g-ave 
liim  drink. 

z  1  Pet.  3.  8.  &  4.  9. 


filed  her  pitcher.  '  It  would  seem  that 
this  well  had  a  descending  stair.  Such 
wells  are  not  very  common  in  the  East, 
except  in  India,  where  they  occur  fre- 
quently enough.  Chardin,  as  quoted 
by  Harmer,  is  disposed  to  understand, 
that  where  steps  to  a  well  are  mention- 
ed, a  reservoir  of  rain-water  is  always 
to  be  understood.  Such  reservoirs  be- 
ing seldom  of  the  great  depth  of  wells, 
it  is  convenient  to  have  steps,  so  that 
the  surface  of  the  water  may  be  reach- 
ed by  the  hand  as  its  quantity  diminish- 
es. All  reservoirs  have  not,  however, 
such  steps,  nor  are  all  wells  without 
them.  The  grand  well  at  Cairo  in 
Egypt,  called  'Joseph's  Well,'  has  a 
descent  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet,  by  a  winding  staircase  six  feet  in 
widths  It  is  however  true,  that  steps  to 
wells  occur  but  rarely  in  the  East. 
Their  greater  frequency  in  India  is  pro- 
ba'oly  because  the  Hindoos  do  not  use 
leathern  buckets  to  draw  water,  and 
their  earthen  vessels  would  be  very 
liable  to  be  broken  if  let  down  into  wells 
by  a  rope.  Neither  Chardin  nor  any 
other  traveller  seems  to  have  noticed 
the  existence  of  steps  to  streams  of  run- 
ning water  in  the  Kast ;  yet  in  Persia 
we  have  ourselves  sometimes  obtained 
water  from  a  covered  stream,  access  to 
which  was  afforded  by  descending  steps, 
protected  by  a  vaulted  superstructure 
of  brick.  We  are,  upon  the  whole,  dis- 
posed to  decide  less  positively  than 
Chardin,  that  the  present  '  well'  could  be 
nothing  else  than  a  reservoir  of  rain- 
water, although  we  must  allow  the  pro- 
babilities to  be  in  favor  of  his  supposi- 
tion.'— Pict.  Bible. 

13.  My  lord.    The  Hebrew  is  used  m 


42 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1857. 


19  And  when  she  had  done  giv- 
ing him  drink,  she  said,  I  will  draw 
loaLer  for  thy  camels  also,  until  they 
Iiave  done  drinking. 

20  And  she  hasted,  and  emptied 
her  pitcher  into  the  trough,  and  ran 
again  unto  the  well  to  draw  ivater, 
and  drew  for  all  his  camels, 

21  And  the  man,  wondering  at 
her,  held  his  peace,  to  wit  whether 


*  the  Lord  had  made  his  journey 
prosperous,  or  not, 

22  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  the 
camels  had  done  drinking,  that  the 
man  took  a  golden  '^  ear-ring  of  half 
a  shekel  weight,  and  two  bracelets 
for  her  hands  of  ten  shekels  weight 
of  gold, 

a  ver.  12,  5G.  b  Exod.  32.  2.  3.  Isai.  3. 19, 
20,  21.    Ezek.  16.  11,  12.    1  Pet.  3.  3. 


addresses  of  politeness  and  civility, 
equivalent  to  our  '  Sir.' 

19.  Will  draw  water  for  thy  camels  al- 
so. '  Had  Rebekah  done  no  more  than 
Eliezer  had  prayed  for,  we  might  have 
supposed  that  she  acted  not  as  a  free 
agent,  but  was  impelled  to  it  by  the  ab- 
solutely controlling  power  of  God:  but 
as  she  exceeds  all  that  was  requested, 
we  see  that  it  sprang  from  her  native  be- 
nevolence, and  sets  her  conduct  in  a 
most  amiable  point  of  view.' — A.  Clarke. 

20.  Emptied  her  pitcher  into  the  trough. 
'  Troughs  of  stone  or  wood  are  some- 
times, but  not  often,  found  near  wells  in 
the  East.  When  found,  they  are  com- 
monly at  wells  near  towns,  and,  like  the 
descending  steps,  are  more  common  in 
India  than  elsewhere.  This  also  may 
arise  from  the  prejudices  of  the  Hindoos 
precluding  the  use  of  the  leathers  which 
the  Arabs  and  travellers  through  deserts 
employ  in  watering  their  cattle  at  wells. 
As  the  cattle  can  seldom  get  direct  ac- 
cess to  the  water  in  a  well,  they  are 
usually  supplied  by  the  water  being 
thrown  into  a  sort  of  leathern  trough 
used  for  the  express  purpose  ;  but  very 
commonly  a  simple  skin  is  used,  to 
which  the  necessary  concavity  is  given 
by  scraping  a  hollow  in  the  sand 
over  which  it  is  placed,  or  by  propping 
up  the  edges  with  sand,  earth,  or  stones. 
What  sort  of  trough  is  intended  here 
and  in  Exod.  2.  16,  does  not  appear.' — 

Picl.  Bible. IT  Drew  for  all  htJ!  camels. 

In  view  of  the  arduousness  of  such  a 
task  for  a  young  female,  we  know  not 
how  to  resist  the  impression  that  she ' 


was  accompanied  and  assisted  by  other 
inmates  of  the  famdy  of  her  own  sex, 
or  that  the  water  was  principally  drawn 
by  Eliezer's  attendants  under  her  su- 
i  perintendence.  4 

I  21.  Wondering  at  her,  held  his  peace. 
\  Heb.  ■il3^'in!0  Tib  ri55ri-;?2  mishtaeh  lah 
maharish,  amazed  on  account  of  her,  hold- 
ing his  peace.  Gr.  '  Considered  her, 
and  held  his  peace.'  Chal.  'Was  silent 
in  contemplation.'  He  was  rapt  in  ad- 
miration of  the  divine  providence,  which 
had  made  the  event  to  correspond  so 
remarkably  with  his  desires.  The 
maiden's  conduct  so  amiable  in  itself,  and 
so  exactly  in  unison  with  his  previous 
wishes,  struck  him  with  a  kind  of 
amazement,  accompanied  by  a  momen- 
tary hesitation  whether  all  could  be 
true.  Thus  the  disciples  of  Jesus  won- 
dered when  Peter  was  cast  into  prison  ; 
and  when  their  prayers  were  heard,  and 
Peter  stood  without  knocking  at  the 
gate,  they  could  not  credit  the  joyful 
news,  but  said,  'It  is  his  angel.'  We 
pray  for  blessings,  and  when  our  pray- 
ers are  answered,  we  can  scarcely  be- 
lieve them  to  be  so. 

22.  The  man  took  a  golden  ear-ring,  &c. 
It  would  seem  from  v.  47,  that  although 
he  now  '  took'  or  drew  out,  and  had 
in  readiness  the  jewels,  yet  he  did 
not  actually  present  them  till  after 
he  had  proposed  the  ensuing  ques- 
tions. '  Our  generally  excellent  trans- 
lation sometimes  indicates  the  pain- 
ful difficulties  in  which  the  translators 
were  occasionally  involved,  in  conse- 
quence   of    the    ignorance   of    eastern 


B.  C,  1857.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


43 


countries  which  then  generally  prevail- 
ed, and  which  often  left  them  in  great 
doubt  about  the  true  renderings.  Here 
we  have  '  a  golden  ear-ring,'  that  is,  an 
odd  ear-ring.  This  being  felt  as  some- 
what of  an  absurdity,  the  marginal  ren- 
dering is, 'a  jewel  for  the  face  ;' but 
again,  in  v.  47,  it  is,  '  I  put  the  ear-ring 
upon  her  face,'  which  is  rather  a  curious 
disposition  of  an  ear-ring.  The  thing 
really  intended  seems  to  be  a  ring  or 
jewel  for  the  nose ;  but  our  translators 
having  no  knowledge  of  such  an  orna- 
ment, which  seemed  to  them  to  imply 
an  absurdity,  have  carefully  avoided 
the  true  idea  everywhere  except  in 
Isaiah  3.  21,  the  translator  of  which  por- 
tion had  probably  gained  some  informa- 
tion not  possessed  by  the  others,  of  this 
peculiarity  of  oriental  ornament.  Yet 
all  their  care  could  not  preclude  an  oc- 
casional allusion  to  it,  as  where  Prov.  11. 
22,  could  not  but  be  rendered  '  a  jewel 
in  a  sv\nne's  snout.'  The  extensive  use 
of  nose-ornaments  among  the  Arabian 
and  other  females  of  the  East  having 
now  become  known,  modern  translators 
render  the  present  text  '  nose-ring,'  as  is 
done  in  the  Arabic  and  Persian  versions. 
Such  rings  are  generally  of  silver  or 
gold,  but  sometimes  of  coral,  mother-of- 
pearl,  or  even  horn,  according  to  the 
taste  or  means  of  the  wearer.  Chardin, 
who  was  profes.«ionally  a  jeweller,  must 
have  been  conversant  with  this  subject  ; 
and  he  says  that  the  better  sort  of  rings 
are  set  with  a  ruby  between  two  pearls  : 
we  do  not  recollect,  however,  to  have 
eeen  rubies  in  them ;  but  the  turquoise 
ts  common.  This  curious  ornament  va- 
ries considerably  in  size  and  thickness  ; 
but  it  is  always  circular,  and  is  worn, 
not  from  the  middle  cartilage  of  the 
nose,  but  from  the  external  cartilage  of 
the  left  nostril,  which  is  pierced  for  the 
purpose.  We  have  also  seen  an  orna- 
ment for  the  nose  worn  by  the  Koordish 
and  Bedouin  females,  which  has  escap- 
ed the  notice  of  illustrators  of  Scripture, 
but  which  we  .*hould  prefer  to  consider 


as  the  ^nose-jewel,'  when  a  ring  is  not 
expressly  mentioned  It  is  a  thin  cir- 
cular plate  of  gold,  frequently  a  coin, 
about  the  size  of  half  a  crown  piece, 
and  in  appearance  not  unlike  the  large 
fancy  buttons  which  decorated  the  coats 
of  a  past  generation.  A  turquoise  is 
often  set  in  the  centre  over  the  pin  by 
which  it  is  attached  to  the  side  of 
the  nose,  where  its  appearance  is  suffi- 
ciently striking,  and  it  always  seemed 
to  us  much  less  pleasing  than  even  the 
nose-n'/jo-.' — Pict.  Bible. 


NoSE-Rl.VG. 

-IT   Two  bracelets  for  her  hands  of  (en 

shehels  weight  of  gold. — '  That  is,  about 
four  ounces  and  a  half,  which  seems  an 
extraordinary  weight  for  a  pair  of  brace- 
lets. But  they  are  worn  as  heavj',  or 
indeed,  much  heavier,  in  the  East,  re- 
sembling, as  Chardm  remarks,  rather 
manacles  than  bracelets.  They  are 
sometimes  flat  in  shape,  but  more  usu- 
ally round  or  semicircular,  taking  a  cu- 
bical form  at  the  section  where  they 
open  to  admit  the  hand.  They  have 
no  fastenings,  but  open  and  compress 
by  their  own  elasticity  alone  ;  they  are, 
in  fact,  enormous  rings,  which  we  hfive 


44 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1857. 


23  And  said,  Whose  daughter 
art  thou  ?  tell  me,  I  pray  thee  :  is 
there  room  in  thy  father's  house 
for  us  to  lodo-e  in  ] 


often  seen  not  less  than  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter ;  bat  their  weight,  although  great, 
is  not  commensurate  to  their  size,  as  they 
are  usually  hollow.  The  weight  which 
a  woman  carries  on  her  arms  is,  howev- 
er, not  to  be  estimated  by  that  of  a  sin- 
gle pair  of  bracelets  ;  for  no  woman 
who  can  possibly  get  more  is  contented 
with  one  pair.  It  is  not  unusual  to  see 
five  or  six  bracelets  on  the  same  arm, 
covering  it  from  the  wrist  nearly  to  the 
elbow.  These  and  their  other  orna- 
ments form  the  sole  wealth  of  the  bulk 
of  the  women  ;  and  they  are  anxious, 
on  all  occasions,  to  accumulate  it,  and 
loath  to  part  with  it ;  hence,  on  com- 
paratively poor  women,  living  and  dress- 
ing meanly,  it  is  not  so  uncommon  to 
see  a  considerable  quantity  of  precious 
metal  in  the  ornaments  of  her  head- 
dress, and  of  her  arms  and  ankles  ;  and 
whatever  ornaments  she  possesses  are 
not  treasured  up  to  be  produced  on 
grand  occasions,  but  are  worn  daily  as 
parts  of  her  ordinary  costume.  Thus 
she  puts  all  her  bracelets  on  her  arms  at 
once,  all  her  anklets  on  her  legs,  and  all 
her  ear-rings  in  her  ears.  Such  orna- 
ments furm  her  whole  per-^^onal  wealth, 
and  on  their  value  she  rests  her  claim  to 
permanent  consideration.  This  is  par- 
ticularly the  case  with  the  Bedouin  fe- 
males, who  are  generally  well  supplied 
with  all  kinds  of  trinkets  of  personal  or- 
nament ;  for  although  the  Arab  cares 
little  about  his  own  dress,  he  is  anxious 
to  deck  his  wife  as  richly  as  possible, 
that  honor  maj'  be  reflected  upon  him- 
self, and  his  circumstances  properly  es- 
timated. The  use  of  ornaments  on  all 
occasions  seems  to  explain  why  Eliezer 
placed  the  nose-ring  at  once  on  the 
nose  of  Rebekah,  and  the  bracelets  on 
her  hands,  instead  of  giving  them  to 


24  And  she  said  unto  him  « I  am 
the  daughter  of  Bethuel  the  son  of 
Milcah,  which  she  bare  unto  Nahor 

<=  ch.  2C.  23. 


her  as  things  to  be  treasured  up.  The 
material  of  the  bracelets  is  exceedingly 
various.  Gold  is  necessarily  rare ;  sil- 
ver is  the  most  common,  but  many  that 
seemed  to  be  silver,  we  have  found  to 
be  plated  steel.  Amber,  coral,  mother- 
of-pearl,  and  beads,  are  also  used  for 
bracelets,  particularly  for  the  upper 
part  of  the  arm,  for,  whatever  be  the 
material  of  the  others,  it  is  usually  de- 
sired that  the  one  on  the  wrist  should  be 
of  silver.  The  poorer  sort  of  women 
are,  however,  often  obliged  to  content 
themselves  with  rings  of  copper,  horn, 
common  glass  beads,  and  other  articles 
of  inferior  description.  Estimating  the 
gold  by  its  weight,  nearly  five  ounces, 
Eliezer's  present  was  altogether  very 
valuable.' — Pict.  Bible. 


Bracelets. 


B.  C.  1857.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


45 


25  She  said,  moreover,  unto  him, 
We  have  both  straw  and  provender 
enough,  and  room  to  lodge  in. 

26  And  the  man  <^  bowed  down 
his  head,  and  worshipped  the  Lord. 

27  And  he  said,  ^  Blessed  he  the 
Lord  God  of  my  master  Abraham, 
who  hath  not  left  destitute  my  mas- 
ter of  <"  his  mercy  and  his  truth  :  I 
being  in  the  way,  the  Lord  ^  led 
me  to  tlie  house  of  my  master's 
brethren. 

28  And  the  damsel  ran,  and  told 
them  of  her  mother's  house  these 
things. 

29  IT  And  Rebekah  had  a  bro- 

d  ver.  52.  Exod.  4. 31.  •■  Exod.  18.  10.  Ruth 
4.  14.  1  Sam.  25.  32,  39.  2  Sata.  18.  28.  Luke 
1.  68.         f  ch.  32.  10.  Ps.  98.  3.         g  ver.  48. 


25.  Straw  and  provender. — '  The  straw 
yiT\  tehen,  Arab  tibn,  seems  to  have  been 
'  cut  straw,'  to  render  it  more  portable. 
The  Septuagintrenders  it  by  ax^ipoLi  chaff, 
which  is  a  name  applied  to  straw  after 
it  has  been  cut  fine  by  the  use  of  a 
chaff-cutter.  The  'provender'  was,  it 
would  seem,  a  mixture  of  several  kinds 
of  fodder,  cut-straw,  barley,  beans,  &c. 
so  combined  as  to  render  the  whole 
palatable.  The  original  word  is  !^150/3 
mispo,  which  the  Septuagint  translates 
by  x°P'''C-'^V-°'''''^t  which  is  a  derivative 
from  xopTo?  grass,  and  hence  signifies 
fodder,  of  which  herbage  is  the  princi- 
pal ingredient.  Hay  is  not  made  in  the 
East.  Cattle  continue  at  the  present 
day  to  be  fed  with  chopped  straw  mix- 
ed with  barley.  The  common  reader 
would  suppose  the  'straw'  to  be  for  lit- 
ter ;  but  straw  is  never  so  employed  in 
the  East ;  dung,  dried  and  pounded,  be- 
ing used  for  that  purpose.' — Pict.  Bihh, 

27.  And  he  said,  Blessed,  &c.  If  this 
was  a  vocal,  and  not  a  mental  prajf^er, 
we  must  suppose  that  it  was  uttered 
while  Rebekah  was  running  to  inform 
her  family  of  what  had  happened.  For 
it  appears,  from  v.  48,  that  he  made  use 
of  the  expression  'which  led  me  in  the 


ther,  and  his  name  was  ^  Laban  : 
and  Laban  ran  out  unto  the  man, 
unto  the  well. 

30  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he 
saw  the  ear-ring,  and  bracelets  up- 
on his  sister's  hands,  and  when  he 
heard  the  words  of  Rebekah  his 
sister,  saying,  Thus  spake  the  man 
unto  me ;  that  he  came  unto  the 
man,  and  behold,  he  stood  by  the 
camels  at  the  well. 

31  And  he  said,  Come  in,  ^thou 
blessed  of  the  Lord,  wherefore 
standest  thou  without  1  for  I  have 
prepared  the  house,  and  room  for 
the  camels. 

h  cli.  2?).  5.  i  ch.  26.  29.  Judg.  17.  2.  Ruth 
3.  10.     Ps.  115. 15. 


right  way  to  take  my  master's  brother's 
daughter  unto  his  son  ;'  but  it  is  by  no 
means  to  be  imagined  that  he  would 
have  spoken  those  words  in  her  hearing. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  point  out  a  more 
striking  instance  of  one  who  '  acknow- 
ledged God  in  all  his  ways,'  than  we  be- 
hold in  this  pious  domestic.  He  neither 
takes  any  step  without  prayer,  nor  re- 
ceives any  favor   without    praise. 

IT  Hath  not  left  destitute  my  master  of 
his  mercy  and  his  truth.  Heb.  '  Hath 
not  left  off  his  mercy  and  his  truth  from 
with  my  lord.' 

23.  And  the  damsel  ran.  That  is,  as 
intimated    above,   while    Ehezer    was 

worshipping. IT    Told    them    of  her 

mother  s  house.  Because  her  mother  and 
the  females  had  apartments  or  tents 
separate  from  those  of  the  men.  Daugh- 
ters, too,  are  naturally  more  familiar 
with  their  mothers  than  their  fathers, 
particularly  in  the  East. 

30.  When  he  saw  the  ear-rings  and 
bracelets,  &c.  From  what  we  after- 
wards learn  of  Laban,  it  is  not  perhaps 
doing  him  injustice  to  suppose  that  the 
golden  ornaments  had  great  influence 
in  prompting  a  behavior  which  had  the 
appearance  of  being  highly  disinterest- 


43 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1857. 


32  H  And  the  man  came  into  the 
house :  and  ungirded  his  camels, 
and  ^  gave  straw  and  provender  for 
the  camels,  and  water  to  wash  his 
feet,  and  the  men's  feet  that  were 
with  him. 

33  And  there  was  set  meat  be- 
fore him  to  eat :  but  he  said,  ^  I  will 
not  eat  until  I  have  told  my  errand. 
And  he  said,  Speak  on. 

t  ch.  43.  24.  Judg.  19.  21.  »  Job.  23. 12. 
John.  4. 34.  Epii.  6.  5,  6,7. 


ed  and  generous.     His  whole  history 
shows  him  to  have  been  a  mercenary 
man,  and  quite  susceptible   to   the  im- 
pressions  which    the   display  of  great 
wealth  would   make   tipon   a  covetous 
mind.     But,  whatever  were  his  motives, 
his  treatment  of  the  servant  was  kind. 
Finding  him  at  the  well,  modestly  wait- 
ing for  a  farther  invitation,  he  accosts 
him  in  language  that  would  have  be- 
fitted  the   lips  of  a  much  better  rnan ; 
'  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord,'  &c. 
32.  The  man  came  into  the  house  ;  and 
ungirded  his  camels,  &c.     A  somewhat 
inaccurate  rendering,  owing  to  the  fact, 
undoubtedly,   that   the    Heb.   is   often 
wanting  in  precision  in  making  transi- 
tions from   one  part  of  a  narrative   to 
another.     It  often  omits   a  nominative 
where  the  scope  of  the  context  enables 
the   reader  easily  to  supply  it.      Here 
there  is  no  doubt  that  Laban  is  the  sub- 
ject of  the  verb,  and  our  translation  ought 
to  have  inserted  '  he'  before  '  ungirded  ;' 
for  it  would  have  been  a  gross  lack  of 
civility  to   have  made   Eliezer  imload 
and  feed  his  own  camels.  The  old  Geneva 
version  is  more  correct : — '  And  he  (to 
wit,   Laban — marg.)   unsaddled  the  ca- 
mels and  brought,'  &c.     We  are  to  un- 
derstand, therefore,  that  Laban,  or  those 
who  acted  by  his  orders,  performed  the 
service  here  mentioned.     The   original 
for  'ungirded'  (nrS"' yM'^^'a/')  properly 
signifies  he  opened,  by  which  is  meant 
the  loosing  of  the  travelling  gear,  and 
taking  off  the  burdens  of  the  camels.     A 


34  And  he  said,  I  am  Abraham's 
servant. 

35  And  the  Lord  "^  hath  blessed 
my  master  greatly,  and  he  is  be- 
come great :  and  he  hath  given 
him  flocks,  and  herds,  and  silver, 
and  gold,  and  men-servants,  and 
maid-servants,  and  camels,  and 
asses. 

36  And  Sarah,  my  master's  wife, 

m  ver.  l.ch.  13.2. 

similar  usage  occurs  1  Kings  20.  11 
'  Let  not  him  that  girdeth  on  his  har- 
ness, boast  himself  as  he  that  putteth  il 
off;  Heb.  As  he  that  openelh  it.  Ps.  102. 
20,  '  To  loose  those  that  are  appointed  to 
death  ;'  Heb.  To  open  those,  &c.  Jer. 
40.  4,  '  Behold  I  loose  thee  this  day  from 
the  chains  which  were  upon  thine  hand  ;' 

Heb.  I  open  thee. IT  Water  to  wash 

his  feet.     See  Note  on  Gen.  18.  4. 

33.  There  was  set  meat  before  him. 
Or,  'he  set,'  i.  e.  Laban;  as  the  original 
has  a  double  reading  to  afford  both 
senses.  Gr.  iraptQrjKzv,  he  set.  Chal. 
'  They  set.'  The  word  '  meat'  or  '  food,' 
which  is  wanting  in  the  Heb.  is  to  be 

supplied  in  rendering. IF  He  said  1 

will  not  eat  until,  &c.  How  does  the 
character  of  this  devoted  servant  bright- 
en with  every  new  circumstance  intro- 
duced into  this  beautiful  narrative  !  So 
full  is  his  heart  of  his  errand,  so  much 
does  he  prefer  his  master's  interest  to 
his  own  comfort  or  gratification,  that  he 
will  not  eat  till  he  has  discharged  his 
mission  !  He  esteems  his  work  more  to 
him  than  his  necessary  food.  Such  is 
the  feeling  of  every  true  servant  of  God. 
I  will  not  give  sleep  to  mine  eyes,' 
says  David,  '  nor  slumber  to  mine  eye- 
lids, till  I  find  out  a  place  for  Jehovah, 
an  habitation  for  the  mighty  God  of  Ja- 
cob. '  A  striking  illustration  of  this  is 
furnished  by  Mr.  Frazer,  who,  in  his 
work,  the  '  Kuzzilbash,'  and  its  sequel, 
'The  Persian  Adventurer,'  has  noticed 
many  oriental  usages  which  were   but 


B.  C.  1857.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


47 


°  bare  a  son  to  my  master  when  she 
was  old:  and" unto  him  hath  he 
given  all  that  he  hath- 

37  And  my  p  master  made  me 
swear,  saying,  Thou  shalt  not  take 
a  wife  to  my  son  of  the  daughters 
of  the  Canaanites,  in  whose  land 
I  dwell : 

38  1  But  thou  shalt  go  unto  my 
father's  house,  and  to  my  kindred, 
and  take  a  wife  unto  my  son. 

39  "  And  I  said  unto  my  master, 
Peradventure  the  woman  will  not 
follow  me. 

40  '  And  he  said  unto  me,  the 
Lord,  '  before  whom  I  walk,  will 
send  his  angel  with  thee,  and  pros- 

n  ch.  21. 2.     o  ch.  21. 10.  &  25.  5.     p  ver.  3. 
1  ver.  4.      "■  ver.  5.        "  ver.  7.        *  ch.  17.  1. 


little  known  in  this  country.  The  Per- 
sian noble,  Ishmael  Khan,  having  occa- 
sion to  claim  the  protection  of  an  A(f- 
ghaun  chief,  who  was  known  to  dislike 
the  Persians,  was  advised  to  throw  him- 
self upon  the  protection  of  this  formid- 
able person,  and  claim  his  safe-conduct 
as  a  boon  of  hospitality.  In  reply,  Ish- 
mael observed, — '  I  might  take  the 
sanctuary  of  his  table.  The  Affghauns, 
I  beheve,  regard  it  as  sacredly  as  we 
Persians.'  *  No,'  replied  he,  '  that  is  not 
the  AfTghaun  custom  ;  but  they  have  a 
custom  which  is  of  equal  sacredness 
and  force ;  they  term  it  nunnawautee. 
If  you  desire  to  receive  a  favor  from 
any  man  among  these  clans,  be  he  khan 
or  ryot,  you  must  repair  before  him,  and 
proclaim  yourself  his  guest ;  but  at  the 
same  time  declare  that  you  will  accept 
of  no  office  of  hospitaUty ;  that  you 
will  neither  taste  of  his  salt,  nor  share 
his  carpet,  unless  he  consents  to  grant 
you^  request ;  and  this  request,  so  de- 
manded, be  it  for  protection  only,  or  for 
more  efficient  assistance,  he  cannot, 
consistently  with  Affghaun  honor,  deny, 
provided  it  be  at  all  within  the  bounds 
of  reason.'     Pict.  Bible. 

36.  Whe7i  she  was  old.     Heb    "^TlS^  I 


per  thy  way  ;  and  thou  shalt  take  a 
wife  for  my  son  of  my  kindred,  and 
of  my  father's  house. 

41  "Then  shalt  thou  be  clear 
from  this  mine  oatn,  when  thou 
comest  to  my  kindred  ;  and  if  they 
give  not  thee  one,  thou  shalt  be 
clear  from  my  oath. 

42  And  1  came  this  day  unto  the 
well,  and  said,  ^  O  Lord  God  of 
my  master  Abraham,  if  now  thou 
do  prosper  my  way  which  I  go : 

43  ^  Behold  I  stand  by  the  well 
of  water;  and  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
that  when  the  virgin  cometh  forth 
to  draw  water,  and  I  say  to  her. 
Give  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  httle  water 
of  thy  pitcher  to  drink ; 

"  ver.  8.      '  ver.  12.        ^  ver.  13. 


ririipT  ahare  ziknathah,  after  her  old  age  , 
a  very  striking  expression,  emphatically 
implying  her  natural  incapacity  to 
become  a  mother.     The  usual  phrase 

would  be  '  in  her  old   age.' IT  Hath 

he  given  all  that  he  hath.  That  is,  hath 
purposed  to  give  :  for  the  actual  giving 
did  not  occur  till  some  time  after  this, 
Gen.  25.  5. 

37.  My  master  rnade  me  swear.  Heb. 
'^25>j123'i  yashbiani,  adjured  me.  Eliezer 
did  not  swear  otherwise  than  in  being 
sworn.     See  on  v.  3. 

38.  But  thou  shalt  go.  Heb-  55^  ^54 
"ibn  if^'lo  telek,  if  thou  shalt  not  go.  An 
imprecatory  mode  of  speech,  in  which 
part  of  the  sentence  is  understood.  See 
the  idiom  explained  in  the  Note  on  Gen. 
21.  23.  Gr.  aWa  iropcvcri,  but  thou  shalt 
go- 

40.  Before  whom  I  walk.  Heb.  I^i^&y 
^insbmnn  Ttl^^^  asher  hlthhallakti  lepa- 
Jiav,  before  whom  I  have  walked.  That  is, 
before  whom  I  have  habitually  walked 
in  a  way  of  obedience.  Gr.  w  F.vr\piarTi<ja 
tvavTiov  avTov,  whom  I  have  pleased  be- 
fore htm.  The  idea  of  acceptable  walk- 
ing is  undoubtedly  implied. 

41.  Clear  from  my  oath.  Heb.  ^Inbj4^ 
mealathi,  from  my  execration   or  curse 


48 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1857. 


44  And  she  say  tome,  Both  drink 
thou,  and  I  will  also  draw  for  thy 
camels  :  let  the  same  he  the  woman 
whom  the  Lord  hath  appointed  out 
for  my  master's  son. 

45  '^And  before  I  had  done 
y  speaking  in  mine  heart,  behold, 
Rebekah  came  forth  with  her  pitch- 
er on  her  shoulder ;  and  she  went 
down  unto  the  well,  and  drew  wa- 
ter: and  I  said  unto  her,  Let  me 
drink,  I  pray  thee. 

46  And  she  made  haste,  and  let 
down  her  pitcher  from  her  shoulder, 
and  said,  Drink,  and  I  will  give  thy 
camels  drink  also  :  so  I  drank,  and 
she  made  the  camels  drink  also. 

47  And  I  asked  her,  and  said. 
Whose  daughter  art  thou?  And 
she  said.  The  daughter  of  Bethurf, 
Nahor's  son,  whom  she  bare  unto 
him :  and  1  ^  put  the  ear-ring  upon 

^  ver.  15,  &c.    r  1  Sara.  1.  33.     =  Ezek.  16. 
11, 12. 


Gr.  opKtarixov  id.  In  the  corresponding 
passage,  v.  8,  it  is  ^njinS  shebuaihi,  my 
oath ;  but  an  oath  naturally  implies  an 
imprecation  of  evil  to  him  who  fails  to 
perform  it. 

48.  My  master's  brother's  daughter. 
Rebekah  was  not  Abraham's  brother's 
daughter,  but  grand-daughter.  Here 
too  Bethuel,  who  was  Abraham's 
nephew,  is  called  his  brother,  as  Lot 
was  before, 

49,  That  I  may  turn  to  the  right  hand, 
or  to  the  left.  Thatis,  that  I  may  go  some 
other  way  in  order  to  fulfil  the  obliga- 
tion of  my  oath. 

50.  The  thing  proceedeth  from  the 
Lord.  Heb.  "l^mfl  t^'2'^yatzaohaddahar, 
the  word  cometh  forth  from  the  Lord.  It 
appears  to  be  the  divine  will  and  plea- 
sure.  IT  Cannot  speak  unto  thee  bad  or 

good.  That  is,  cannot  say  any  thing 
at  all  against  the  measure.  Comp.  Gen. 
31.  24. 

51,  Take  her,  and  go,  and  let  her  be, 
&c.     '  The  whole  conduct  of  this  affair 


her  face,  and  the  bracelets  upon  her 
hands. 

48  "  And  I  bowed  down  my  head, 
and  worshipped  the  Lord,  and  bless- 
ed the  Lord  God  of  my  master 
Abraham,  which  had  led  me  in  the 
right  way  to  take  ^  my  master's 
brother's  daughter  unto  his  son. 

49  And  now  if  ye  will  <^deal 
kindly  and  truly  with  my  master, 
tell  me  :  and  if  not,  tell  me  ;  that 
I  may  turn  to  the  right  hand,  or  to 
the  left. 

50  Then  Laban  and  Bethuel  an- 
swered, and  said,  <^  The  thing  pro- 
ceedeth from  the  Lord  :  we  can- 
not "speak  unto  thee  bad  or  good. 

51  Behold,  Rebekah  is  <"  before 
thee,  take  her,  and  go,  and  let  her 
be  thy  master's  son's  wife,  as  the 
Lord  hath  spoken. 

aver.  26.  bch.2-2.  23.  «  ch.  47.  23.  Josh, 
2.  14.  d  Ps.  118.  23.  Matt.  21.  42.  Mark.  12. 
11.    ecli.31.  24.    fell. 20.  15. 


is  calculated  to  surprise  an  European 
reader.  A  servant  is  sent  on  a  distant 
journey,  with  full  powers  to  select  a 
wife  and  conclude  a  marriage  for  his 
master's  son.  The  servant  addresses 
himself  to  the  lady's  father  and  brother, 
and  they  agree  to  his  proposals  without 
consulting  Rebekah.  The  agent  makes 
valuable  presents  to  the  lady  and  her 
relations,  and  carries  her  away,  and 
Isaac  and  Rebekah  meet  as  man  and 
wife  without  having  ever  seen  each 
other  before.  But  all  this  is  most  pre- 
cisely analogous  to  usages  which  still 
prevail  in  the  East,  with  some  small  di- 
versity in  different  nations.  We  will 
state  the  process  of  a  marriage  of  a 
young  couple  in  Persia,  which  seems, 
on  the  whole,  to  present  a  very  close 
parallel  to  this  patriarchal  procedure. 
When  a  young  man  becomes  mar- 
riageable, his  parents  begin  to  look  about 
among  their  kindred  and  acquaintance 
for  a  suitable  partner  for  him,  frequent- 
I  ly  assisting  their  inquiries  or  leaving  the 


B.  C.  1857.1 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


49 


52  And  it  camo  to  pass,  that, 
when  Abraham's  servant  heard 
their  words,  he  ^  worshipped  the 
Lord,  bowing  himself  to  the  earth. 

53  And  the  servant  brought  forth 
^jewels  of  silver,  and  jewels  of  gold, 
and  raiment,  and  gave  them  to  Re- 
bekah.     He  gave  also  to  her  bro- 

e  ver.  26.    h  Exod.  3.  22.  &  11.  2.  &  12.  35. 


matter  entirely  to  a  confidential  ser- 
vant— generally  the  young  man's  old 
nurse,  who  goes  about  from  house  to 
liouse,  and  having  found  a  suitable  ob- 
ject, endeavors  to  create  a  mutual  pre- 
possession by  speaking  to  each  of  the 
other.  Very  often,  however,  the  whole 
matter  is  concluded  without  any  refer- 
ence to  the  parlies  most  immediately 
interested.  Wlien  the  parents  have 
found  a  suitable  female,  they  proceed  to 
the  house  of  her  father,  and  make  their 
overtures  to  him ;  and  if  they  are  ac- 
ceptable, he  denotes  his  acquiescence 
by  ordering  sweetmeats  to  be  brought. 
A  few  days  after,  another  meeting  is 
held  at  the  same  place,  and  there  it  is 
finally  settled  what  the  parents  of  the 
young  man  are  to  give  in  his  behalf  to 
the  bride  [for  the  principle  of  stich  gifts, 
see  Note  on  Gen.  34.  12]  ;  and  this  is  a 
matter  of  great  importance,  as  these 
presents  remain  with  the  lady,  and  form 
her  dower  or  provision  in  case  of  a  di- 
vorce from  her  husband.  It  consists  of 
fine  dresses  and  shawls  [raiment  in  the 
text,  V.  53],  with  female  ornaments, 
some  money,  and  a  complete  outfit  of 
domestic  utensils.  Among  some  of  the 
Arab  tribes,  the  present  or  dower  re- 
ceived for  the  bride  on  such  occasions 
is  called  the  'five  articles,'  and  consists 
of  a  carpet,  a  silver  nose-ring,  a  silver 
neck-chain,  silver  bracelets,  and  a  ca- 
-ntel-bag.  As  to  the  consent  of  the  wo- 
Tian,  the  usage  varies  in  different  na- 
tions. In  Persia,  after  all  has  been 
concluded,  the  woman  has  nominally 
the  power,  almost  never  exercised,  of 
expressing  her  dissent  before  the  con- 
VOL.   U.  5 


ther  and  to  her  mother  '  precious 
things. 

54  And  they  did  eat  and  drink, 
he  and  the  men  that  zcerewith  him, 
and  tarried  all  night ;  and  they  rose 
up  in  the  morning,  and  he  said, 
^  Send  me  away  unto  my  master. 

55  And    her  brother  and    her 

i  2  Chron.  21. 3.  Ezra  1.  6.    k  ver.  56,  &  59. 


nexion  receives  its  final  sanction ;  but 
among  many  Bedouin  tribes,  the  woman 
is  seldom  suflfered  to  knovi^,  untU  the  be- 
trothing ceremonies  announce  it  to  her, 
who  is  to  be  her  husband,  and  then  she 
has  no  power  of  negativing  the  contract ; 
but  she  maj'-,  if  she  pleases,  withdraw 
the  day  after  her  marriage  from  her 
husband's  tent  to  that  of  her  father ; 
and,  being  divorced,  is  thenceforward 
regarded  as  a  widow.  In  the  instance 
before  us,  it  does  not  appear  to  us  that 
the  consent  of  Rebekah  was  required  to 
her  own  m  arriage.  The  question  which 
was  asked  her  the  next  day — '  Wilt  thou 
go  with  tliis  man  ?'  (v.  58) — we  consider 
to  mean  no  more  than  to  ask  whether 
s!ie  were  willing  to  set  out  so  soon  as 
Eliezer  desired,  or  would  rather  insist 
on  staying  a  few  days  longer  with 
her  relations  as  they  had  wished.' — Pict. 
Bible. 

53.  Jewels  of  silver,  and  jewels  of  golcL, 
&c.  Heb.  &DS  "ib!3  ^^  keseph,  vessels 
of  silver,  &c.  The  original  for  'jewels' 
(vessels)  is  a  word  of  large  import,  be- 
ing applied  to  implements,  instruments, 

and  utensils  of  all  lands. IT  Precious 

things.  Heb.  il^H^lO  migdanoth,  dainties. 
Gr.  Sojpa  gifts.  But  from  comparison  of 
other  places  where  the  term  or  its  kindred 
n3!0  meged  occurs,  particularly  Deut.  33. 
13.— 15.  Cant.  4.  13,  2  Chron.  21.  3.— 
32.23.  Ezra,  1.  6,  it  seems  to  denote 
the  precious  or  dainty  fruits  of  the  earth. 

55.  A  few  days,  at  the  least  ten  Heb. 
'^T.i;3>  1J5  'D'^?2^  yamim  o  asor,  lit.  days 
or  ten.  Our  marginal  rendering  is,  '  a 
full  year,  or  ten  months,'  which  is  favor- 
ed by  the   Chaldee  Targums,  but  we 


5a 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1857. 


mother  said,  Let  the  damsel  abide 
with  us  a  few  days,  at  the  least  ten  ; 
after  that  she  shall  go. 

56  And  he  said  unto  them.  Hin- 
der me  not,  seeing  the  Lonir  hath 
prospered  my  way  :  send  me  away, 
that  I  may  go  to  my  master. 

57  And  they  said.  We  will  call 
the  damsel,  and  inquire  at  her 
mouth. 

58  And  they  called  Rebekah,  and 


believe  the  English  version  expresses 
the  true  idea  of  the  originfil. 

57.  Inquire  at  her  mouth.  The  case 
being  somewhat  difficult,  and  neither  of 
the  parties  disposed  to  disoblige  the 
other,  they  agree  to  leaive  it  to  the  deci- 
sion of  the  damsel  herself.  A  few  days 
to  take  leave  of  her  friends  would,  no 
doubt,  have  been  desirable  to  her  ;  but 
seeing  so  much  of  God  in  the  affair,  and 
the  man's  heart  so  deeply  set  upon  it ; 
feeling  also  her  own  heart  entirely  in  it, 
she  determines  to  throw  no  hindrance 
in  the  way,  and  therefore  answers  free 
from  all  affectation,  '  I  will  go. — '  Do 
people  wish  to  know  the  truth  of  any 
thing  which  has  been  reported  of  ano- 
ther, they  say,  '  Let  us  go  and  inquire  of 
his  mouth.' — 'Let  us  hear  the  birth  of 
his  mouth.'  Do  servants  ask  a  favor  of 
their  mistres.«!,  she  will  say,  '  I  know  not 
what  will  be  the  birth  of  the  master's 
mouth ;  I  will  inquire  at  his  mouth.''  So 
the  mother  and  brother  of  Rebecca  in- 
quired at  the  month  of  the  damsel,  whe- 
ther she  felt  willing  to  go  with  the  man. 
'And  she  said,  I  will  go.' — Roberts. 

59.  And  her  nurse.  The  name  of  this 
nurse  was  Deborah.  We  hear  no  more 
of  her  till  we  are  told  of  her  death.  She 
appears  to  have  survived  her  mistress, 
and  to  have  died  in  the  family  of  Jacob, 
much  lamented.  '  How  often  have 
scenes  like  this  led  my  mind  to  the  pa- 
triarchal age !  The  daughter  is  about 
for  the  first  time  to  leave  the  paternal 
roof :  the  servants  are  all  in  confusion  ; 


said  unta  h-er.  Wilt   thou  go  with 
this  man  ?    And  she  said,  1  will  go. 

59  And  they  sent  away  Rebekah 
their  sister,  and  ^  her  nurse,  and 
Abraham's  servant,  and  his  men. 

60  And  they  blessed  Rebekah,  and 
said  unto  her.  Thou  art  our  sister; 
be  thou  •"  the  mother  of  thousands 
of  millionsy  and  "  let  thy  seed  pos- 
sess the  gate  of  those  which  hate 
them. 

1  ch.  35.  8.      •»  ch.  17.  1(J.       »  ch.  22. 17. 

each  refers  to  things  long  gone  by,  each 
wishes  to  do  something  to  attract  the 
attention  of  his  young  mistress.  One 
says,  '  Ah !  do  not  forget  him  who- 
nursed  you  when  an  infant:'  another,. 
'  How  often  did  I  bring  you  the  beauti- 
ful lotus  from  the  distant  tank  !  Did 
I  not  always  conceal  your  faults  ?'  The 
mother  comes  to  take  leave.  She  weeps,, 
and  tenderly  embraces  her,  saying,  '  My 
daughter,  I  shall  see  you  no  more ; — 
Forget  not  your  mother.'  The  brother 
infolds  his  sister  in  his  arms,^and  promis- 
es soon  to  come  and  see  her.  Th© 
father  is  absorbed  in  thought^  and  is  on- 
ly aroused  by  the  sobs  of  the  party.  He 
then  affectionately  embraces  his  daugh- 
ter, and  tells  her  not  to  fear.  The  fe- 
male domestics  must  each  smell  of  the 
poor  girl,  and  the  men  touch  her  feet. 
As  Rebecca  had  her  nurse  to  accompa- 
ny her,  so,  at  this  day,  the  Aija  (the 
nurse)  who  has  from  infancy  brought  up 
the  bride,  goes  with  her  to  the  new 
scene.  She  is  her  adviser,  her  assist- 
ant, and  friend  ;  and  to  her  will  she  tell 
all  her  hopes  and  all  her  fears.' — Roberts. 
60.  Blessed  Rebekah.  Implored,  in- 
voked a  blessing  upon  her,  to  wit,  what 
immediately  follows,  that  she  might  be 
indefinitely  multiplied  in  her  seed.  See 
on  Gen.  17.  16.  '  From  the  numerous 
instances  which  are  recorded  in  the 
scriptures,  of  those  who  were  aged,  or 
holy,  giving  their  blessing,  may  be  seen 
the  importance  which  was  attached  to 
such  benedictions.      Has  a  son,  or  a 


B.  C.  1857. j 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


51 


61  ^  And  Rebekah  arose,  and 
her  damseJs,  and  they  rode  upon 
the  camels,  and  followed  the  man  : 
and  the  servant  took  Rebekah,  and 
went  his  way. 

62  And  Isaac  came  from  the  way 


daughter,  to  leave  a  father,  an  aged 
friend,  or  a  priest,  a  blessing  is  always 
given.  To  be  the  mother  of  a  nume- 
rous progeny  is  considered  a  great  hon- 
or. Hence  parents  often  say  to  their 
daughters,  '  Be  thou  the  mother  of  thou- 
sands.' Beggars,  also,  when  relieved, 
say  to  the  mistress  of  the  house,  '  Ah  ! 
madam,  millions  will  come  from  you.' 

Roberts. ^    Thou  art     our    sister. 

This  should  rather  have  been  rendered, 
'  O  thou,  our  sister  !'  It  is  not,  according 
to  the  Ileb.  accents,  a  proposition,  but 

an  exclamation. IT  Be  thou  the  mother 

of  thousands.  Heb.  nUi'l  '^Sbx  ""^H  ^«i/^ 
alphe  rebabah,  be  thou  to  thousands  of  mil- 
lions. This,  according  to  the  Jewish 
writers,  is  the  form  of  the  ancient  solemn 
benediction  which  was  wont  to  be  pro- 
nounced upon  the  bride  when  she  was 
taken  home  to  her  future  husband. — It 
is  remarked  by  Arbp.  Seeker  that  when 
our  translators  make  (-li^'i  refeafio/i,  a  de- 
terminate number,  they  elsewhere  ren- 
der it  10,000 ;  but  here  and  Ezek.  16.  7. 
a  million.    The  term  properly  denotes 

any  large  indefinite  number. IT  Let 

thy  seed  possess  the  gate,  &c.  That  is, 
have  their  enemies  in  their  power,  as  ex- 
plained Gen.  22.  17.  As  these  are  the  ve- 
ry terms  of  the  last  blessing  pronounced 
from  heaven  on  Abraham  ch.  22. 17,  they 
had  probably  been  made  acquainted 
with  that  blessing  either  by  Abraham's 
servant,  or  previously  in  some  other 
way. 
61.  Arose.     See  Note  on  Gen.  23.  3. 

IT  And  her  damsels.     Given  as  a  part 

of  her  marriage  portion.  As  nothing 
was  said  of  them  in  v.  59,  this  affords 
another  instance  of  the  usage  mention- 


of  the  °  well  of  Lahai-roi ;    for  he 
dwelt  in  the  south  country,     ' 

63  And  Isaac  went  out  p  to  med- 
itate in  the  field  at  the  even-tide '. 
and  he  hfted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw, 
and  behold,  the  camels  were  coming. 

o  ch.  16.  14.  &  25.  11.  p  Josh.  1.  8.  Ps.  1. 2. 
&;77.  12.  &  119.  15.  &  143.5. 


ed  above,  by  which  a  circumstance 
omitted  in  one  part  of  a  narrative  is  dis- 
tinctly related  in  another. 

62.  Isaac  came  from  theioaij  of  the  well 
Lahai-roi.  Heb.  ij^l  'ijlb  "".ii^  &^i:3>3  ^tD 
ba  mibbo  bear  lahai  roi,  came  from  the  com- 
ing, l  e .  trora  the  usually  travelled  way 
to  and  from  the  well  of  Lahai-roi.  The 
phraseology  in  the  original  is  unwonted 
and  obscure,  and  we  have  accordingly 
a  great  variety  of  renderings  in  the  ver- 
sions. Gr.  '  Walked  through  the  wil- 
derness of  the  well  of  vision.'  Chal. 
'  Came  from  the  well  whereat  the  An- 
gel of  life  appeared  to  him.'  Arab. 
'  Had  returned  from  the  journey  to  the 
well  of  the  Living  One  that  seeth.'  Vulg. 
'  Walked  along  the  way  that  leadeth  to 
the  well  of  the  Living  and  the  Seeing,  so 
called.'  From  all  this,  and  from  its  be- 
ing said,  ch.  25.  II,  that '  Isaac  dwelt  by 
the  well  Lahai-roi,'  which  was  some- 
what to  the  south  of  Canaan,  v.  63,  we 
gather  that  Isaac  was  now  residing  for 
the  most  part  in  the  vicinity  of  that  me- 
morable well,  or  at  least  that  he  was 
frequently  passing  to  and  fro  (5^1^)3)  be- 
tween that  place  and  Beer-sheba ;  and 
that,  having  now  come  to  the  latter 
place,  the  dwelling  of  his  aged  father, 
in  expectation  of  meeting  his  bride,  ho 
took  occasion,  while  waiting  there,  to 
walk  out  into  the  fields  at  the  close  of 
the  day,  when  the  incidents  related  in 
the  text  occurred. 

63.  Went  out  to  meditate.  Heb.  S^^'n 
HTi^b  y^tze  lasuah,  went  out  to  meditate^ 
contemplate,  or  pray.  Gr.  aSoXeaxncai 
to  exercise  himself;  i.  e.  religiously  ;  to 
give  scope  to  the  pious  sentiments  of 
his  heart  in  a  retired  place,  at  the  tran- 


52 


(iEXESi 


[B.  C.  1857. 


64  And  Rebekah  lifted  up  her 
eyes,  and  when  she  saw  Isaac,  "^  she 
lighted  off  the  camel. 

65  For  she  had  said  unto  the  ser- 
vant, What  man  is  this  that  walk- 
eth  in  the  field  to  meet  us  ?  And 
the  servant  had  said,  It  is  my  mas- 
ter :  therefore  she  took  a  vail  and 
covered  herself. 

q  Josh.  15.  18. 


quil  hour  of  twilight,  when  the  soul  is 
most  disposed  for  devout  contemplations. 
As  meditation  and  prayer  are  the  right 
improvement  of  mercies  past,  so  they  are 
the  best  preparative  for  mercies  yet  ex- 
pected. Isaac  could  not  have  put  him- 
s-elf  in  a  more  suitable  posture  for  wel- 
coming the  anticipated  blessing,  than 
that  in  which  he  is  here  represented, 
nor  in  one  which  would  have  been  more 
apt  to  ensure  its  being  made  substantial 
and  durable.  As  a  general  fact,  it  may 
safely  be  affirmed  that  those  husbands 
and  wives  are  likely  to  prove  the  great- 
est blessings  to  each  other,  whose  un- 
ion is  brought  about  in  answer  to  pray- 
er. '  A  prudent  w^ife  is  from  the  Lord.' 
64.  She  lighted  off  the  camel.  '  Isaac 
was  walking,  and  it  would  therefore 
have  been  the  highest  breach  of  orient- 
al good  manners  to  have  remained  on 
the  camel  when  presented  to  him.  No 
doubt,  they  all  alighted  and  walked  to 
meet  him,  conducting  Rebecca  as  a 
bride  to  meet  the  bridegroom.  It  is 
a  customary  mark  of  respect  to  great 
personages  for  a  person  to  ahght  from 
the  animal  on  which  he  is  riding,  and 
lead  it  until  the  superior  has  ridden  by  ; 
and  as  no  conventional  superiority  is  in 
the  East  conceded  to  women,  as  in  Eu- 
rope, tliis  will  show  that  it  would  have 
been  highly  improper  to  have  rode  di- 
rectly up  to  Isaac  when  he  was  on  foot. 
This  would  have  been  treating  him  as 
an  inferior.  In  Persia,  on  occasions 
when  it  is  thought  necessary  to  stand 
upon  punctilio,  two  persons  of  equal 
rank,  after  having  been  riding  side  by 


66  And  the  servant  told  Isaac  all 
thinirs  that  he  had  done. 

67  And  Isaac  brought  her  into 
his  mother  Sarah's  tent,  and  took 
Rebekah,  and  she  became  his 
wife ;  and  he  loved  her :  and  Isaac 
'"  was  comforted  after  his  mother's 
deaf.h. 

rch.  38. 1'J. 

side,  will  take  care,  when  both  dismount, 
that  it  shall  be  done  at  precisely  the 
same  moment;  for  he  whose  foot  first 
touches  the  ground  is  considered  to  ad- 
mit his  inferiority  to  the  other.' — Fid. 
Bible. 

65.  Took  a  veil,  &c.  The  veil  might, 
in  the  present  instance,  answer  a  double 
purpose  ;  (1)  It  would  express  her  sub- 
jection to  her  husband,  as  being  al- 
ready in  fact  his  espoused  wife.  (2)  It 
would  prevent  that  confusion  which  the 
exposure  of  her  person,  especially  in  so 
sudden  and  unexpected  a  manner,  must 
have  occasioned.  '  Whether  veiled  be- 
fore or  not,  she  now  covered  herself — 
her  whole  person — with  the  ample  en- 
veloping veil  with  which  brides  are  still 
conducted  to  the  bridegroom-  Rosen- 
muller,  in  illustration  of  this  passage, 
quotes  an  ancient  father  (Tertullian), 
who,  with  an  express  reference  to  the 
same  text  observes,  as  a  custom  still  ex- 
isting in  his  time,  that  the  heathen  brides 
were  also  conducted  to  their  husbands 
covered  with  a  veil.  It  is  still  all  but 
universal  in  the  East,  and  it  will  be  ob- 
served that  it  is  used  not  only  by  the  fe- 
males whose  faces  are  always  conceal- 
ed, both  before  and  after  marriage,  but 
by  those  who  display  part  or  the  whole 
of  their  faces  on  all  ordinary  occasions. 
It  is,  in  fact,  the  indispensable  costume 
for  the  occasion.  Whether  the  bridal 
veil  was  distinguished  from  other  veils 
does  not  appear,  but  we  observe  that 
one  of  red  silk  or  muslin  is  affected  by 
the  Persians  on  such  an  occasion,  al- 
though the  ordinary  veils  are  white  or 


B.  C.  1853.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


53 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THEN   again  Abraham    took  a 
wife,  and  her  name  was  Keturah. 

blue  ;  and  Dr.  Rus.sel,  in  his  account  of 
a  Maronite  marriage,  observes  that  the 
bride's  veil  was  of  the  same  color. 
Thus  we  see  that  Rebekah,  by  envelop- 
ing her  person  in  a  veil,  put  herself  into 
the  costume  usual  for  a  bride  when  con- 
ducted to  the  tent  or  house  of  her  hus- 
band.'—Pic?.  Bihle. 

67.  And  he  loved  lier.  '  The  force  of 
this  first  expressionof  such  an  attachment 
seems  to  have  escaped  notice.  Isaac, 
from  all  that  appears,  was  the  only  one 
of  the  patriarchs  who  had  no  opportuni- 
ty of  exhibiting  a  preference  to  his  wife 
before  marriage.  He  had  never  seen 
her  till  she  stood  unveiled  in  his  tent  as 
his  wife.  It  seemed,  therefore,  neces- 
sary to  add,  that  ' he  loved  her'  v^hen 
he  did  see  her.  It  is  remarkable,  that 
what  merely  arose  from  circumstances 
in  the  case  of  Isaac,  is  now  amply  il- 
lustrated by  the  established  practices  of 
the  East.  The  women  being  complete- 
ly secluded,  and  never  seen  without 
veils,  no  opportunity  of  personal  ac- 
quaintance, or  even  of  inspection  before 
marriage,  is  afforded.  The  man  sees 
his  wife  for  the  first  time  unveiled  when 
he  enters  the  room  into  which  she  has 
been  received  on  her  arrival  at  his  house. 
Having  previously  formed  no  idea  of 
her  person  and  qualifications,  but  from 
the  general  and  exaggerated  praises  of 
the  old  nurse,  who  is  usually  his  agent, 
this  is  a  critical  and  anxious  moment; 
and  it  is  a  most  happy  circumstance  for 
both,  when  the  account  of  such  a  trans- 
action can  conclude  with  the  emphatic 
words  '  he  loved  her.'  Pict.  Bible. 
Thus  the  comfort  of  a  wife  was  made 
to  compensate  for  the  loss  of  a  mother. 
God,  in  infinite  wisdom,  saw  fit  to  set 
a  day  of  prosperity  over  against  a  day 
of  adversity.  Now  he  wounds  our 
spirits  by  dissolving  one  tender  union, 
and  now  binds  up  our  wounds  by  ce- 
5* 


2  And  ''she  bare  him  Zimran, 
and  Jokshan,  and  Medan,  and  Midi- 
an,  and  Ishbak  and  Shuah. 


e  1  Cliron.  1.  32. 


menting  another.  But  while  these  vi- 
cissitudes occur,  let  us  remember  that 
the  transition  from  the  character  of  a 
a  dutiful  son  to  that  of  a  kind  and  affec- 
tionate husband,  is  natural  and  easy,  and 
that  he  that  fills  up  one  station  in  life 
with  credit  and  honor,  is  thereby  pre- 
pared  for   all  those   that  follow. IF 

Was  comforted  after  his  mother^ s  death. 
Heb.  1>3ii  "^^n^i  ahare  immo.,  after  his 
mother ;  an  elliptical  mode  of  expression 
not  unusual  in  the  Hebrew.  Gr.  irepi 
'Eappai  r^^f  fxrjrpog  avTov,  concerning  Sa- 
rah his  mother.  The  interval  between 
her  death  and  his  marriage  was  three 
years,  during  the  whole  of  which  period 
he  had  cherished  towards  his  deceased 
parent  all  those  mournful  and  tender 
regrets  which  would  naturally  spring 
up  in  the  bosom  of  the  most, devoted 
filial  aflTection. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

1.  Then  again  Abraham  tool:  a  wife. 
Heb.  Tlp^l  &D'^  yusepJi  vayilihah,  added 
and  tooh.  In  1  Chron.  1.  32,  Keturah  is 
called  Abraham's  concubine,  and  if  such 
were  the  fact,  it  gives  no  litde  counte- 
nance to  the  idea  of  Calvin  and  other 
commentators,  that  she  had  been  as- 
sumed into  this  relation  before  Sarah's 
death  ;  for  if  she  were  married  after  that 
event,  we  know  not  how  to  account  for 
the  fact  of  her  being  thus  ranked  as  a 
concubine  or  secondary  wife.  If  Sarah 
were  dead,  why  did  she  not  come  fully 
into  her  place  as  principal  wife  ?  The 
silence  of  Moses  about  her  pedigree  fa- 
vors this  opinion.  As  it  is  wholly  im- 
probable that  Abraham  Avould  make  an 
alliance  with  any  family  of  the  Canaan- 
ites,  and  equally  so  that  any  princess  of 
Canaan  would  accept  of  him  in  his  old 
age,  when  the  whole  inheritance  was  to 
go  to  Sarah's  son,  we  seem  to  be  war- 
I  ranted  in  the  belief  that  Keturah  was 


54 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1853. 


3  And  Jokshanbegat  Sheba,  and 
Dedan,  And  the  sons  of  Dedan 
were  Asshurim,  and  Letushim,  and 
Leummim. 

his  concubine,  taken,  doubtless,  from 
among  the  servants  of  his  family.  Ac- 
cording to  the  standard  of  morality  then 
acknowledged,  might  he  not  have  co- 
habited with  her  without  any  imputa- 
tion on  his  continence,  before  Sarah's 
death  ?  Was  the  interval  sufficient,  be- 
tween Sarah's  death  and  Abraham's, 
for  six  sons  to  be  born  to  him  of  one 
woman,  and  grow  up  to  manhood,  when 
manhood  hardly  took  place  before  the 
age  of  thirty  at  soonest  ?  In  the  charge 
given  by  Abraham  to  the  servant  in 
the  preceding  chapter,  he  talks  hke  an 
old  man  preparing  to  leave  the  world. 
Is  it  likely  that  after  this  he  should  take 
a  concubine  and  beget  six  children? 
There  is  nothing  in  the  original  properly 
answering  to  the  word  '  then'  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  verse,  or  to  mark  suc- 
cession. True,  the  incident  comes  in  out 
of  its  proper  order,  but  this  is  very  com 
mon  with  the  sacred  penmen,  and  here 
the  reason  may  have  been,  that  the  w 
er  wished  to  carry  on  the  history  of  the 
great  ixud  prominent  events  of  Abraham's 
life  uninterrupted  by  minor  details,  till 
he  had  reached  the  consummation  of 
Isaac's  marriage.  He  then,  before  giv 
ing  an  account  of  Abraham's  death,  and 
the  setdement  of  his  family,  goes  back, 
by  way  of  brief  preface,  to  the  circum 
stance  of  his  having,  some  years  before, 
taken  a  concubine,  by  whom  he  had  sev 
era!  children.  This  view  of  the  mat- 
ter is  still  farther  confirmed  by  the  fact 
that  Paul  speaks  of  Abraham's  begetting 
Isaac  when  he  was  as  good  as  dead 
The  birth  of  a  son  at  such  an  advanced 
age  was  out  of  the  ordinary  course  of 
nature  ;  it  was  nothing  short  of  a  mira- 
cle. If  then  he  had  six  sons  born  to 
him  after  he  was  one  hundred  and  forty 
years  of  age,  m.ust  it  not  have  been  in 
consequence  of  the  miraculous  continu- 


4  And  the  sons  of  Midian ; 
Ephah,  and  Epher,  and  Hanoch, 
and  Abidah,  and  Eldaah.  All  these 
icei'e  the  children  of  Keturah. 

ance  of  his  physical  vigor  ?  For  how 
could  he  be  said  to  be  the  father  of  six 
children  in  the  course  of  nature  at  one 
hundred  and  forty,  w-hen  it  is  expressly 
said  that  Isaac  was  born  to  him  out  of 
the  course  of  nature  at  one  hundred  ? 
For  these  reasons,  we  have  little  hesi- 
tation in  supposing  that  the  verse  would 
be  more  correctly  rendered,  '  And  Abra- 
braham  had  taken  in  addition  (another) 
wife,  and  her  name  was  Keturah.'  '  It 
seems  to  us,'  says  the  editor  of  the  Pict. 
Bible,  '  that  the  current  usages  of  the 
East  give  great  probability  to  this  con- 
jecture, which  is  strengthened  by  con- 
sidering the  great  age  of  Abraham  when 
Sarah  died  ;  and  that  his  sons  by  Keturah 
were  old  enough  to  be  sent  away  to  form 
independent  clans  before  his  own  death.' 

2.  And  she  bare  him  Zimran  and  Jok- 
shan,  &c.  Of  some  of  these  nations 
we  have  no  further  account  in  the  sa- 
cred volume,  and  but  very  doubtful 
traces  in  profane  history.  From  3Iedan 
descended  the  3Iedanites,  Gen.  37.  36, 
(on  which,  see  Note).  They  seem  to 
have  peopled  that  part  of  Arabia  Petrsea 
contiguous  to  the  land  of  Moab,  east- 
ward of  the  Dead  Sea.  Jerome  terms 
the  people  of  this  country  Madianeans ; 
and  Ptolemy  mentions  a  people  called 
Madianites,  who  dwelt  in  the  same  re- 
gion. From  Midian  came  the  Midian- 
ites,  who  soon  after  lapsed  into  idolatry, 
as  is  evident  from  the  narrative  contain- 
ed in  Num.  25.  From  Shuah  probably 
came  Biidad,  the  Shuhite,  Job,  2.  11; 
and  from  Sheba,  the  Sabeans  mention- 
ed in  the  same  bonk,  ch.  1.  15,  as  the 
marauders  who  robbed  Job  of  his  oxen 
and  a>ses. 

3.  The  S071S  of  Dedan  were  Asshurim, 
&c.  As  their  terms  are  plural,  if  they 
are  truly  proper  names,  they  must  have 
been  designed  to  denote  tribes  ox  f ami' 


B.  C.  1853.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


55 


5  ^  And  ^  Abraham  gave  all  that 
he  had  unto  Isaac. 

6  But  unto  the  sons  of  the  con- 
cubines which  Abraham  had,  Abra- 
ham gave  gifts,  and  "  sent  them 
away  from  Isaac  his  son  (while  he 

b  ch.  24.  36.        c  ell.  21.  14. 

lies,  and  not  individuals.  But  the  an- 
cient versions  vary  from  ours.  Onlcelos 
interprets  the  words  of  persons  dwelling 
ill  camps,  fe7its,and  islands ;  and  Jonathan 
ben  Uzziel  calls  them  merchants,  artifi- 
cers, and  heads  or  chiefs  of  people. 

5.  Gave  all  that  he  had  unto  Isaac. 
Gave  him  the  bulk,  the  principal  part, 
of  his  possessions ;  not  absolutely  the 
whole,  for  we  find  it  immediately  said 
that  he  'gave  gifts'  to  his  other  sons. 
But  as  Isaac  was  the  only  son  of  Sarah, 
the  free  woman,  and  born  according  to 
promise,  it  was  proper  that  he  should 
be  considered  the  legitimate  heir,  and 
inherit  accordingly  the  substance  of  the 
estate. 

6.  The  S071S  of  the  concvhines.  That 
Is,  of  Hagar  and  Keturah.  Of  course 
Ishmael  was  included,  and  we  thus 
learn  incidentally  that  he  was  not  lost 
sight  of  by  his  father,  who  made  a  bet- 
ter provision  for  him  than  has  yet  ap- 
peared in  the  course  of  the  narrative. 
With  a  view,  no  doubt,  to  preserve  peace 
among  his  sons,  Abraham  distributed  all 
his  property  in  his  lifetime,  giving  the 
greater  portion  of  it  to  Isaac,  and  supply- 
ing the  others  with  cattle  and  materials 
for  a  domestic  establishment,  with  ad- 
vice to  go  and  settle  themselves  east- 
ward in  the  Arabian  desert.  '  The  ar- 
rangement was,  doubtless,  satisfactory 
to  all  parties  ;  for  among  the  Bedouins  of 
the  present  day,  w'e  observe  that  the 
son,  although  he  treats  his  father  with 
respect  while  in  his  tent,  is  anxious  to 
set  up  an  independent  estabhshraent  of 
his  own,  and  spares  no  exertion  to  at- 
tain it ;  '  and  when  it  is  obtained,'  says 
Burckhardt)  '  he  listens  to  no  advice, 
sor  obeys  any  earthly  command    but 


yet  lived)  eastward,  unto  ^  the  east 
country. 

7  And  these  are  the  days  of  the 
years  of  Abraham's  life  whch  he 
lived,  an  hundred  threescore  and 
fifteen  years. 

d  Judg.  6. 3. 


that  of  his  own  will.'  Though  often  too 
proud  to  ask  for  what  his  own  arm  may 
ultimately  procure,  he  usually  expects  his 
father  to  make  the  offer  of  some  cattle  to 
enable  him  to  begin  life  ;  and  the  omission 
of  it  occasions  deep  disgust,  and  leads 
to  quarrels  in  after-times,  which  form  the 
worst  feature  of  the  Bedouin  character. 
They  have  few  children  circumstanced 
Uke  those  of  Abraham  by  his  concu- 
bines ;  but  in  other  Asiatic  nations, 
where  parallel  circumstances  occur,  the 
fathers  provide  for  such  eons  much  in 
the  same  way  as  Abraham,  giving  them 
some  property  proportioned  to  his 
means,  with  advice  to  go  and  settle  at 
some  place  distant  from  the  family  seat.' 
Pict.  Bible.  Allusion  is  probably  made 
to  these  descendants  of  Abraham  under 
the  title  of '  children  of  the  East ;'  Judg 
6.  3,  and  also  Job,  1.  3,  where  Job  him- 
self, who  may  have  descend-ed  from  this 
stock,  is  called  '  the  greatest  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  East.' 

7.  These  are  the  days  of  the  years,  &.c. 
A  peculiar  and  impressive  mode  of  com- 
puting time,  as  if  intended  to  intimate  that 
we  are  creatures  of  a  day,  whose  life  is 
to  be  reckoned  rather  by '  the  inch  of  days 
than  the  ell  of  years.'  Thus  died  this 
venerable  patriarch,  the  father  of  the 
faithful,  after  having  sojourned  as  a 
stranger  and  a  pilgrim  in  the  land  of 
promise  one  hundred  years.  From  a 
comparison  of  dates,  it  appears  that  he 
survived  Shem  twenty-five  years ;  his 
father  Terah,  one  hundred  years ;  and 
his  wife  Sarah,  thirty-eight  years  ;  that 
he  lived  after  Isaac's  marriage,  thirty- 
five  years  ;  and  consequently  saw  his 
two  grandsons,  Jacob  and  Esau ;  and 
finally  finished  his  course  A.  M.  2183, 


56 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1853. 


after  the  flood,  527.  His  life,  though 
shorter  by  far  than  that  of  any  of  liis  il- 
histrions  predecessors  whose  history  has 
come  particularly  under  review,  was 
yet  much  fuller  of  incidents  and  events. 
It  was  a  life  chequered  with  uncommon 
trials,  and  marked  with  blessings  no  less 
extraordinary ;  a  life  distinguished  by 
the  most  signal  virtues,  yet  not  wholly 
exempted  from  frailties  and  infirmities. 
His  chiefest  happiness  consisted  not  in 
his  being  favored  with  a  remarkable  de- 
gree of  w'oridly  prosperity,  and  an  tm- 
Tisual  term  of  years  to  enjoy  it,  but  in 
the  high  distinction  of  being  called  '  the 
friend  of  God,'  and  made  the  depositary 
of  a  promise  in  which  the  whole  w  orld 
was  to  be  blessed.  The  event  of  his 
decease  is  but  briefly  related.  Doubt- 
less it  would  have  been  highly  gratifying 
had  the  Spirit  of  God  seen  fit  to  have 
handed  do\^Tl  to  us  some  longer  me- 
morial of  the  death  of  the  eminent  and 
far-famed  subject  of  our  history.  PJost 
instructive  would  it  have  been  to  have 
stood  in  imagmation  by  the  side  of  his  dy- 
ing bed,  and  to  have  heard  his  assuran- 
ces of  the  mercy  and  faithfulness  of  Him 
in  whom  he  had  believed,  and  who  had 
led  him  through  the  mazes  of  so  long  a 
pilgrimage.  Nothing  of  this,  however, 
has  been  vouchsafed  us,  and,  except  for 
the  purpose  of  our  gratification,  nothing 
of  it  was  needed.  After  such  a  life  of  faith 
and  piety,  there  is  Uttle  need  of  inquir- 
ing into  the  manner  of  his  death.  We 
know  that  it  could  not  have  been  other- 
wise than  full  of  peace  and  hope.  From 
the  earthly,  he  no  doubt,  looked  believ- 
ingly  forward  to  the  heavenly  Canaan, 
the  land  of  immortal  rest,  and  thither, 
after  a  long  and  honorable  course  below, 
we  have  every  assurance  that  he   was 

graciously  received.    Luke  16. 22. T 

Gave  up  the  ghost  and  died.  Heb.  "I^'i 
r')2'^'l  2/^5'»^«  vayamoth,  expired  and  died ; 
or,  breathed  his  last  and  died.  Gr. 
SK'Xcnriov  aircOavev,  failing  died;  from 
which  probably  originated  the  expres- 
sion,  Luke   16.  9,  '  that  when  ye  fail 


{£K\tn:r]Tz)  they  may  receive  you,  &c.' 
The  original  term  y'^;^  ^"u'eo,  signifies 
simply  to  cease  from  breathing,  to  breathe 
one's  last,  to  expire.  The  word  does  not 
strictly  signify  to  give  up  the  soul,  m  the 
modern  sense  of  that  phrase,  any  far- 
ther than  as  it  implies  that  he  who  dies* 
yields  back  his  soul  to  Him  who  gave  it. 
Hence  5>13  gava,  to  expire,  differs  from 
nTO  muth,  to  die,  in  the  simple  fact  that 
it  presents  one  of  the  prominent  pheno- 
mena attending  death,  viz.  the  sending 
forth  the  breath  without  inlialing  it  again. 
The  Eng.  word  '  ghost'  is  supposed  to 
be  derived  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  '  gast* 
an  inmate,  inhabitant,  guest,  and  also 
spirit;  but  in  popular  use  it  is  now  re- 
stricted to  the  latter  meaning.  But  the 
primitive  idea  seems  to  be  that  of  dis 
missijig  the  soul  or  spirit  as  the  guest  oj 
the  body.  It  is  almost  always  rendered  in 
our  translation  by  '  expire,'  but  the  pre- 
sent version  '  giving  up  the  ghost,'  i.  e. 
yielding  up  the  spirit,  is  liable  to  no  se- 
rious objection. IT  In  a  good  old  age, 

Heb.  n^1t3  h2'^''iI;D  heseba  tobah,  in  a 
good  hoary  age;  the  idea  of  grey-headed 
age  being  prominent  in  the  original 
term.  This  was  according  to  promise. 
Upwards  of  four  score  years  before  this, 
the  Lord  addressed  Abraham  in  vision. 
Gen.  15.  15,  saying,  '  Thou  shalt  go  to 
thy  fathers  in  peace  ;  thou  shalt  be  bu- 
ried in  a  good  old  age.'  In  every  thing, 
even  in  death,  the  promises  were  ful- 
filled to   Abraham. ^  Ftdl  of  days. 

Heb.  simply  S/^-^J  sabea,  full.  Our 
translators  have  supplied  the  word  years, 
but  the  original  signifies  full  in  the  sense 
of  satisfied,  satiated,  and  may  as  well 
imply  here /«7Z  of  blessings  and  comforts. 
Targ.  Jon.  '  Saturated  with  all  good.' 
The  previous  expressions  would  seem 
sufficient  to  denote  the  fact  of  his  lon- 
gevity. The  present,  we  think,  to  be 
better  understood  of  his  having  had 
in  every  respect,  a  satisfying  experience o{ 
life  ;  he  had  known  both  its  good  and 
ics  evil,  its  bitter  and  its  sweet ;  and  he 
now  desired  to  live  no.  longer  ;  he  waa 


B.  C.  1857.] 


CHAPTER  XXV, 


57 


8  Then  Abraham  gave  up  the 
ghost,  and  *=  died  in  a  good  old  age, 
an  old  man,  and  full  o/"  years ;  and 
^  was  gathered  to  his  people. 

9  And  ^  his  sons  Isaac  and  Ish- 
mael  buried  him  in  the  cave  of 
Machpelah,  in  the  field  of  Ephron 
the  son  of  Zohar  the  Hittite,  which 
is  before  Mamre ; 

ech.15. 15.  &49.  29.      fch.3o.29.  &49.  33. 
ch.  35.  29.  &  50.  13. 


ready  and  anxious  to  depart.  It  seems 
to  be  a  metaphor  taken  from  a  guest 
regaled  by  a  plentiful  banquet,  who  ris- 
es from  the  table  satisfied  and  full.  Thus 
Seneca,  remarking  in  one  of  his  epis- 
tles, that  he  had  lived  long  enough, 
says  'Mortem  plenus  expecto,'  fully  sa- 
tisfied, I  wait  for  death. IT  Was  gath- 
ered to  Ids  people.  Heb.  li^^S"  bi*  tjDi^'^ 
yeaseph  el  ammav,  was  gathered  to  his  peo- 
ples ;  i.  e.  to  his  fathers,  as  the  promise 
stands.  Gen.  15.  15.  The  phrase  is  fre- 
quently understood  as  equivalent  to  one's 
spirit  being  gathered  to  the  spirits  of  the 
blessed  in  another  world,  but  it  is  extreme- 
ly doubtful  whether  a  strict  philological 
-induction  will  warrant  us  in  affixing  to  it 
iny  other  sense  than  that  of  being  add- 
td  to  the  number  of  the  dead,  without  any 
reference  to  the  particular  state  of  de- 
parted souls.  Moreover,  as  Abraham's 
ancestors  were  idolaters,  the  promise 
that  his  spirit  should  be  gathered  to 
theirs,  would  be  one  of  very  equivocal 
import. 

9.  His  sons  buried  him  in  the  cave  of 
Machpelah.  Abraham,  therefore,  in  ptir- 
chasing  a  grave  for  Sarah,  was  merely 
providing  a  final  resting-place  for  him- 
self! How  certain,  and  often  how  sud- 
den, the  transition,  from  the  funeral  rites 
we  prepare  for  others,  to  those  which 
others  prepare  for  us !  Were  we  to 
leave  out  of  view  the  spiritual  and  eter- 
nal blessings  conferred  upon  Abraham, 
how  humble  would  be  the  conclusion  of 
60  grand  a  career.  Vision  upon  vision, 
covenant  upon  covenant,  promise  upon  I 


10  hThe  field  which  Abraham 
purchased  of  the  sons  of  Heth : 
•there  was  Abraham  buried,  and 
Sarah  his  wife. 

11  And  it  came  to  pass  after  the 
death  of  Abraham,  that  God  bless- 
ed his  son  Isaac;  and  Isaac  dwelt 
by  the  ^  well  Lahai-roi. 


h  ch.  23.  IG. 
24.62. 


iCh.49.  31.      kc!i.l6.14.  & 


promise,  conducting  only  to  a  little  cave 
in  Hebron  !  But  from  the  divine  decla- 
ration uttered  three  hundred  and  thirty 
years  after  this  event,  '  I  am  the  God  of 
Abraham,'  it  appears  that  his  reladon  to 
God  was  as  entire  at  that  time,  as  at  any 
former  period  in  his  whole  life.  '  God 
is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the 
living ;'  and  the  faithful  of  all  past  ages 
live  with  God,  and  their  dust  is  precious 
in  his  eyes,  in  whatever  cavern  of  the 
earth  or  recess  of  the  ocean  it  may  be 
deposited. — From  the  circumstance  of 
Isaac  and  Ishmael  being  both  present  at 
the  burial  of  their  father,  it  is  to  be  in- 
ferred that  they  were  now  living  on 
amicable  terms  with  each  other  as 
brethren.  Though  previously  at  va- 
riance, they  now  unite  in  sympathetic 
sorrow  at  the  grave  of  Abraham.  The 
latter  must  have  been  'a  wild  man'  in- 
deed not  to  have  been  tamed  at  least  in- 
to a  temporary  tenderness  by  such  an 
event.  A  wise  providence  often  works 
a  forgetfulness  of  past  resentments  by 
the  common  calamities  visited  upon  fami- 
lies and  kindred.  They  tend  to  recon- 
cile the  alienated,  to  extinguish  bitter- 
ness and  strife,  to  rekindle  the  dying 
embers  of  filial  duty  and  brotherly  love. 
Isaac  and  Ishmael,  men  of  different  na- 
tures, of  opposite  interests,  rivals  from 
the  womb,  forget  all  animosity,  and  min- 
gle tears  over  a  father's  tomb.  Let  the 
lesson  thus  afforded  be  carefully  learn- 
ed by  all  who  bear  the  fraternal  relation, 
and  let  them  be  admonished  to  go  and 
do  likewi.se.     '  Death  brings  those  toge- 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1822. 


12  IF  Now  these  are  the  genera- 
tions of  Ishmael,  Abraham's  son, 
J  whom  Hagar  the  Egyptian,  Sa- 
rah's handmaid,  bare  unto  iVbra- 
ham. 

13  And  ""  these  are  the  names  of 
the  sons  of  Ishmael,  by  their  names, 
according  to  their  generations  :  the 
first-born  of  Ishmael,  Nebajoth;  and 
Kedar,  and  Adbeel,  and  Mibsam, 

ichap.  16.  J  5.       m  1  Chroa.  1.  29. 


ther  who  know  not  how  to  associate  to- 
gether on  any  other  occasion,  and  will 
bring  us  all  together,  sooner  or  later.' 
—Fuller. 

11.  God  blessed  Isaac.  The  death 
and  burial  of  so  great  and  good  a  man 
as  Abraham  must  have  made  an  im- 
pression upon  survivors,  but  it  caused 
no  interruption  in  the  flow  of  the  en- 
tailed and  covenanted  blessings  of  the 
God  of  Abraham.  Isaac  was  heir  to 
the  promise,  and  the  blessings  and  in- 
fluences which  had  distinguished  the 
father,  rested  on  the  son  ;  and  this  was  a 
better  legacy  than  if  the  patriarch  had 
bequeathed  to  him  all  the  riches  and 
honors  of  the  world.'  It  was,  no  doubt, 
in  consequence  of  his  connection  with 
the  covenant  that  he  experienced  so 
largely  of  the  bounties  and  benefactions 

of  heaven. ^   Isaac  dwelt    by     the 

loell  Lahai-roi.  That  is,  he  continued, 
after  Abraham's  death,  to  reside  at  the 
same  place  where  he  had  fixed  his  hab- 
itation before.     See  on  ch.  24.  62. 

12.  These  are  the  generations  of  Ish- 
mael. The  historian  having  adverted  to 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  Isaac,  here 
pauses  before  proceeding  with  the  se- 
quel of  his  history,  to  show  how  ex- 
actly the  promises  made  to  Ishmael,  ch. 
17.  20,  were  also  fulfilled.  His  descend- 
ants, like  those  of  Isaac,  branched  out 
into  twelve  tribes,  and  constituted  the 
bulk  of  the  population  which  spread 
over  the  Arabian  peninsula. — An  in- 
teresting vicAV  of  their  history  consid- 


14  And  Mishma,  and  Dumah, 
and  Massa, 

15  Hadar,  and  Tenia,  Jetur,  Na- 
phish,  and  Kedemah  : 

16  These  are  the  sons  of  Ish- 
mael, and  these  are  their  names,  by 
their  towns,  and  by  their  castles  ; 
"  twelve  princes  according  to  tlieir 
nations. 

"  ch.  17.  »0. 


ered  in  its  connection  with  the  ante- 
cedent prophecies,  will  be  found  in 
Forster's  '  Mahometanism  unveiled,' 
vol.  I.  p.  113—161. 

13.  According  to  their  generations. 
That  is,  says  Jarchi,  according  to  the  or- 
der of  their  births,  which  Rosenmuller 
pronounces  the  correct  interpretation. 

16.  By  their  toions.  Heb.  tn'^'^^niS 
hehatzrehem,  by  or  in  their  villages.  Both 
these  terms,  '  town'  and  'village,'  natu- 
rally convey  to  the  reader  the  idea  rath- 
er of  European  than  of  Asiatic  modes 
of  habitation,  but  the  want  of  appropriate 
terms  in  our  language  to  answer  to  the 
original,  renders  this  unavoidable.  Mi 
chaelis  derives  the  word  from  an  obso 
lete  Heb.  root  ^ISH  hatzar,  the  Arabic 
equivalent  of  which  hatzara  still  exists, 
signifying  to  surround,  to  encircle,  to  en- 
viron.  From  this  radical  meaning  he 
deduces  for  the  noun  hntzar  the  sense 
of  a  portable  village  of  the  Nomades,  con- 
sisting of  tents  placed  in  a  circle,  usually 
denominated  by  the  Tartar  word  horde, 
(Arab.  Oordu,  Gr.  ovpSa,  ourda),  which 
was  brought  into  Europe  by  the  Mogul 
conquerors  upwards  of  five  centuries 
ago.  The  term  occurs  in  the  same 
sense  and  in  respect  to  the  same  peo- 
ple, Is.  42.  11,  'Let  the  wilderness  and 
the  cities  thereof  lift  up  their  voice,  the 
ri7Za^es(2i"*,^n)  that  Kedar  doth  inhab- 
it -.'where  the  villages  appear  to  be  some- 
thing diflferent  from  the  cities.  Thus 
also,  Josh.  13.  23,  28,  where  cities  and 
adjacent  villages   are  attributed  to  the 


B.  C.  1773.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


59 


17  And  these  are  the  years  of 
the  life  of  Lshmael :  an  hundred  and 
thirty  and  seven  years :  and  "  he 
gave  up  the  ghost  and  died,  and  was 
gathered  unto  his  people. 


tribes  of  Reuben  and  Gad  on  the  east 
of  the  Jordan,  whose  habits  were  pro- 
bably, from  their  local  situation,  more 
nomadic  than  those  of  their  brethren  in 
Canaan  proper.  It  is  natural  to  suppose, 
however,  that  such  villages  or  encamp- 
ments would,  in  process  of  time,  be 
transformed  to  more  stable  and  fixed 
dwelling-places,  and  it  may  be  that 
the  word  in  the  present  case  is  in- 
tended  to  be   used  in  that  sense. IT 

By  their  castle!^.  Heb.  t-.Tiit;!!  betiroth- 
The  precise  distinction  between  the  im- 
port of  this  term  and  the  former  is  not 
easily  ascertained.  The  primary  sense 
of  the  root  ~i1t3  ioor  is  order,  regularity ; 
and  though  not  used  as  a  verb,  yet  as  a 
noun  it  is  employed  to  signify  a  row, 
range,  orderly  disposition,  as  in  Ex.  28. 
17,  18.  1  Kings,  6.  36.  2  Chron.  4.  3, 
13.  The  present  term  fi"l^L:  Urah  is 
usually  rendered  either  castle  or  pal- 
ace, perhaps  from  the  orderly  rows  or 
tiers  of  stones  of  which  such  buildings 
v/ere  composed.  Indeed,  Parkhurst 
suggests  very  plausibly  that  both  the 
Eng.  '  tier'  and  '  tow^er'  as  well  as  the 
Lat.  '  turris,'  are  to  be  traced  to  this  root 
as  their  origin.  The  Gr.  renders  it  by 
t-rravXis,  which  Michaehs  and  Rosenmul- 
ler  are  inclined  to  interpret  of  stalls  for 
cattle.  But  the  leading  usage  of  the 
original  rather  favors  the  sense  of  towers, 
citadels,  or  fortified  places,  although  with- 
out a  more  accurate  knowledge  of  the 
ancient  civil  life  of  the  IshmaeHtish  no- 
mades,  we  may  be  unable  to  define  pre- 
cisely the  class  of  buildings  intended. 

IT  Twelve  princes  according  to  their 

nations.  That  is,  twelve  chiefs  or  heads 
of  tribes  (Phylarchs)  corresponding  to  the 
number  of  tribes. 

17-  These  are  the  years  of  the  life,  &c. 


18  V  And  they  dwelt  from  Havi- 
lah  unto  Shur,  that  is  before  Egypt, 
as  thou  goest  toward  Assyria  :  and 
he  died  ''  in  the  presence  of  all  his 
brethren. 


i>  1  Smiii.  Ic 


This  account  of  Ishmael's  death,  as  well 
as  that  of  Abraham's  above,  is  inserted 
by  anticipation,  in  order  that  the  subse- 
quent history  of  Isaac  might  not  be  in- 
terrupted. In  point  of  fact,  though  the 
circumstance  of  his  death  is  stated  he- 
fore  the  birth  of  Jacob  and  Esau,  yet  it 
did  not  happen  till  some  years  after- 
wards. Abraham  lived  till  they  were 
fifteen  years  old,  and  Ishrnael  till  they 
were  sixty-three.  His  death  occurred 
A.  M.  2231,  573  years  after  the  flood, 
48  years  after  the  death  of  Abraham, 
and  when  Isaac  was  123.  There  is, 
perhaps,  no  good  reason  to  doubt  that 
lshmael  died  in  the  faith  of  his  father 
Abraham,  and  was  received  to  the 
same  reward  in  another  world. 

18.  And  they  dwelt.  Gr.  KarcoKtice,  he 
dwelt ;  as  if  the  translators  understood 
the  term  of  lshmael,  but  still  taken  col- 
lectively, as  including  his  descendants. 
This  is  strictly  according  to  the  usus 
loquendi  of  the  scriptures,  and  the  ver- 
sion we  regard  as  a  good  one.  '  They,' 
therefore,  in  this  clau.«e  of  the  verse  is, 
we  conceive,  perfectly  equivalent  to 
'  he'  in  the  subsequent  one,  on  which 
see  note  below. IT  From  Havilah  un- 
to Shur.  There  are  undoubtedly  differ- 
ent countries  referred  to  in  scripture  un- 
der the  name  of  Havilah.  See  Note  on 
Gen.  2.  11.  The  allusion  here  seems  to 
be  to  a  region  lying  on  the  west  border 
of  the  Persian  Gulf,  and  the  statement 
of  the  sacred  writer  is,  that  Ishmael's 
descendants  spread  themselves  over  the 
tract  extending  from  this  region  in  the 
east,  to  the  desert  of  Shur  in  the  west, 
which  was    adjacent    to  the  land    oi 

Egypt. IT  He  died  in  the  presence  of 

all  his  brethren.  Heb.  J353  naphal,  he 
fell.    As  Ishmael's  death  has  already 


60 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1857. 


19  IF  And  these  are  the  genera- 
tions of  Isaac,  Abraham's  son  : 
'Abraham  begat  Isaac  : 

20  And  Isaac  was  forty  years 
old  when  he  took  Rebekah  to  wife, 
*  the  daughter  of  Betliuel  the  Syr- 


r  Matt  1.  2. 


ch. 


been  raenlioned,  and  as  the  term  '  fall' 
is  seldom  used  in  the  Scriptures  in  ref- 
erence to  'dying,'  except  in  cases  of 
sudden  and  violent  death,  as  where  one 
'falls'  in  battle,  the  probabdity  is  that  it 
here  signifies  that  his  territory  or  pos- 
sessions ftU  to  him  in  the  presence  of 
his  brethren,  or  immediately  contiguous 
to  their  borders.  Accordingly  the  Gr. 
and  the  Chal.  both  render  it,  '  And  he 
dwelt  before  his  brethren ;'  evidently  re- 
garding it  as  the  fulfilment  of  the  prom- 
ise, ch.  16.  12,  '  And  he  sliall  dwell  in  the 
presence  of  his  brethren.'  Moreover, 
as  tribes  and  nations  are  often  called 
by  the  names  of  their  individual  found- 
ers, as  Israel,  Moab,  Midian,  &c.,  and 
as  the  rest  of  the  verse  speaks  solely  of 
the  posterity  of  Ishmael,  we  doubt  not 
that 'he'  is  a  collective  term,  referring 
not  to  Ishmael  personally,  but  to  the 
body  of  his  descendants.  We  would 
therefore  render  the  clause,  '  They  fell 
(i.  e.  their  lot  or  inheritance /eZZ  to  them) 
in  the  presence  of  all  their  brethren.' 
A  similar  usage  of  the  term  occurs 
Num.  34. 2,  '  This  is  the  land  that  shall 
fall  unto  you  for  an  inheritance.'  Josh. 
23.  4,  '  Behold  I  have  divided  unto  you 
by  lot  these  nations  that  remain  ;'  Heb. 
'I  have  caused  to  fall  unto  you.'  Ps. 
78.  55,  '■Divided  them  an  inheritance.' 
Ps.  16.  6,  '  The  lines  are  fallen  unto  me 
in  pleasant  places,  and  I  have  a  goodly 
heritage.'  If  the  passage  be  taken  lite- 
rally as  it  reads,  it  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand what  is  meant  by  his '  dying  in  the 
presence  of  all  his  brethren.'  'Breth- 
ren' must  be  taken  in  the  wide  sense  of 
kindred  or  relatives  in  general,  for  he 
had  but  one  brother  strictly  so  called, 


ian  of  Padan-aram,  *  the  sister  to 
Laban  the  Syrian. 

21  And  Isaac  entreated  the  Lord 
for  his  wife,  because  she  ivas  barren : 
"  and  the  Lord  was  entreated  of  him, 
and  ^  Rebekah  his  wife  conceix^ed. 

t  ch.  24.  29.  u  1  Chron.  5.  20.  2  Chron.  33 
13.     Ezra  8.  23.        w  Rom.  9.  10. 


and  if  it  include  the  general  stock  of  his 
kindred,  how  can  we  suppose  that  they 
were  all  convened  from  distant  regions 
on  this  occasion? — especially  as  it  was 
predicted  that  he  and  they  should  sus- 
tain a  hostile  relation  to  each  other. 

19.  And  these  are  the  generations,  &c. 
That  is,  not  only  the  history  of  his  off- 
spring, the  genealogy  of  his  descendants, 
but  also  of  the  leading  occurrences  and 
events  that  happened  to  him  in  the 
course  of  his  life. — See  Note  on  Gen.  2. 
4.  It  is  a  kind  of  inscription  or  title  to 
the  whole  narrative,  which  runs  on  from 
this  place  to  the  end  of  ch.  35. 

21.  Isaac  entreated  the  Lord  for  his 
wife,  &c.  The  history  having  now  re- 
turned to  the  son  of  promise,  we  should 
suppose,  from  the  situation  in  which  we 
left  him,  v.  11,  that  nothing  was  want- 
ing to  complete  his  earthly  felicity.  We 
should,  at  any  rate,  have  supposed,  that 
as  the  promise  respected  principally  the 
multiplication  of  his  seed,  the  great  num- 
ber of  his  children  would  have  made  a 
prominent  part  of  his  history.  But 
God's  thoughts  are  not  as  our  thoughts, 
nor  his  ways  as  our  ways.  Though 
now  possessed  of  the  bulk  of  his  father's 
property,  confirmed  by  God  as  the  sole 
and  undisputed  heir  of  the  covenant 
promise,  and  enjoying  with  Rebekah  a?' 
the  tender  endearments  of  the  most  hal 
lowed  union — yet  one  thing  was  want- 
ing,  in  the  lack  of  which,  his  conjugal 
and  domestic  bliss  still  left  his  mind  a 
prey  to  corroding  anxieties.  His  wife 
was  barren,  and  he  was  childless. 
While  Abraham's  other  sons  abounded 
in  children,  he  whose  seed  was  to  be  as 
the   stars  of   heaven  for  multitude,   is 


B.  C.  1838.1 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


61 


22  And  the    children  struggled 
together  within  her :  and  she  said, 


without  the  prospect  of  an  heir.  Though 
he  had  been  now  united  to  Rebekah  for 
twenty  years,  yet  no  toiiens  of  ap- 
proaching paternity  cheer  his  heart. 
The  child  of  promise  continues  to  be 
denied.  In  this  manner  God  had  before 
tried  his  father  Abraham  :  and  if  he  be 
heir  to  his  blessings,  he  must  expect 
to  inherit  a  portion  of  his  trials.  Yet 
we  do  not  find  that  in  this  emergency 
he  had  recourse  like  Abraham  in  sim- 
ilar circumstances,  to  any  crooked  poli- 
cy, to  any  doubtful  expedient.  He 
looks  for  reUef  to  that  source  only 
where  he  was  accustomed  to  seek  and 
to  find  the  cure  or  the  solace  of  ail 
his  ills.  '  He  entreated  the  Lord  for 
his  wife  ;'  or  rather  as  the  Heb.  ex- 
presses it  (liD'^J^  nSSb^  lenokah  ishto, 
before  his  wife :  i.  e.  in  her  presence ; 
united  with  her  in  joint  supplication. 
'  Under  similar  circumstances,  the  hus- 
band and  the  wife  fast  and  pray,  and 
make  a  vow  before  the  temple,  that, 
should  their  desire  be  granted,  they  will 
make  certain  gifts,  (specifying  their 
kind,)  or  they  will  repair  the  walls,  or 
add  a  new  wing  to  the  temple  ;  or  that 
the  child  shall  be  dedicated  to  the  deity 
of  the  place,  and  be  called  by  the  same 
name.  Or  they  go  to  a  distant  temple 
which  has  obtained  notoriety  by  grant- 
ing the  favors  they  require.  I  have 
heard  of  husbands  and  wives  remaining 
for  a  year  together  at  such  places,  to 
gain  the  desire  of  their  hearts  I — Roberts. 

IT   The  Lord  was  entreated  of  him. 

'He  asked  a  child,  and  his  praj^er  is 
answered  by  the  gift  of  two  sons,  and 
thus  Providence,  often  slower  than 
our  wishes,  frequently  compensates 
that  delay  by  greatly  outdoing  our  re- 
<\uests  and  expectations.' — Hunter. 

22.  The  children  struggled  together  with- 
in her.  Heb-  i::^21ri^  yithrotzatzu, 
bruised  themselves  by  struggling.     The 

Vol.  II.  6 


If  it  he  so,  why  am  I  thus  1    *  And 
she  went  to  inquire  of  the  Lord. 


1  Sam.  9.  9.  &  10.  22. 


original  term,  which  is  very  strong,  is 
employed  to  signify  a  violent  concus- 
sion,  or  the  impinging  of  one  thing 
against  another.  She  was  conscious  of 
extraordinary  and  painful  sensations 
during  her  pregnancy,  as  if  her  children 
were  wrestling  within  her.  The  cir- 
cumstance filled  her  mind  with  perplexi- 
ty, and  prompted  the  exclamation  and 
the  inquiry  immediately  spoken  of. 
The  incident  was  no  doubt  supernatural, 
and  intended  to  pre-indmate  the  future 
strife  and  variance  that  should  subsist 
between  the  respective  hnes  destined  to 
descend  from  these  two  unborn  children. 
'  She  is  no  less  troubled  with  the  strife 
of  the  children  in  her  womb,  than  be- 
fore with  the  want  of  children.  We 
know  not  when  we  are  pleased :  that 
which  we  desire, ofttimes  discontents  us 
more  in  the  fruition :  we  are  ready  to 
complain  both  full  and  fasting  :  before 
Rebecca  conceived,  she  w-as  at  ease  : 
before  spiritual  regeneration,  there  is 
all  peace  in  the  soul :  no  sooner  is  the 
new  man  formed  in  us,  but  the  flesh  con- 
flicts with  the  spirit.  There  is  no  grace 
where  is  no  unquietness.  Esau  alone 
would  not  have  striven :  nature  will 
ever  agree  with  itself.  Never  any  Re- 
becca conceived  only  an  Esau  ;  or  was 
so  happy  as  to  conceive  none  but  a  Ja- 
cob :  she  must  be  the  mother  of  both, 
that  she  may  have  both  joy  and  exer- 
cise. This  strife  began  early ;  every 
true  Israelite  begins  war  with  his  be- 
ing. How  many  actions,  which  we 
know  not  of,  are  not  without  pre- 
sage  and   signification  !' — Bishop  Hall. 

^  If  it  be  so,  why  am  I  thus  ?    Heb. 

^i2i5  nt  n'^b  'p  tSi  iin  hai  lammah  zeh 
anoki,  if  so,  wherefore  this  to  me  ?  the 
meaning  of  which  perhaps  is,  If  it  be 
so  that  God  hath  heard  our  prayers, 
why  am  I  in  this  painful  condition? 
Why  have  I  conceived,  if  such  strange 


62 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1833, 


23  And  the  Lord  said  unto  her, 
y  Two  nations  are  in  thy  womb, 
and  two  manner  of  people  shall  be 
separated   from   thy   bowels :    and 

y  cli.  17.  J6.  &:24.60. 

sensations  be  the  result  ?  The  passage, 
b.owever,  is  exceedingly  obscure,  nor 
do  we  obtain  mucli  light  from  the  an- 
cient versions.  The  Gr.  has,  '  If  it 
s-hall  be  so  with  me,  why  is  this  unto 
me  ?'  _  Chal.  '  If  it  was  to  be  so,  why 
did  I  conceive  ?'  Arab.  '  If  I  had  known 
that  the  thing  would  be  so,  I  would  not 
have  requested  it !'  Vulg.  'If  it  should 
be  so  with  me,  what  need  was  there  to 
conceive  ?' — —IT  She  went  to  inquire  of 
the  Lord.  There  are  very  different  opin- 
ions as  to  the  manner  in  which  she  made 
this  inquiry.  Some  think  it  was  simply 
by  secret  prayer  ;  but  the  phrase  to  in- 
quire of  the  jLor^,  in  general  usage  signi- 
fies more  than  praying,  and  from  its  being 
said  that  she  went  to  inquire,  it  is  more 
probable  that  she  resorted  to  some  estab- 
lished place,  or  some  quahfied  person  for 
the  purpose  of  consultation.  We  are  told, 
1  Sam.  9.9,  that '  Beforetime  in  Israel 
when  a  man  went  to  inquire  of  God,  thus 
he  spake.  Come  and  let  us  go  to  the  seer ; 
for  he  that  is  now  called  a  prophet,  was 
beforetime  called  a  seer.'  As  Abraham 
was  now  living,  and  no  doubt  sustained 
the  character  of  a  prophet,  Gen.  20.  7, 
she  may  have  gone  to  him,  and  inquir- 
ed of  the  Lord  through  his  means.  The 
Rabbinical  writers,  as  usual,  abound 
with  fanciful  conceits  on  this  subject, 
but  they  ar?  not  of  sufficient  importance 
to  deserve  recital ;  nor  can  any  thing 
beyond  conjecture  be  advanced  upon 
the  passage. 

23.  Tv)o  natiojis  are  in  thy  womh.  In 
what  particular  manner  the  response 
was  made  to  her  inquiry,  we  are  not 
informed,  any  more  than  how  the  in- 
quiry itself  was  proposed  ;  but  the  pur- 
port of  it  was,  that  two  nations,  i.  e.  the 
founders  of  two  nations,  were  in  her 
womb,  and  leaving  her  to  infer  that  the 


^  the  one  people  shall  be  stronger 
than  the  other  people  ;  and  ^  the 
elder  shall  serve  the  younger. 

^  2  Sam.  8.  14.     » ch.  27.  29.  Mai.  i.  3.  <i.w 
0.  12. 


intestine  strife  which  caused  her  pain 
and  perplexity,  was  a  pre-intimation  of 
the  continued  hostility  that  should  sub.sitt 
between    their     respective    posterities. 

^  Shall  be  separated  from  thy  bow- 

els.  Heb.  IT^.t"^  yipparedu,  that  is, 
shall  be  separated  from  each  other  from 
the  time  of  their  birth.  The  sense  or- 
dinarily put  upon  the  words,  is  that  of 
i.'^suing  from  the  womb.  But  this  is  un- 
doubtedly incorrect,  as  the  original  is 
never  used  to  signify  that  kind  o( physi- 
cal separation  implied  in  the  removal  of 
the  child  from  the  forming  receptacle  in 
which  it  had  reposed  before  birth.  It 
properly  denotes  separation  in  the  sense 
of  parting,  sundering,  and  thence  of  dis- 
persing or  scattering,  as  may  be  seen 
from  the  following  examples,  whic'n  ex- 
hibit its  prevailing  use ;  2  Sam.  1.  23, 
'  Saul  and  Jonathan  w^ere  lovely  and 
pleasant  in  their  lives,  and  in  their  death 
they  were  not  divided  (ITi-:^).'  Prov. 
19.  4,  '  Wealth  maketh  many  friends, 
but  the  poor  is  separated  (I'nS'i)  from 
his  neighbor.'  Neh.  4. 19,  '  The  work  is 
great  and  large,  and  we  are  separated 
(D"'"I'^23)  upon  the  wall.'  Gen.  10 
5,  '  By  these  were  the  isles  of  the  Gen- 
tiles divided  (ni53)    in  their  lands.' 

IT  The  one  people  shall  be  stronger, 

&:c.  The  two  people  or  nations  intend- 
ed were  the  Israelites  and  Edomites ; 
and  nothing  is  clearer  from  history  than 
that  these  races  were  not  only  difTerent 
in  their  dispositions,  manners,  customs, 
and  religion,  but  that  after  a  long  course 
of  hostilities,  the  seed  of  Isaac  obtained 
the  ascendancy,  and  reduced  the  Edom- 
ites to  complete  subjection.  See  the  de- 
tails of  their   history,  as  drawn   out  in 

'  Newton  on  the  Prophecies.' IT  The 

elder  shall  serve  the  younger.  That  is, 
shall  be  subject  to.  Heb.  "T^^iT  ^t'2^'^  ^'^ 


B.  C.  1838. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


24  IT  And  when  her  days  to  be 
delivered  were  fulfilled,  behold  there 
were  twins  in  her  womb. 

25  And  the  first  came  out  red, 
^  all  over  like  an  hairy  garment : 
and  they  called  his  name  Esau. 

26  And  after  that  came  his  broth- 
er out,  and  <=  his  hand  took  hold  on 

b  ch.  27.  11, 16,  23.        c  Hos.  12.  3. 

rah  yaabod  tzair,  the  great  shall  serve  the 
little.  That  is,  the  greater  in  dignity  ; 
which  was  a  distinction  pertaining  to  the 
elder  on  the  ground  of  the  birthright.  It 
is,  however,  constantly  to  be  borne  in 
mind,  that  what  is  here  said  of  the  chil- 
dren, refers  not  so  much  to  Jacob  and 
Esau  personally,  as  to  their  posterity, 
although  in  the  former  sense  it  still 
holds  true. — The  Heb.  2"^  rob  is  the 
root  from  which  comes  Rabbi,  the  Jew- 
ish term  for  great  men  and  masters. 

25.  The  first  came  out  red.  Heb.  "i2''2l5^ 
admoni,  rubicund  or  ruddy,  a  word  of  the 
same  origin  with  Edam  (Qli^)^  another 
appellation  by  which  Esau  was  called. 
It  elsewhere  occurs  only  twice,  1  Sam. 
16.  12,  and  17.  42,  in  both  which  cases 
it  is  spolven  of  the  florid  complexion  of 
David,  and  is  translated  ruddy.  But 
here  it  is  undoubtedly  a  term  rather  of 
reproach  than  of  commendation,  and  ap- 
plied to  Esau  to  denote  the  fierce,  cruel, 
and  sanguinary  disposition  by  which  he 
and  his  posterity  should  be  character- 
ized. In  proof  of  this,  see  Gen.  27.  40, 
41.  Obad.  1.  10.  Ezek.  25.  12.  Thus 
the  cruel  persecuting  dragon  of  the 
Apocalypse,  Rev.  12.  3,  is  depicted  of  a 

red  color,  for  the  same  reason. IT  All 

over  like  an  hairy  garment.  Heb.  'i^^ 
13>'lI3  tTTlJ!^^  J(^io  keaddereth  sear,  all  of 
him  as  a  mantle  of  hair.  Gr.  '  Wholly 
like  a  rough  hide.'  Vulg.  '  All  hairy  or 
shaggy  in  manner  of  a  skin.'  Chal.  ♦  As 
a  bristly  garment.'  Thus  denoting  his 
strong,  rough,  fierce,  and  uncultivated 
character,  with  perhaps  a  secondary  al- 
lusion to  his  hcentious  temperament. 
From   the   epithet  "^5"^'  fpor,  hoinf  or 


Esau's  heel;  and  ^his  name  was 
called  Jacob  :  and  Isaac  7vas  three- 
score years  old  when  she  bare  them. 
27  And  the  boys  grew :  and 
Esau  was  "  a  cunning  hunter,  a  man 
of  the  field  ;  and  Jacob  was  f  a  plain 
man  ^  dwelling  in  tents. 

1  ch.  27.  36.    e  ch.  27.  3,  ;'.     t  Job  1.  ],  8.  & 
2.     Ps.  37.  37.        s  Hebr.  11.  9. 


shaggy,  is  derived  the  name  of  the  prin- 
cipal range  of  mountains,  Mt.  Seir,  lying 

in  his  territory      Mai.  1.  3. 1  They 

called  his  name  Esau.  Heb.  1tj5  esav, 
which  the  Jewish  commentators  inter- 
pret by  made,  made  up,  perfected,  i.  c 
not  having  a  soft,  smooth  skin  like  other 
infants,  but  covered  with  hair  like  a  full- 
grown  man ;  indicating  the  possession 
of  a  constitutional  vigor  entirely  out  of 
the  common  course  of  nature.  Others, 
however,  with  great  probability  think 
Esau  to  be  a  dialectical  variation  from 
the  Arabic  root  5$^3>  atha,  to  be  covered 
with  hair,  whence  "^T,^}^  athai,  hairy. 
The  true  etymology  cannot  perhaps  be 
definitively  settled. 

26.  His  name  was  called  Jacob.  Heb. 
mpS'"!  yaakob,  he  shall  hold  by  the  foot, 
from  ^p2>  akab,  to  supplant,  to  trip  up 
the  heels,  to  throw  down  by  tripping  up 
the  heels,  and  thence  metaphorically 
to  deceive,  to  defraud.  The  name  was 
given  to  Jacob  because  it  was  found 
that  he  had  at  birth  laid  hold  on  his 
brother's  heel,  an  act  emblematical  of 
his  subsequently  supplanting  and  de- 
frauding him  in  the  matter  of  the  birth- 
right. 

27.  A  cunning  hunter.  Heb.  5>Ti  1J2^ 
"]^;2  ish  yodea  tzayid,  a  man  knowing  hunt- 
ing;  i.  e.  skilled  or  expert  in  hunting. 

'^  A  man  of  the  field.    Addicted  to 

ranging  the   field. "iT   A  plain    man 

dwelling  in  tents.  Heb.  ClTl  '^'i^  ish 
tam,  literally  a  perfect  or  xipright  man  ; 
but  in  what  sense  precisely  the  epithet 
is  to  be  understood  in  this  connection, 
is  not  obvious.  The  ancient  versions, 
most  of  them,  especially  the  ChaL,  the 


64 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1838. 


Syr.,  and  the  Arab.,  adhere  to  the  prim- 
itive sense  of  the  term  as  given  above, 
but  the  Gr.  has  rendered  it  by  a-xXaa- 
Tos,  gtdleless,  and  the  Vulg.  by  simplex, 
from  which  comes  our  translation  j;;Zam. 
But  this  is  a  very  ambiguous  term. 
'  Plain,'  in  one  of  its  senses,  is  opposed 
to  splendid,  sumptuous,  extravagant; 
but  this  can  hardly  be  its  import  here, 
as  in  this  particular  there  can  be  little 
doubt  that  the  two  brothers  were  very 
much  upon  a  level.  The  state  of  soci- 
ety in  those  primitive  ages  would  not 
allow  of  any  marked  difference  in  their 
modes  of  living  in  this  respect.  Again, 
that  it  is  a  term  descriptive  of  moral 
character,  implying  that  high  degree  of 
sincerity,  uprightness,  and  integrity  which 
is  predicated  in  the  word  perfect  of  Noah, 
Job,  and  others,  is  not  very  easily  con- 
ceivable, while  so  much  evidence  to  the 
contrary  is  afforded  in  regard  to  Jacob 
by  the  sequel  of  the  narrative.  Per- 
haps the  most  probable  supposition  is 
that  it  refers  not  to  moral  qualities,  but 
to  native  disposition,  temperament,  or  pre- 
dilection as  to  a  particular  mode  of  life, 
and  that  Jacob  is  here  called  a  'plain 
man,'  not  as  plainness  is  opposed  to  sub- 
tlety'xn  general,  in  which  he  seems  to  have 
beenasmuchanadeptashis  brother,  but 
as  opposed  to  Esau's  skill,  cunning,  or 
dexterity  in  hunting,  a  pursuit  to  which 
Jacob  was  habitually  or  constitutionally 
averse,  preferring  the  more  calm  and 
quiet  occupations  of  the  pastoral  life. 
IT  Dwelling  in  tents.  It  would,  per- 
haps, be  too  much  to  infer  from  this  that 
Esau  did  not  dw^ell  at  all  in  tents ;  but 
as  Jacob  followed  the  occupation  of 
a  shepherd,  and  as  the  pastoral  life  was 
nece.'ssarily  in  those  regions  nomadic  or 
migratory,  this  would  naturally  lead  to 
his  living  more  emphatically  in  tents, 
as  a  needful  appendage  to  his  pursuits 
as  a  shepherd.  '  The  use  of  tents  pro- 
bably arose  at  first  out  of  the  exigencies 
of  pastoral  life,  which  rendered  it  ne- 
cessary that  men  removing  from  one 
place  to  another  in  search  of  pasture 


should  have  a  portable  habitation.  Ac- 
cordingly we  find  that  the  first  mention 
of  tents  is  connected  with  the  keeping 
of  cattle  (ch.  4.  20),  and  to  this  day 
tents  remain  the  exclusive  residence  of 
only  pastoral  people.  Portabihty  is  not 
the  only  recommendation  of  tents  to  the 
nomade  tribes  of  the  East ;  the  shelter 
which  they  offer  in  the  warm  but  de- 
licious climates  of  Western  Asia  is  posi- 
tive enjoyment.  Shelter  from  the  sun 
is  all  that  is  needful ;  and  this  a  tent 
sufficiently  affords,  without  excluding 
the  balmy  and  delicate  external  air,  the 
comparative  exclusion  of  which  renders 
the  finest  house  detestable  to  one  ac- 
customed to  a  residence  in  tents.  The 
advantage  of  tents  in  this  respect  is  so 
well  understood  even  by  the  inhabitants 
of  towns,  that  in  many  places,  those 
whose  circumstances  admit  it,  endeavor 
so  far  as  possible,  to  occupy  tents  dur- 
ing the  summer  months.  This  was  the 
constant  practice  of  the  late  king  of 
Persia,  who  every  year  left  his  capital 
with  all  the  nobles,  and  more  than  half 
the  inhabitants,  to  encamp  in  the  plain 
of  Sultanieh.  Many  of  the  princes,  his 
.sons,  did  the  same  in  their  several  pro- 
vinces ;  and  the  practice  is  an  old  one 
in  Persia.  It  is  true  that  tents  would 
seem  to  be  rather  cheerless  abodes  in 
the  winter ;  but  it  is  to  be  recollected 
that  the  nomades  have  generally  the 
power  of  changing  the  climate  with  the 
season.  In  winter  the  Bedouins  plunge 
into  the  heart  of  the  Desert,  and  others 
descend,  in  the  same  season,  from  the 
mountainous  and  high  lands,  where  they 
had  enjoyed  comparative  coolness  in 
summer,  to  the  genial  winter  climate  of 
the  low  valleys  and  plains,  which  in  the 
summer  had  been  too  warm.  It  is  im- 
possible to  ascertain  with  precision  the 
construction  and  appearance  of  the  pa- 
triarchal tents ;  but  we  shall  not  pro- 
bably be  far  from  the  truth,  if  we  con- 
sider the  present  Arab  tent  as  affording 
the  nearest  existing  approximation  to 
the  ancient  model.    The  common  Arab 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


B.  C.  1837.] 

28  And  Isaac  loved  Esau,  because 
he  did  ^  eat  of  his  venison :  '  but 
Rebekah  loved  J  acob. 

b  ch.  27.  19,  25,  31.        i  ch.  27.  6. 


tent  is  generally  of  an  oblong  figure,  va- 
rying in  size  according  to  the  wants  or 
rank  of  the  owner,  and  its  general  shape 
not  unaptly  compared  by  Sallust,  and 
after  him  Dr.  Shaw,  to  the  hull  of  a  ship 
turned  upside  down.  A  length  of  from 
25  to  30  feet,  by  a  depth  or  breadth  not 
exceeding  10  feet,  form  the  dimensions 
of  a  rather  large  family  tent ;  but  there 
are  many  larger.  The  extreme  height — 
that  is,  the  height  of  the  poles,  which 
are  made  higher  than  the  others  in  order 
to  give  a  slope  to  throw  off  the  rain 
from  the  roof— varies  from  7  to  10  feet : 
but  the  height  of  the  side  parts  seldom 
exceeds  5  or  6  feet.  The  most  usual 
sized  tent  has  9  poles,  three  in  the  mid- 
dle, and  three  on  each  ."iide.  The  cover- 
ing of  the  tent  among  the  Arabs  is  usu- 
ally black  goats'-hair,  so  completely 
woven,  as  to  be  impervious  to  the  hea- 
viest rain ;  but  the  side  coverings  are 
often  of  coarse  wool.  These  tent-cov- 
erings are  spun  and  woven  at  home  by 
the  women,  unless  the  tribe  has  not 
goats  enough  to  supply  its  own  demand 
for  goats'-hair,  when  the  stuff  is  bought 
from  those  better  furnished.  The  front 
of  the  tent  is  usually  kept  open,  except 
in  winter,  and  the  back  and  side  hang- 
ings or  coverings  are  so  managed,  that 
the  air  can  be  admitted  in  any  direction, 
or  excluded  at  pleasure.  The  tents  are 
kept  stretched  in  the  usual  way  by  cords, 
fastened  at  one  end  to  the  poles,  and  at 
the  other  to  pins  driven  into  the  ground 
at  the  distance  of  th.ree  or  four  paces 
from  the  tent.  The  interior  is  divided 
into  two  apartments,  by  a  curtain  hung 
up  against  the  middle  poles  of  the  tent. 
This  partition  is  u.sually  of  white  wool- 
en stutr,  sometimes  interwoven  with 
patterns  of  flowers.  One  of  these  is 
for  the  men,  and  the  other  for  the  wo- 1 
men.     In  the  former,  the  ground  is  usu-' 


29  IF  And  Jacob  sod  pottage  : 
and  Esau  came  from  the  field  and 
he  ivas  faint. 


ally  covered  with  carpets  or  mats,  and 
the  wheat-sacks  and  camel-bags  are 
heaped  up  in  it,  around  the  middle  post, 
like  a  pyramid,  at  the  base  of  which,  or 
towards  the  back  of  the  tent,  are  ar- 
ranged the  camels'  pack-saddles,  against 
which  the  men  recline  as  they  sit  on  the 
ground.  The  women's  apartment  is  less 
neat,  being  encumbered  with  all  the 
lumber  of  the  tent,  the  water  and  but- 
ter skins,  the  culinary  utensils,  &c 
Some  tents  of  great  people  are  square, 
perhaps  30  feet  square,  with  a  propor- 
tionate increase  in  the  number  of  poles, 
while  others  are  so  small  as  to  require 
but  one  pole  to  support  the  centre.  The 
principal  differences  are  in  the  slope  of 
the  roof,  and  in  the  part  for  entrance. 
When  the  tent  is  oblong,  the  front  is 
sometimes  one  of  the  broad,  and  at  oth- 
er times  one  of  the  narrow,  sides  of  the 
tent.  We  suspect  this  difference  de- 
pends on  the  seas(m  of  the  year  or  the 
character  of  the  locaUty,  but  we  cannot 
speak  with  certainty  on  this  point. 
Some  further  information  concerning 
tents  has  been  given  in  previous  notes, 
and  other  tents  and  huts  will  hereafter 
be  noticed.  It  will  be  observed,  that  the 
tent  covering  among  the  Arabs  is  usu- 
ally black  ;  but  it  seems  that  they  are 
sometimes  brown,  and  occasionally  strip- 
ed white  and  black.  Black  tents  seem 
to  have  prevailed  among  the  Arabs  from 
the  earliest  times.' — Picl.  Bible. 

23.  Isaac  loved  Esau,  because,  &c. 
This  partiality  of  Isaac  towards  Esau, 
especially  considering  the  grounds  of  it, 
was  not  only  a  weakness  wholly  unwor- 
thy of  him,  but  the  prolific  source  of 
most  of  the  troubles  which  afterwards 
arose  to  disquiet  the  family  of  the  pa- 
triarch. Th.e  mischief  was  increased 
by  Rebekah's  having  her  favorite  also  ; 
although  the  reas-ons  of  her  preference 


36 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1837. 


30  And  Esau  said  to  Jacob,  Feed 
me,  I  pray  thee,  with  that  same  red 


are  not  stated.     Perhaps  her  affections 
centered  more  upon  Jacob,  because  he 
was  the   younger,  more  dehcate,  more 
placid,  and  of  a  more   domestic   turn. 
Or  it  may  be  that  her  fondness  was  di- 
rected   by  the   prophecies   which   had 
gone  before  upon  him,  marking  him  out 
as  the   one   more   favored  of  heaven. 
But,  whatever  may  be  said  of  the  res- 
pective grounds  of  these  parental  prefer- 
ences, it  is  clear  from  the    sequel  that 
nothing  could   be  more  unhappy  than 
the   consequences   to  which  they  led. 
The  distresses  which  embittered  the  re- 
mainder of  Isaac's  life  are  to  be  traced 
directly  to  this  source  ;  teaching  us  by 
an  impressive  example,  the  lesson  which 
all  parents  rnay  expect  to  learn  from  the 
exhibition  of  a  similar  weakness.      A 
distinction  among  children,  while  it  sows 
the  seeds  of  discord  between  the  heads 
of  the  household  themselves,  produces 
effects  upon  its  objects    equally  disas- 
trous.    It  kindles  the  flames  of  jealousy 
and  resentment  between  brothers  and 
sisters,   and   renders   the   heart,  which 
should  be  the  seat  of  every  gentle  and 
kindly  emotion,  the  habitation  of  anger, 
malice,  and  revenge  ;  and  if  such  bale- 
ful passions  do  not  break  out  into  deeds 
of  violence  and  blood,  it  will  be  simply 
because  a  kind  providence  in  some  way 
interposes,  and  spares   those  that  have 
sown  the  wind  from  reaping  the  whirl- 
wind.    Let  these   considerations   have 
their  due  weight  with   those  who  stand 
in  this  deUcate  and  responsible  relation. 
Let  the   principles  of  equity   combine 
with  the  dictates  of  nature  to  forbid  an 
unequal  distribution  of  parental  favors 
or  affections.     It  may  not  perhaps  be 
always  possible  to  suppress  the  feeling 
of  preference,  but  the  expression  of  it, 
at  least,  is  in  our  power  ;  and  as  we  val- 
ue the  peace  and  happiness  of  the  do- 
mestic circle,  as  well  as  the  real  good  of 
the  object  of  our  partiality,  we  shall  stu- 


poitage ;  for  I  am  faint :  therefore 
was  his  name  called  Edom. 


diously  avoid    betraying    it  either  by 

word  or  deed. ^  Because  he  did  eat 

of  his  venison.  Heb-  I'lCS  T'lZ  '^ID  ^i 
tznyid  bephiv,  because  his  venison  was  in 
his  mouth.  Gr.  '  His  wild  game  was  his 
food.'  The  original  denotes  not  merely 
the  flesh  of  the  deer  as  among  tis,  but 
a?iy  kind  of  game  taken  in  hunting ;  and 
the  import  of  the  expression  '  was  in  his 
mouth'  is,  that  it  was  agreeable  to  his 
taste.  This  phraseology,  it  seems,  ia 
not  unknown  elsewhere  in  the  East. 
'  Has  a  man  been  supported  by  another, 
and  is  it  asked,  '  Why  does  Kandan  love 
Muttoo  ?'  the  reply  is,  '  Because  Mut- 
too's  rice  is  in  his  mouth.''  '  Why  have 
you  such  a  regard  for  that  man  ?' — '  Is 
not  his  rice  in  my  mouth  T — Roberts. 
But  how  humiliating  the  reason  assign- 
ed for  Isaac's  preference  of  his  elder 
son !  By  what  grovelling  and  unwor- 
thy motives  are  wise  and  good  men 
sometimes  actuated  !  How  mortifying 
a  view  of  human  nature  to  see  prudence, 
justice,  and  piety  controlled  by  one  of 
the  lowest  and  grossestof  our  appetites  ! 

29.  Jacob  sod  pottage.  '  Sod'  is  the 
past  tense  of  '  seethe,'  to  boil.  The 
word  rendered  pottage  signifies  a  dish 
made  by  boiling.  See  farther  of  this 
dish  in  the  subsequent  note. 

30.  Feed  me.  Heb.  'i:::2'^5bn  haliteni, 
let  me  have  a  draught ;  a  word  occurring 
nowhere  else  in  the  Bible,  and  evident- 
ly implying  that  the  dish  was  served  up 
in  a  liquid  form.  'The  people  of  the 
East  are  exceedingly  fond  of  pottage^ 
which  they  call  Kool.  It  is  something 
like  gruel,  and  is  made  of  various  kinds 
of  grain,  which  are  first  beaten  in  a 
mortar.  The  red  pottage  is  made  of 
Kurakan,  and  other  grains,  but  is  not 
superior  to  the  other.  For  such  a  con- 
temptible mess,  then,  did  Esau  sell  hi.s 
birthright.  When  a  man  has  sold  his 
fields  or  gardens  for  an  insignificant  sum, 
tlie  people  say  '  The  fellow  has  sold  hi?i 


B.  C.  1837.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


67 


31  And  Jacob  said,  Sell  me  this  jam  at  the  point  to  die:  and  what 


day  thy  birthright 
32    And   Esau 


=aid,   Behold,    I 


land  for  pottage.''  Does  a  father  give  his 
daughter  in  marriage  to  a  low  caste  man, 
it  is  observed, 'He  has  given  her  for 
pottage.''  Does  a  person  by  base  means 
seek  for  some  paltry  enjoyment,  it  is 
said,  '  For  one  leaf  (i.  e.,  leaf-ful)  of  pot- 
tage, he  will  do  nine  days'  work.'  Has 
a  learned  manstooped  to  any  thing  which 
was  not  expected  from  him,  it  is  said, 
'The  learned  one  has  fallen  into  the 
pottage  pot.''  Has  he  given  instruction 
or  advice  to,others — '  The  hzard  which 
gave  warning  to  the  people,  has  fallen 
into  the  pottage  pot.''  Of  a  man  in  great 
poverty,  it  is  remarked,  '  Alas  !  he  can- 
not get  pottage.''  A  beggar  asks,  '  Sir, 
will  you  give  me  a  little  pottage  V  Does 
a  man  seek  to  acquire  large  things  by 
small  means—'  He  is  trying  to  procure 
rubies  by  pottage."  When  a  person 
gready  flatters  another,  it  is  common  to 
say,  '  He  praises  him  only  for  his  pot- 
tage.'' Does  a  king  greatly  oppress  hi.s 
subjects,  it  is  said,  '  He  only  governs  for 
his  pottage.''  Has  an  individual  lost 
much  money  by  trade — '  The  specula- 
tion has  broken  his  pottage  pot'  Does 
a  rich  man  threaten  to  ruin  a  poor  man, 
the  latter  will  ask,  'Will  the  lightning 

strike  my  pottage  pot  ?'     Roberts. H 

With  that  same  red  pottage.  Heb.  y^ 
'BlJ^n  C^i^tl  '>nin  haadom,  haodom,  of  or 
from  the  red,  that  red.  The  repetition  of 
the  epithet  and  the  omission  of  the  sub- 
stantive, indicated  the  extreme  haste 
and  eagerness  of  the  asker.  His  eye 
Was  caught  by  the  color  and  luscious  ap- 
pearance of  the  dish,  and  being  faint 
with  hunger  and  fatigue,  he  gave  way 
to  the  solicitations  of  appetite,  regardless 
of  consequences.  '  The  ^1^4  edom,  or 
redpottage,  was  prepared,  we  learn  from 
this  chapter,  by  seething  lentils  S"'^'"T!3> 
idashim  in  water  ;  and  subsequently,  as 
ive  may  guess,  from  a  practice  which 
prevails  in  many  countries,  adding  a  lit- ! 


profit   shall   this 
me  ] 


birtliriffht    do    to 


de  manteca,  or  suet,  to  give  them  a  fla- 
vor. The  writer  of  these  observations 
has  often  partaken  of  this  self-same  'red 
pottage,'  served  up  in  the  manner  just 
described,  and  found  it  better  food  than 
a  stranger  would  be  apt  to  imagine. 
The  mess  had  the  redness  which  gained 
for  it  the  name  of  edom ;  and  which, 
through  the  singular  circumstance  of  a 
son  selling  his  birthright  to  satisfy  the 
cravings  of  a  pressing  appetite,  it  impart- 
ed to  the  posterity  of  Esau  in  the  people 
of  Edom.  The  lentil  (or  Lens  esculenta  of 
some  writers,  and  the  Ervum  lens  of 
Linnaeus)  belongs  to  the  leguminous  or 
podded  family.  The  stem  is  branched, 
and  the  leaves  consist  of  about  eight 
pairs  of  smaller  leaflets.  The  flowers 
are  small,  and  with  the  upper  division 
of  the  flower  prettily  veined.  The  pod.s 
contain  about  two  seeds,  which  vary 
from  a  tawny  red  to  a  black.  It  delights 
in  a  dry,  warm,  sandy  soil.  Three  va- 
rieties are  cultivated  in  France — '  small 
brown,'  'yellowish,'  and  the  'lentil  of 
Provence.'  In  the  former  country  they 
are  dressed  and  eaten  during  Lent  as  a 
haricot ;  in  Syria  they  are  used  as  food 
after  they  have  undergone  the  simple 
process  of  being  parched  in  a  pan  over 

the  fire.'— P/'i.    Bible. ^    Therefore 

was  his  name  called  Edom.  That  is,  red. 
That  another  reason  existed  for  his  be- 
ing so  called,  viz.  the  peculiar  cast  of 
his  complexion  or  skin  at  birth,  appears 
from  V.  25 ;  but  the  epithet  acquired  a 
new  significancy  from  the  circumstance 
here  recorded,  and  was  in  fact  applied 
to  him  as  a  memorial  of  his  inordinate 
craving  in  the  matter  of  the  red  pottai;e, 
under  the  promptings  of  which  he  vvas 
induced  to  sell  his  birthright. 

Z 1 .  Sell  me  th is  day  thy  birth righ  t.  Th at 
is,  the  right  of  primogeniture,  the  pre- 
rogatives of  which  were  very  impor- 
tant, although  the  attempts  of  the  learn* 


68 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1837. 


ed  to  define  them  with  absolute  precis- 
ion have  not  been  successful.  The  fol- 
lowing are  usually  enumerated  as  the 
principal  privileges  which  constituted 
the  distinction  of  the  first-bom  :  (1)  They 
were  peculiarly  given  and  consecrated 
to  God,  Ex.  22.  29 ;  (2)  they  stood  next 
in  honor  to  tlieir  parents,  Gen.  49.  3  ; 
(3)  had  a  double  portion  in  the  paternal 
inheritance,  Deut.  21.17;  (4)  succeed- 
ed in  the  government  of  the  family  or 
kingdom,  2  Chron.  21.  3;  and,  (5)  vv-ere 
honored  with  the  office  of  priesthood, 
and  the  administration  of  the  pubhc 
worship  of  God.  The  phrase  '  first-born,' 
therefore,  w^as  used  to  denote  one  who 
was  pecuU  rly  near  and  dear  to  his 
father,  Ex.  4.  22,  and  higher  than  his 
brethren,  Ps.  89.  23 ;  and  typically 
pointed  to  Christ,  and  to  all  true  Christ- 
ians, who  are  joint  heirs  with  him,  to  an 
eternal  inheritance,  and  constitute  the 
first-born  whose  names  are  written  in 
heaven.  Heb.  12.  23.  '  It  should  be 
understood,-  that  previously  to  the  es 
tablishment  of  a  priesthood  under  the 
Law  of  3Ioses,  the  first-born  had  not 
only  a  preference  in  the  secular  inherit- 
ance, but  succeeded  exclusively  to  the 
priestly  functions  which  had  belonged 
to  his  father,  in  leading  the  religious  ob- 
servances of  the  family,  and  performing 
the  simple  rehgious  rites  of  these 
patriarchal  times.  The  secular  part  of 
the  birthright  entided  the  first-born  to  a 
'double  portion'  of  the  inheritance; 
but  writers  are  divided  in  opinion  as  to 
the  proportion  of  this  double  share. 
Some  think  that  he  had  one-half,  and 
that  the  rest  was  equally  divided  among 
the  other  sons  ;  but  a  careful  considera- 
tion of  Gen.  47.  5 — 22,  in  which  we  see 
that  Jacob  transfers  the  privilege  of  the 
first-born  to  Joseph,  and  that  this  privi- 
lege consisted  in  his  having  one  share 
more  than  any  of  his  brethren,  inchnes 
us  to  the  opinion  of  the  Rabbins,  that 
the  first-born  had  merely  twice  as  much 
as  any  other  of  his  brethren.  It  is  cer- 
tainly possible,  but  not  very  likely,  that 


in  the  emergency,  Esau  bartered  all 
his  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage  ; 
but  it  seems  more  probable  that  Esau 
did  not  properly  appreciate  the  value  of 
the  sacerdotal  part  of  his  birthright,  and 
therefore  readily  transferred  it  to  Jacob 
for  a  trifling  present  advantage.  This 
view  of  the  matter  seems  to  be  confirm- 
ed by  St.  Paul,  who  calls  Esau  a  '  pro- 
fane person'  for  his  conduct  on  this  oc- 
casion ;  and  it  is  rather  for  despising  his 
spiritual  than  his  temporal  privileges, 
that  he  seems  to  be  liable  to  such  an 
imputation.' — Pict.  Bible. 

32.  Behold,  I  am  at  the  point  to  die. 
m>2b  "ibin  "^ij^it  anold  Jiolek  lamuih,  1 
am  going  {or  walking)  to  die ;  i.  e.  I  am 
daily  exposed  to  die  ;  liable  to  be  cut 
oflT  in  consequence  of  my  precarious 
mode  of  life,  and  at  best  have  but  a 
short  time  to  live.  This  was  doubtless 
his  meaning,  and  not  that  he  should  now 
die  of  hunger  unless  he  ate  of  the  pot- 
tage ;  for  it  is  not  conceivable  but  that 
in  the  house  of  Isaac  there  either  was, 
or  might  easily  be  procured,  something 
to  satisfy  tlie  cravings  of  nature.  But 
men  seldom  abstain  from  any  thing  they 
are  anxious  to  do,  for  want  of  some  ex- 
cuse on  the  ground  of  expediency  or 
necessity  to  justify  it.  So  it  was 
with  Esau.  He  was  eager  for  the  food, 
and,  under  the  pressure  of  hunger,  was 
willing  to  part  with  his  birthright  to  ob- 
tain it,  though  he  was  still  too  well  aware 
of  the  value  of  his  inheritance  to  alien- 
ate it  w-ithout  presenting  to  himself  the 
semblance  of  a  reason  for  so  unequal  a 
barter.  He  therefore  makes  the  expos- 
edness  of  his  condition  a  pretence  for 
the  step .  With  this  flimsy  apology,  he 
endeavors  to  hide  from  himself  the  in- 
fatuation of  his  conduct.  The  spirit  of 
his  language  was,  'I  cannot  live  upon 
promises ;  give  me  something  to  eat 
and  drink,  for  to- morrow  I  die.'  Such  is 
the  spirit  of  unbehef  in  every  age  ;  and 
thus  it  is  that  poor  deluded  souls  con- 
tinue to  despise  things  distant  and 
heavenly,  preferring  to  them  the  rao- 


B.  C.  1837.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


33  And  Jacob  said,  Swear  to  me 
this  day;  and  he  sware  unto  him  : 
and  ^  he  sold  his  birthright  unto  Ja- 
cob. 

34  Then  Jacob  gave  Esau  bread 

i  Hebr.  12.  16. 


mentary    gratifications    of    flesh    and 
sense. 

34.  Gave  Esau  bread  and  pottage  of 
lentiles.  Rather  according  to  the  Heb. 
'  Gave  Esau  food,  even  pottage  of  len- 
tiles.  '  Lentiles'  were  a  kind  of  pulse, 
Hke  vetches  or  pease.  Dr.  Sliavv  ob- 
serves of  the  Egyptians,  '  that  beans, 
lentiles,  kidney  beans,  and  garvancos, 
are  the  chiefest  of  their  pulse  kind. 
Beans,  when  boiled,  and  stewed  with 
oil  and  garlic,  are  the  principal  food  of 
persons  of  all  distinctions.  Lejitiles  are 
dressed  in  the  same  manner  as  beans, 
dissolving  easily  into  a  mass,  and  mak- 
ing a  j)o;/o^e  of  a  chocolate  color. ^ — Tra- 
vels, p.  140. IT  Thus  Esau  despised  his 

birthright.  That  is,  practically  despised 
\t ;  not  that  he  did  in  his  private  judg- 
ment entertain  a  contemptuous  idea  of 
Its  value,  but  by  bartering  it  away  for 
Buch  a  paltry  consideration,  he  acted  as 
if  he  despised  it ;  and  the  Scriptures  re- 
gard conduct  as  the  true  test  of  princi- 
ple and  motive.  Thus  was  the  momen- 
tous bargain  concluded  which  was  to 
transfer  for  ever  to  the  younger  son  the 
right  of  primogeniture — a  bargain  of 
which  Bp.  Hall  significantly  remarks, 
'  there  was  never  any  meat,  except  the 
forbidden  fruit,  so  dear  bought  as  this 
broth  of  Jacob.'  It  would  have  been  a 
strong  proof  of  his  indifference  to  re- 
ligious privileges,  had  he  sold  them  for 
all  the  riches  that  Jacob  could  have  giv- 
en him  in  return;  but  what  can  be 
thought  of  the  infatuation  of  throwing 
them  away  for  so  very  a  trifle  ?  How 
justly  does  the  apostle,  writing  as  mov- 
ed by  the  Holy  Ghost,  affix  the  epithet 
'profane' to  the  ctiaracter  of  the  man 
who,  '  for  one  morsel  of  meat  sold  his 
birthright.'      A  profane  person  is  one  ' 


and  pottage  of  lentiles  ;  and  i  he  did 
eat  and  drink,  and  rose  up,  and 
went  his  way  :  thus  Esau  despised 
his  birthright. 

1  Eccles.  8. 15.    Isai.  22. 13.    1  Cor.  15.  32. 

who  treats  sacred  things  with  irreligious 
contempt.  Esau  is  so  termed  because 
he  practically  despised  and  undervalued 
those  inestimable  spiritual  privileges 
and  blessings  secured  in  the  birthright. 
Had  he  disregarded  only  temporal  ben- 
efits, he  had  been  guilty  indeed  of  egre- 
gious/oZZy,  but  it  would  not  have  amount- 
ed to  profaneness.  But  now  by  one 
rash  act,  prompted  by  the  urgency  of  a 
fleshly  appetite,  he  voluntarily  renounc- 
ed, and  forfeited  for  himself  and  his 
posterity,  all  the  precious  prerogatives 
which  flowed  down  in  the  line  of  the 
covenant,  and  which  ought  to  have  been 
dearer  to  him  than  life  itself.  It  may, 
indeed,  be  said  that  it  was  unjust  and  un- 
kind in  Jacob  to  take  advantage  of  his 
brother's  necessity  and  thoughtlessness, 
and  we  may  not  perhaps  be  able  wholly 
to  acquit  him  of  the  charge ;  but  still 
this  affords  no  real  paUiation  of  the  con- 
duct of  Esau.  The  Scriptures  nowhere 
represent  Jacob  as  a  perfect  character  ; 
and  it  is,  moreover,  altogether  suppos- 
able  that  be  had  long  been  aware  of 
his  brother's  indifference  in  this  matter, 
and  that  he  had  daily  proofs  of  the  light 
estimation  in  which  he  held  these  spirit- 
ual favors,  and  therefore  would  be  less 
scrupulous  in  availing  himself  of  the  op- 
portunity to  get  .possession  of  them. 
But  all  this  affords  no  apology  for  Esau, 
whose  criminahty  was  enhanced  by 
his  evincing  no  remorse  on  account  of 
what  he  had  done.  He  expressed  no 
regret  for  his  folly,  nor  made  any  over- 
tures to  his  brother  to  induce  him  to 
cancel  the  bargain.  On  the  contrary, 
it  is  said  that '  he  did  eat  and  drink,  and 
rose  up  and  went  his  way ;'  as  if  ho 
were  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  equiv- 
alent, su(!h  as  it  was,  which  he  had  ob- 


70 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1804. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

AND  there  was  a  famine  in  the 
land,  besides  '^  the  first  famine 
that  was  in  the  days  of  Abraham. 
And  Isaac  went  unto  '^Abimelech 
king  of  the  Philistines  unto  Gerar. 

a  ch.  I'll.  10.        b  ch.  20.  2. 


tained.  But  while  we  justly  condemn 
the  reckless  and  ruinous  conduct  of 
Esau  in  this  transaction,  let  us  not  for- 
get how  many  there  are  that  virtually 
justify  his  deed  by  following  his  exam- 
ple. Though  Hving  embosomed  in  an 
economy  of  light  and  love,  yet  what 
numbers  are  there  who  manifest  the 
same  indifference  about  spiritual  bless- 
ings, and  the  same  insatiate  thirst  after 
sensual  indulgence,  as  did  Esau  ?  The 
language  of  their  conduct  is,  '  Give  me 
the  gratification  of  my  desires  ;  I  must 
and  will  have  it,  whatever  it  cost  me. 
If  I  cannot  have  it  but  at  the  peril  of  my 
soul,  so  be  it.  Let  my  hope  in  Christ 
be  destroyed  ;  let  my  prospects  of  hea- 
ven be  for  ever  darkened  ;  only  give  me 
the  indulgence  which  my  lusts  demand.' 
What  do  we  see  in  all  this  but  the  very 
temper  and  behavior  of  the  profane 
Esau  ?  What  is  this  but  a  sale  of  the 
birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage  ?  Such 
conduct,  in  such  circumstances,  is  far 
more  inexcusable  than  even  that  of 
Esau.  It  may  be  pleaded  in  excuse  for 
him  that  he  knew  not  comparatively 
what  a  Saviour  or  what  an  inheritance 
he  despised.  But  we  have  had  the 
Saviour  fully  revealed  to  us,  and  know 
what  a  glorious  place  the  heavenly  Ca- 
naan is.  Yet  with  thousands  Christ  and 
heaven  are  as  little  thought  of  as  though 
they  were  utterly  unworthy  of  atten- 
tion. And  what  aggravates  this  per- 
verseness  is,  that  it  is  followed  by  the 
same  reckless  unconcern  as  marked  the 
conduct  of  Esau.  Its  subjects  do  not 
bethink  themselves  of  what  they  have 
done.  They  go  on  in  their  worldly  ca- 1 
reer  regardless  of  consequences.  They  j 
do  not  acknowledge  and  bewail  their  I 


2  And  the  Lokd  appeared  unto 
him,  and  said,  Go  not  down  into 
Egypt :  dwell  in  "  the  land  which  1 
shall  tell  thee  of. 

3  ^  Sojourn  in  this  land,  and  « I 

<=  ch.  12. 1.  d  ch.  20.  1.  Ps.  39.  12.  Hebr. 
11.  9.  e  ch.  28. 15. 


sin  and  folly.  They  do  not  repent  and 
pray  for  pardon.  They  do  not  resort  to 
the  means  which  God  in  mercy  has  pro- 
vided for  the  forgiveness  of  offenders. 
Alas !  what  a  fearfully  close  resemblance 
in  all  this  to  the  mad  career  of  their 
prototype  !  We  can  only  earnestly  be- 
seech all  such  to  reflect  deeply  on  their 
folly  and  danger,  and  to  contemplate 
that  moment  when  they  shall  be  '  at  the 
point  to  die.'  Let  them  think  what 
judgment  they  will  then  form  of  earthly 
and  eternal  things.  Will  they  then  say 
contemptuously,  '  What  profit  will  thia 
birthright  be  to  me  ?'  Will  it  then  ap- 
pear a  trifling  matter  to  have  an  inter- 
est in  the  Saviour,  and  a  title  to  hea- 
ven ? 


CHAPTER  XXVL 

1.  And  there  was  a  famine,  &c.  The 
times  of  the  patriarchs  appear  to  have 
been  remarkable  for  the  frequent  occur- 
rence of  famines.  It  may  not  be  easy 
to  account  for  the  fact,  but  it  is  obvious 
that  every  such  season  must  have  been 
a  trial  to  their  faith,  as  it  would  tempt 
them  to  think  lightly  of  the  land  of 
promise.  Unbelief  would  say  that  it 
was  a  land  which  '  ate  up  the  inhabit- 
ants thereof,'  and  that  it  was  not  worth 
waiting  for.  Thus  Abraham  had  been 
tried.  Gen.  12.  10,  and  Isaac  is  now 
made  to  pass  through  the  same  ordeal. 

IF  Isaac  went  unto  Abimelech.     '  The 

name  of  the  king  and  of  the  captain  of 
the  host,  Phichol  (v.  26),  are  the  same  as 
in  Abraham's  time  ;  but  the  persons  are 
no  doubt  diflferent,  as  more  than  ninety 
years  have  intervened  between  the  visit 
of  Abraham  and  this  of  Isaac.  It  is  not 
unlikely  that  '  Abimelech'  and 'Phichol' 


B.  C.  1804.] 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


71 


will  be  with  thee,  and  ^  wiJl  bless 
thee  :  for  unto  thee,  and  unto  thy 
seed  s  I  will  give  all  these  countries, 

^ch.l2.  1.        B  ch.  13.  15.  &  1.5. 18. 


were  standing  official  names  for  the 
kings  and  generals  of  this  little  kingdom. 
A  king  of  this  country  is  called  Abime- 
lech  in  David's  time.  In  the  history, 
indeed,  1  Sam.  21. 10,  he  is  called  Achish, 
but  in  Ps.  34,  he  is  called  Abimelech. — 
There  is  a  surprising  similarity  between 
the  history  of  Abraham's  sojourn  at  Ge- 
rar,  and  that  of  his  son. 

2.  Go  not  down  into  Egypt.  Whither 
it  was  undoubtedly  his  original  purpose 
to  have  gone.  But  although  Abraham 
in  like  circumstances  had  been  permit- 
ted to  go  to  the  same  country,  and  so- 
journ there  during  the  extremity  of  the 
famine,  yet  this  permission  was  denied 
to  Isaac ;  perhaps  because  God  fore- 
saw that,  from  the  native  gentleness  of 
his  character,  he  would  be  less  able  than 
his  father  to  encounter  the  perils  and 
temptations  with  which  he  would  meet 
among  a  people,  from  whose  vices  the 
more  hardy  virtue  of  Abraham  himself 
had  scarcely  escaped  unharmed.  It 
would,  indeed,  have  been  easy  for  God 
to  have  armed  him  with  a  sufficient  de- 
gree of  inward  fortitude  to  withstand 
the  assaults  to  which  his  religious  princi- 
ples would  be  exposed,  but  this  would 
have  been  a  departure  from  the  ordina- 
ry course  of  his  moral  government,  and 
he  consults  his  well-being  at  once  more 
wisely  and  more  kindly  by  sparing  him 
the  necessity  of  the  conflict.  Where 
the  heart  and  the  general  course  of  con- 
duct is  right,  we  may  take  it  for  grant- 
ed that  God  will  order  his  providence, 
with  a  special  reference  to  our  infirmi- 
ties, so  as  graciously  to  anticipate  and 
avert  the  evils  into  which  we  should 
otherwise     have    plunged     ourselves. 

T  Dwell  in  the  land,  &c.    Heb.  "p^ 

shekon,  tabernacle,  or  dwell  tent-wise. 
Thus  Heb.  11.  9,  'By  faith  he  (Abra- 
ham) sojourned  in  the  land  of  promise,  | 


and  I  will  perform  ^  the  oath  which 
I  sware  unto  Abraham  thy  fath- 
er; 

b  ch.  22. 16.    Ps.  105.  9. 


as  in  a  strange  country,  dwelling  in  tab- 
ernacles with  Isaac  and  Jacob  5'  i.  e.  in 
the  same  way  with  Isaac  and  Jacob.  He 
is  commanded  to  abide  in  the  land  of 
his  present  sojourning,  and  yet  in  such 
a  way  that  he  should  be  perpetually 
reminded  that  he  was  merely  a  sojourn- 
er, and  that  the  time  for  the  full  posses- 
sion of  the  promised  land  had  not  yet  ar- 
rived. 'He  feeds  his  mind  with  the 
hope  of  the  promised  inheritance,  but  at 
the  same  time  magnifies  his  word  by 
giving  him  inward  peace  only  in  the 
midst  of  outward  agitations.  And  sure- 
ly we  never  lean  upon  a  better  prop 
than  when,  trusting  simply  to  the  divine 
declaration,  and  disregarding  the  present 
aspect  of  things,  we  apprehend  by 
faith  a  blessing  which  does  not  yet  ap- 
pear.'— Calvin. 

3.  I  will  be  with  thee,  &c.  Chal.  '  3Iy 
Word  shall  be  an  help  unto  thee.'  To 
satisfy  Isaac  that  he  should  never  want 
a  guide  or  a  provider,  the  Lord  renews  to 
him  the  promises  that  had  been  made  to 
his  father  Abraham.  '  Had  he  met  with 
nothing  to  drive  him  from  his  retreat  by 
the  well  of  Lahai-roi,  he  might  have  en- 
joyed more  quiet,  but  he  might  not  have 
been  indulged  with  such  great  and  pre- 
cious promises.  Times  of  affliction, 
though  disagreeable  to  the  flesh,  have 
often  proved  our  best  times.' — Fuller. 
It  is  in  this  way  that  God  is  wont  to 
arouse  his  sluggish  servants  to  action, 
by  assuring  them  that  their  labor  shall 
be  in  vain.  He  does,  indeed,  claim  at 
our  hands,  as  a  father  from  a  son,  a  rea- 
dy and  unrecompensed  service,  but  he  is 
pleased  by  the  exhibition  of  rich  rewards 
to  stimulate  and  quicken  the  diligence 
which  is  so  prone  to  grow  slack.  This 
solemn  renewal  of  the  covenant  is  dis- 
tinguished by  two  remarkable  features  : 
( 1)  The  good  things  promised ;  '  I  will  be 


72 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1804. 


4  And  '  I  will  make  thy  seed  to 
multiply  as  the  stars  of  heaven, 
and  will  give  unto  thy  seed  all 
these  countries  :  ^  and  in  thy  seed 
shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed : 

'  ch.  15. 5.  &  22. 17.        ^  ch.  12.  3.  &c  22. 18. 


with  thee,  and  bless  thee,'  &c.  The 
sum  and  substance  of  the  blessings 
is,  the  grant  of  the  land  of  Canaan, 
a  numerous  progeny,  and,  chief  of  all, 
the  Messiah  in  whom  the  nations  should 
be  blessed.  On  these  precious  promises 
Isaac  was  to  live.  God  provided  him 
bread  in  the  day  of  famine,  but  he  Uved 
not  on  bread  only,  but  on  every  word 
which  proceeded  out  of  the  mouth  of 
God.  (2)  Their  being  given  for  Abra- 
hajTi's  sake  ;  '  Because  Abraham  obeyed 
my  voice,'  &c.  While  all  the  essential 
good  of  the  promise  is  assured  to  Isaac, 
and  thus  made  a  source  of  encourage- 
ment and  comfort  to  him,  any  incipient 
rising  of  self-complacency  is  kept  down 
by  the  intimation,  that  it  is  rather  to 
Abraham's  merit  than  to  his  own,  that 
he  is  to  look  as  the  procuring  cause  of 
such  signal  favor. '^  All  these  coun- 
tries. Heb.  n^li^  eratzoth,  lands  ;  viz. 
those  which  are  so  particularly  rehears- 
ed Gen.  15.  18 — 21,  though  now  pos- 
sessed by  numerous  and  powerful  na- 
tions. Corap.  Ps.  105.  42—44. — - 
T  WiUperform.  Heb.  ^in^^I^n  hakimothi, 
will  cause  to  stand  up,  will  establish ;  a 
phraseology  of  very  common  occur- 
rence in  speaking  of  the  fulfdment  of 
the  divine  promises.  Gr.  or^jo-co,  I  will 
establish,  confirm. 

5.  Kept  my  charge,  my  commandments, 
&c.  Heb.  "^ri'l^^'JS'^  ^'^'JL"^  yishmor 
mishmarti,  kept  my  keeping ;  i.  e.  my  or- 
dinances ;  a  general  term  for  whatever 
Gk)d  commands  or  ordains  for  man's  ob- 
servance. Comp.  Lev.  8.  35. — 22.  9. 
Deut.  11.  1.  The  variety  of  terms  here 
employed,  many  of  which  did  not  come 
into  common  use  till  some  agos  after- 
wards, seems  intended  to  convey  the  idea 


5  1  Because  that  Abraham  obey- 
ed my  voice,  and  kept  my  charge, 
my  commandments,  my  statutes^, 
and  my  laws. 

6  ][  And  Isaac  dwelt  in  Gerar  : 

7  And  the  men  of  the  place  ask- 

1  ch.  22. 16, 18. 


of  the  universality  of  Abraham's  obedi 
ence.  He  gave  the  most  diligent  and 
exact  heed  to  every  precept,  admonition, 
and  institution  which  God  was  pleased 
to  impart.  Very  nice  distinctions  are  at- 
tempted to  be  made  by  the  Jewish  wri- 
ters in  fixing  the  precise  import  of  these 
several  terms  ;  but  it  will  be  sufficient  to 
remark  in  general,  that  by  '  command- 
ments' is  meant  both  moral  precepts,  as 
those  of  the  decalogue,  to  which  it  is 
often  applied,  and  also  occasional  direc- 
tions or  appointments,  such  as  the  com- 
mand to  leave  the  land  of  the  Chaldees, 
to  offer  up  Isaac,  to  send  away  Ishmael, 
&c.  By  'statutes'  is  meant  the  ceremo- 
nial institutes,  or  the  rules  and  ordinan, 
ces  pertaining  to  the  ritual  services,  such 
as  circumcision,  sacrifices,  distinction  of 
clean  and  iinclean,  &c. ;  all  which  are 
founded  solely  upon  the  will  of  God,  and 
not  upon  the  intrinsic  nature  or  propriety 
of  things.  '  Laws,'  again,  are  authorita- 
tive instructions  relative  to  the  doctrines 
and  duties  of  religion  in  general ;  moral 
teachings  which  have  a  binding  power 
upon  the  conscience.  The  original  woi-d 
rrnri  torah  is  derived  from  a  root  j"!^'^ 
yarah,  signifying  to  teacli,  to  train  by  in- 
stitution, and  this  etymology  is  plainly 
hinted  at  in  the  sacred  text,  Ex.  24.  12,  '  I 
will  give  thee  tables  of  stone,  and  (even) 
a  law  (n'niri  torah,)  and  commandments) 
that  thou  mayest  teach  them  (DSTI'linb  ^- 
horotham).''  A  fuller  explication  of  these 
terms  will  be  given  as  we  proceed  in 
our  expository  notes  upon  the  subse 
quent  books. 

7.  The  men  of  the  place  asked  him  of 
his  wife.  As  the  word  answering  to 
'him'  is  wanting  in  the  original,  the  idea 
probably  is,  that  the  men  of  the  place 


B.  C.  1804.] 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


73 


ed  liim  of  his  wife ;  and  ">  he  said, 
She  is  my  sister  :  for  "  he  feared  to 
say,  She  is  my  wife ;  lest,  said  he, 
the  men  of  the  place  should  kill  me 
for  Rebekah;  because  she  °was 
fair  to  look  upon. 

8  And  it  came  to  pass  when  he 
had  been  there  a  long  time,  that 
Abimelech  king  of  the  Philistines 
looked  out  at  a  window,  and  saw, 
and  behold,  Isaac  was  sporting  with 
Rebekah  his  wife. 

«>  ch.  12. 13.  &c  20.  2, 13.  °  Prov.  2D.  25. 

«  ch.  24.  16, 


9  And  Abimelech  called  Isaac, 
and  said,  Behold,  of  a  surety  she  is 
thy  wife  :  and  how  saidst  thou,  She 
is  my  sister  ?  And  Isaac  said  unto 
him.  Because  I  said,  Lest  I  die  for 
her. 

10  And  Abimelech  said.  What  is 
this  thou  hast  done  unto  us  ?  one  of 
the  people  might  lightly  have  lien 
with  thy  wife,  and  p  thou  shouldest 
have  brought  guiltiness  upon  us. 

11  And  Abimelech  charged  all 

P  eh.  20.  9. 


in  the  first  instance  asked  of  each  other 
respecting  her,  made  her  a  frequent  topic 
of  conversation.  But  the  result  was 
that  these  inquiries  came  at  length  to 
Isaac  hiraself,  and  he  was  prompted  to 
answer  tkem  in  the  manner  described. 

IT   He  said,   she  is   my   sister,   &c. 

Isaac  here  falls  into  the  same  infirmi- 
ty which  had  dishonored  his  father  in 
Egypt.  Influenced  by  a  fear  unuxjrthy 
of  a  friend  of  Gk)d,  he  gives  an  equivo- 
cating answer,  the  criminality  of  which 
was  aggravated  by  the  extraordinary 
manifestations  of  the  divine  goodness  so 
recently  vouchsafed  to  him.  He  is  in- 
deed entitled  to  the  same  apology  that 
was  made  for  Abraham  on  a  similar  oc- 
casion, viz.  that  according  to  common 
usage  in  respect  to  the  v\"ords  '  brother' 
and  '  sister',  he  was  not  guilty  of  a  posi- 
tive falsehood ;  for  Rebekah  was  his 
cousin,  and  the  terms  above-mentioned 
are  used  indiscriminately  of  all  kindred. 
Still,  it  may  be  properly  said  to  have 
been  taking  advantage  of  a  quibble,  and 
as  such,  was  a  conduct  wholly  unbe- 
coming one  who  had  so  much  reason  to 
repose  an  unlimited  confidence  in  the 
divine  protection.  He  was  in  all  pro- 
bability prompted  to  this  expedient  by 
the  example  of  his  father  in  similar  cir- 
cumstances, forgetting  that  the  infirmi- 
ties of  pious  men  are  not  to  be  imitated, 
but  avoided.  'The  falls  of  th^ra  that 
VOL.   II.  7 


have  gone  before  us,  are  so  many  rocks 
on  which  ethers  have  split ;  and  the 
recording  of  them  is  like  placing  buoys 
over  them,  for  the  security  of  future 
mariners.' — Fuller.  But  the  incident 
teaches  another  and  quite  as  important 
a  lesson,  viz.  that  in  swerving  at  all 
from  the  strict  path  of  duty,  we  may  be 
furnishing  a  precedent  to  others  of  whom 
we  little  dream.  No  man  knows,  in  do- 
ing wrong,  what  use  will  be  made  of 
his  example. 

8.  Isaac  was  sporting  with  ReheJcah. 
That  is,  taking  freedoms,  using  famiUari- 
ties  with  her,  such  as  exceeded  those  that 
were  common  between  brothers  and  sis- 
ters. The  original  is  pnZ'n  metzakek,  a 
derivative  from  pni2  tzahak,  the  root  from 
which  Isaac's  name  comes,  on  the  im- 
port of  which  see  Note  on  Gen,  21.  9. 

9.  Of  a  surety  she  is  ihy  wife.  But 
why  was  this  a  necessary  inference  ? 
Might  not  Isaac  justly  have  subjected 
himself  to  evil  imputations  ?  Might  he 
not  have  been  guilty  of  great  crimes  un- 
der the  covert  of  his  alleged  relationship 
to  Rebekah  ?  The  answer  to  this  is 
highly  creditable  to  the  patriarch.  It  is 
clear  that  his  general  deportment  at  Ge- 
rar  had  been  so  uniformly  upright  and  ex- 
emplarj'-,  that  Abimelech  knew  not  how 
to  entertain  an  ill  opinion  of  his  con- 
duct ;  and  though  his  words  were  incon- 
sistent with  his  conduct  in  the  present 


74 


GENESIS. 


[3.  C.  1804. 


his  people,  sayinpf,  He  that  qtouch- 
eth  this  man  or  his  wife  shall  surely 
be  put  to  death. 

12   Then  Isaac  sowed  in   that 


Ps.  105.  15. 


in3lance,-yet,  judging  from  his  whole  de- 
portment, he  comes  to  the  conclusion 
rather  that  his  words  had  been  somehow 
false,  than  that  his  actions  had  been 
wrong.  Such  is  usually  the  paramount 
influence  of  a  good  Hfe. 

10.  Might  lightly  have  lien  with.  Heb. 
liSlD  t35>?2S  Mmat  shakav,  within  a  little 
had  lien  with.  Clial.  '  It  lacked  but  a 
little  of  one  of  the  people's  lying  with 
her.'  The  word  '  lightly'  in  our  trans- 
lation seems  to  be  equivalent  to  '  easily.' 

IT  Shouldesi  have  brought  guiltiness 

upon  us.  Heb.  tCSi  asham,  gross  or 
shameful  crime,  a  term  applied  both  to 
sin  and  the  punishment  of  sin.  It  is 
here  rendered  by  the  Gr.  ayvoiav,  igno- 
rance, a  kindred  terra  to  which  is  applied 
also  by  the  apostle,  from  the  Septuagint 
usage,  to  the  sins  or '  errors'  (ayvonixarwy 
ignorances,  or  ignorant  trespasses)  of 
the  people,  Heb.  9.  7,  for  which  atone- 
ment was  made  every  year.  In  Paul's 
use  of  it,  it  doubtless  denotes  that  class 
of  sin«  which  were  committed  rather 
through  inadvertence  than  presumption 
and  wilfulness ;  and  such  a  distinction  is 
very  appropriate  here.  The  sin  which 
the  king  of  Gerar  intimates  might  have 
been  brought  upon  his  people,  would 
have  been  strictly  one  of  inadvertence 
ot  ignorance  on  his  part — an  ayvoia. 
His  words  show,  however,  that  ii  was 
a  deeply  fixed  persuasion  in  the  minds 
of  heathen  nations,  that  the  violation  of 
the  marriage  covenant  was  a  sin  of  deep 
die,  and  one  which  merited,  and  was 
hkely  to  draw  after  it,  the  divine  indig- 
nation. 

11.  ife  that  toucheth,  &c.  That  is, 
injureth,  or  wrongeth,  either  by  word  or 
deed,  in  person,  honor,  or  possessions. 
Thus  Josh.  9.  19, '  We  have  sworn  un- 
to them  by  the   Lord  God  of  Israel ; 


land,  and  received  in  the  same  year 
an  hundred-fold:    and  the    LoeD' 
*  blessed  him : 


r  Matt.  13.  8.    Mark  ' 
1,35.    Job  4-2;  12. 


« ver.  3   ch .  24- 


now  therefore  we  may  not  touch  them,' 
f .  e.  hurt  them.  Job  1.11,  '  But  put  forth 
thy  hand  now,  and  touch  all  that  he  hath,' 
i.  e.  injure,  blast,  or  destroy.  Ps.  105. 15, 
'  Saying,  Touch  not  mine  anointed,  and 
do  my  prophets  no  harm,'  i.  e.  injure 
not,  as  imphed  in  the  latter  or  exegeti- 
eol  clause.  The  conduct  of  Abimelech 
on  this  occasion  was  as  worthy  of  a 
good  king,  as  that  of  Isaac  had  been  un- 
worthy of  a  servant  of  God. 

12.  Isaac  sowed  in  that  land.  '  A  gen- 
tleman who  had  spent  many  years  in 
Persia  gave  us  the  following  informalioi/ 
while  conversing  about  the  pastoral 
tribes  (Eelauts)  which  form  a  large  part 
of  its  population  ; — There  are  some 
that  live  in  their  tents  all  the  year ;  and 
others  that  build  huts  for  the  winter, 
which  they  abandon  in  the  summer, 
and  often  return  to  them  in  the  winter 
They  then  begin  to  grow  corn  in  the  vi' 
cinity,  and  leave  a  few  old  persons  to 
look  after  it.  As  the  cultivation  increas- 
es, a  greater  number  of  persons  stay  at 
the  huts  in  the  summer  also,  until  at! 
last  nearly  all  the  tribe  remains  to  at- 
tend to  the  cultivation,  only  sending  out 
a  few  with  the  flocks.  Thus  the  wan- 
dering tribes  gradually  change  from  a 
pastoral  to  an  agricultural  people.  May 
not  this  illustrate  the  situation  of  our 
pastoral  patriarch  when  he  began  to 
cultivate  ?  And  may  not  the  prospect 
which  it  involved  of  Isaac's  permanent 
settlement  in  Gerar  with  his  powerful 
clan,  account  for  the  visible  uneasiness 
of  the  king  and  people  of  that  district, 
and  for  the  measures  which  they  took 
to  prevent  such  settlement  ?  We  thus 
also  see  the  process  by  which  a  wander- 
ing and  pastoral  people  gradually  be- 
come settled  cultivators.'  Pict.  Bib. ■ 

IF  Received  in  the  same  rear,  &c.     Heb 


B.  C.  1S04.1 


CHAPTER  XXVI, 


13  And  the  man  '  waxed  great, 
and  went  forward,  and  grew  until 
he  became  very  great : 

14  For  he  had  possession  of 
flocks!,  and  possession  of  herds,  and 
great  store  of  servants  :  and  the 
Philistines  "  envied  him. 


ch. 


14.  35.    Ps.  112.  3.    Prov.  10.  22. 
"  cli.  37.  11.    Eccles.  4.4. 


found,  implying  that  it  was  more  than 
he  looked  for ;  an  increase  far  exceed- 
ing his  most  sanguine  expectations. 
Chal.  'He  found  in  that  year  a  hundred- 
fold more  than  he  thought  of.'  This 
was  the  evident  effect  of  the  special 
blessing  of  God. 

13.  Went  fonvard.  Heb.  '^^b^I  "ib^ 
yelek  haloJi,  rvent  or  walked  going ;  i.  e. 
kept  continually  increasing.  The  Keb. 
term  for  '  walk'  or  '  go'  is  frequently  us- 
ed in  the  sense  of  continued  increase  or 
growing  intensity.  Thus,  2  Sam.  3.  1, 
'  Now  there  was  long  war  betw-een  the 
liouse  of  Saul  and  the  house  of  David ; 
but  David  waxed  stronger  and  stronger ;' 
Heb.  Went  on  or  walked,  and  be- 
came strong.  Jon.  1.  11,  'For  the  sea 
wrought,  and  was  tempestuous  ;'  Heb. 
The  sea  walked  and  was  tempestuous. 
See  Note  on  Gen.  3.  8. 

14.  Great  store  of  servants.  Heb. 
nin'1  m^5  avuddah  rabhah,  much  ser- 
vice; abstract  col.  sing,  for  concrete. 
Thus  Ezek.  1. 1,  '  I  was  among  the  cap- 
lives  ;''  Heb.  I  was  among  the  captivity. 
h  is  an  idiom  of  frequent  occurrence. 
Ainsworth  and  the  marg.  give  '  husband- 
ry', as  df)es  the  Gr.  ytwpyia,  implying 
not  only  the  collective  body  of  servants 
belonging  to  a  thrifty  agricultural  es- 
tablishment, but  also  the  various  work 
in  tillage,  &c.  which  they  performed. 
The  same  thing  is  said  of  Job  1.  3. 
— —IT  And  the  Philistines  envied  him. 
The  original  ^':'p  kana,  which  is  usually 
rendered  as  here  by  the  Gr.  ^ri\ow,  to 
he  zealous,  has,  when  used  in  a  bad  sense, 
the  import  of  a  jealous,  envious,  indig- 
nant zeal.      '  Here  again   we  see  how 


15  For  all  the  wells  ^^  which  his 
father's  servants  had  digged  in  the 
days  of  Abraham  his  father,  the 
Philistines  had  stopped  them,  and 
filled  them  with  earth. 

16  And  Ahimelech  said  unto 
Isaac,  Go  from  us :  for  thou  ^  art 
much  mightier  than  we. 

w  ch.  21.  30.        :>:  Exod.  1.  9. 

vanity  attaches  to  every  earthly  good  ; 
prosperity  begets  envy,  and  from  envy 
proceeds  injury.'' — Fuller. 

15.  All  the  wells,  &c.  A  more  effec- 
tual mode  of  expressing  envy  or  enmity 
could  not  well  have  been  devised,  as  it 
was  in  effect  to  destroy  the  flocks  and 
herds  which  could  not  subsist  without 
water.  In  those  countries  a  good  well 
of  water  was  a  possession  of  immense 
value  ;  and  hence  in  predatory  wars  it 
was  always  an  object  for  either  party  to 
fill  the  vi^ells  with  earth  or  sand,  in  order 
to  distress  the  enemy.  '  The  same 
mode  of  taking  vengeance  on  enemies 
has  been  practised  in  more  recent  times. 
The  Turkish  emperors  give  annually  to 
every  Arab  tribe  near  the  road  by 
which  the  Mahommedan  pilgrims  travel 
to  3Iecca,  a  certain  sum  of  money,  and 
a  certain  number  of  vestments,  to  keep 
them  from  destroying  the  wells  which 
He  on  that  route,  and  to  escort  the  pil- 
grims across  their  country.  D'Herbelot 
records  an  incident  exacdy  in  point, 
which  seems  to  be  quite  common  among 
the  Arabs.  Gianabi,  a  famous  rebel  in 
the  tenth  century,  gathered  a  number 
of  people  together,  seized  on  Bassorah 
and  Caufa ;  and  afterwards  insulted  the 
reigning  caliph,  by  presenting  himself 
boldly  before  Bagdad,  his  capital ;  after 
which  he  retired  by  little  and  litde,  fill- 
ing up  all  the  pits  with  sand,  which 
had  been  dug  on  the  road  to  Mecca 
for  the  benefit  of  the  pilgrims.' — Pax- 
ton.  Had  the  Philistines  merely  forced 
their  way  to  these  wells,  and  drank  of 
them,  it  might  have  been  excused  ;  but 
to  stop  them,  was  an  act  of  downright 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1804. 


17  ir  And  Isaac  departed  thence,  j  ped  them  after  the  death  of  Abra- 
and  pitched  his  tent  in  the  valley  of  j  ham:  y  and  jie  called  their  names 
Gerar,  and  dwelt  tliere.  |  after  the  names  by  which  his  father 

18  And  Isaac  di^rged  again  the  j  had  called  them, 
wells  of  water  which  thev  had  disf-       19  And  Isaac's  servants  digged 


ged   in    the  days    of  Abraham  his 
father  :  for  the  Philistines  had  stop- 


barbarity,  and  a  gross  violation  of  the 
treaty  of  peace  which  had  been  made 
between  a  former  Abimelech  and  Abra- 
ham. Gen.  21.  25 — 31.  But  envy  con- 
siders that  which  is  lost  to  another  as 
gained  to  itself,  and  not  only  delights  in 
working  gratuitous  mischief,  but  will 
even  punish  itself  in  a  measure  to  have 
the  malicious  sadsfaction  of  doing  a  still 
greater  injury  to  an  enemy. 

16.  Go  from  us ;  for  thou  art  nmcJi 
mightier  than  we.  It  is  not,  perhaps,  to 
be  inferred  that  this  request  expresses 
the  personal  feelings  of  Abimelech  to- 
wards Isaac  ;  but  perceiving  the  temper 
of  his  people,  he  entreated  him  quietly 
to  depart.  The  reason  he  gave  for  it, 
that  'he  was  much  mightier  than  they,' 
was  framed  perhaps  in  part  to  apologise 
for  his  people's  jealousy,  and  in  part  to 
soften  his  spirit  by  a  comphmentary 
style  of  address.  Had  Isaac  been  dis- 
posed to  act  upon  Abimelech's  admis- 
sion, lie  might,  instead  of  removing  at 
his  request,  have  resolved  to  stand 
his  ground,  alleging  the  covenant  made 
with  his  father,  and  his  own  improve- 
ments of  his  lands  ;  but  being  a  man  of 
peace,  and  willing  to  act  upon  the 
maxim  of  the  wise  man,  that '  yielding 
pacifieth  great  offences,'  he  waves  all 
dispute,  and  meekly  retires  to  'the  val- 
ley of  Gerar,'  either  beyond  the  bor- 
ders of  Abimelech's  territory,  or  at 
least  farther  off  from  his  metropolis. 

17.  Pitched  his  tent.  Heb.  ']n'^  yihan. 
This  is  a  common  term  in  reference  to 
military  encampments,  and  denotes  some- 
what of  a  permanent  residence,  in  op- 
position to  frequent  removals  and  migra- 
tions.     The   root  n.n   hanah,   differs. 


m  the  valley,  and  found  there  a  well 
of  springing  water. 

y  ch.  21.  31 


according  to  Parkhurst,  from  ^"5%  al,ali 
the  usual  term  for  pitching  tents,  ns  fir- 
ing ox  fastening  down  a  tent  differs  from 
stretching  it  out. 

18.  Isaac  digged  again,  &c.  Heb. 
'^trri'^l  1'^^  yashov  vayaJipor,  returned 
and  dug  ;  i.  e.  re-dug  ;  not  returned  to 
Gerar.      Gr.   izaXiv    wovlc,   dug  again 

IF    Called   their  names,   &c.     'This 

w^ould  appear  a  tride  among  us,  be- 
cause water  is  so  abundant  that  it  is 
scarcely  valued,  and  nobody  thinks  of 
perpetuating  his  name  in  the  name  of 
a  well.  But  in  those  deserts,  where 
water  is  so  scarce,  and  wells  and  springs 
are  valued  more,  and  as  they  are  there 
the  general  permanent  monuments  of 
geography,  it  is  also  an  honor  to  have 
given  them  names.' — Burder.  It  is  clear, 
that  wherever  Abraham  sojourned  he 
improved  the  country ;  yet  it  would 
seem  that  wherever  the  Philistines  fol 
lowed  him,  it  was  their  study  to  mar  his 
improvements,  and  they  were  willing 
even  to  deprive  themselves  of  the  bene- 
fits of  his  labors  rather  than  to  suffer 
them  to  remain  undisturbed.  But  as 
these  waters  would  be  doubly  sweet  to 
Isaac  from  having  been  first  tasted  by 
his  beloved  father,  he  resolves  to  open 
them  again  ,  and,  to  show  his  filial  affec- 
tion still  more,  he  chooses  to  call  them 
by  the  same  names  by  which  his  father 
had  called  them — names  wliich  proba- 
bly carried  with  them  some  interesting 
memorials  of  the  divine  favor  towards 
Abraham.  'Many  of  our  enjoyments, 
both  civil  and  religious,  are  the  sweeter 
for  being  the  fruits  of  the  labor  of  our 
fathers  :  and  if  they  have  been  corrupt- 
ed by  adversaries  since  their  days,  wa 


B.  C.  1804.-1 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


77 


20  And  the  herdmen   of  Gerar 
*  did  strive  with  Isaac's  herdmen, 

z  ch.  21.  2o. 


must  restore  them  to  their  former  puri 
ty.'— Fuller. 

19.  Isaac's  servants  digged  in  the  val 
ley  ;  the  re-opened  well,  it  would  seem 
not  furnishing  an  adequate  supply  of 
water.  He  accordingly  searches  for  a 
richer  vein,  and  succeeds  in  finding  ofte. 
The  contention  that  arose,  it  appears, 
had  respect  not  to  the  old  wells  which 
he  re-opened,  but  to  the  new  ones  which 
he  dug  himself.  The  former  were  prob- 
ably somewhere  in  the  near  neighbor- 
hood of  the  latter,  but  of  much  inferior 
value,  from  their  scanty  supply  of  wa- 
ter.  !r  A  well  of  springing  water.  Heb. 

tS^'^n  l^!^  'mayim  liayim,  living  water. 
Waters  that  run  or  spring  forth  from 
fountains  are  called,  from  their  con- 
tinued ebuUition,  living,  in  opposition 
to  the  stagnant  waters  contained  in  pools 
and  cisterns.  Thus  Lev.  14.  5,  6,  the 
phrase  running  v:ater  is  in  the  original 
living  water.  Thus,  too,  Rev.  21.  6,  'I 
will  give  to  him  that  is  athirst  of  the 
fountain  of  the  water  of  life  freely  ;'  i.  e. 
of  the  fountain  of  living  wMer ;  though 
this  living  water  is  no  doubt  at  the  same 
time  a  symbol  of  spiritual  blessings  as 
refreshing  to  the  soul  as  draughts  of 
fresh  water  to  the  thirsty  traveller. 
As  a  large  portion  of  the  water  made 
use  of  in  Oriental  countries  is  rain  col- 
lected in  cisterns,  we  may  see  how  nat- 
ural it  would  be  to  attribute  a  peculiar 
value,  and  apply  an  expressive  name,  to 
springs  or  streams  of  running  water. 

20.  The  water  is  ours.  '  The  cause 
of  these  differences  seems  to  have  been, 
that  a  question  arose  whether  wells  dug 
by  Abraham's  and  Isaac's  people  within 
the  territories  of  Gerar  belonged  to  the 
people  who  digged  them,  or  those  who 
enjoyed  the  territorial  right.  The  real 
motive  of  the  opposition  of  the  people 
of  Gerar,  and  their  stopping  up  the  wells 
made  by  yibraham,  seems  to  have  been 
7* 


sajdng,  The  water  is  ours  :  and  he 
called  the  name  of  the  well  Esek  ; 
because  they  strove  with  him. 


to  discourage  the  visits  of  such  power- 
ful persons  to  their  territory  ;  for  other- 
wise the  wells  would  have  been  suffer 
ed  to  remain  on  account  of  their  utility 
to  the  nation.  Stopping  up  the  wells  is 
still  an  act  of  hostility  in  the  East.  Mr. 
Roberts  says  that  it  is  so  in  India,  where 
one  person  who  hates  another  will 
sometimes  send  his  slaves  in  the  night  to 
fill  up  the  well  of  the  latter,  or  else  to  pol- 
lute it  by  throwing  in  the  carcases  of  un- 
clean animals.  However,  of  all  people  in 
the  world,  none  know  so  well  as  the  Arabs 
the  value  of  water,  and  the  importance 
of  wells,  and  hence  they  never  wanton- 
ly do  them  harm.  They  think  it  an  act 
of  great  merit  in  the  sight  of  God  to  dig 
a  well ;  and  culpable  in  an  equal  degree 
to  destroy  one.  The  wells  in  the  des- 
erts are  in  general  the  exclusive  proper- 
ty either  of  a  whole  tribe,  or  of  individ- 
uals whose  ancestors  dug  them.  The 
posesssion  of  a  well  is  never  ahenated  ; 
perhaps  because  the  Arabs  are  firmly 
persuaded  that  the  owner  of  a  well  is 
sure  to  prosper  in  all  his  undertaking?, 
since  the  blessings  of  all  who  drink 
his  water  fall  upon  him.  The  stopping 
of  Abraham's  wells  by  the  Philistines, 
the  re-opening  of  them  by  Isaac,  and 
the  restoration  of  their  former  names — 
the  commemorative  names  given  to 
the  new  wells,  and  the  strifes  about 
them  between  those  who  had  sunk  them 
and  the  people  of  the  land — are  all  cir- 
cumstances highly  characteristic  of 
those  countries  in  which  the  want  of 
rivers  and  brooks  during  summer  ren- 
ders the  tribes  dependent  upon  the  well 
for  the  very  existence  of  the  flocks  am! 
herds  which  form  their  wealth.  It  would 
seem  that  the  Philistines  did  not  again 
stop  the  wells  while  Isaac  was  in  their 
country.  It  is  probab'e  that  the  wells 
successively  sunk  by  Isaac  did  not  fur- 
nish  water  sufncient  for  both  his  own 


78 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1804. 


21  Andthey  digged  another  well, 
and  strove  for  that  also :  and  he 
called  the  name  of  it  Sitnah. 

22  And  he  removed  from  thence, 
and  digged  another  well;  and  for 
that  thev  strove  not:  and  he  called 


herds  and  those  of  Gerar,  and  thus  the 
question  became  one  of  exclusive  right. 
Such  questions  often  lead  to  bitter  and 
bloody  quarrels  in  the  East ;  and  it  was 
probably  to  avoid  the  last  result  of  an 
appeal  to  arms  that  Isaac  withdrew  out 
of  the  more  settled  country  towards  the 
Desert,  where  he  might  enjoy  the  use  of 
his  wells  in  peace.  Whether  the  wells 
sunk  or  re-opened  by  Isaac  were  sub- 
servient to  the  agricultural  pursuits  men- 
tioned in  V.  12,  does  not  appear;  but, 
having  stated  the  importance  of  water 
to  the  shepherds,  we  may  subjoin  its 
value  to  the  agriculturist,  as  exemplified 
in  Persia.  In  that  country,  the  govern- 
ment dutj'  on  agricultural  produce  is 
always  regulated  according  to  the  ad- 
vantages or  disadvantages  of  the  soil 
with  respect  to  water.  Those  lands 
that  depend  solely  on  rain,  are  almost 
never  cultivated  ;  those  that  are  water- 
ed from  wells  or  reservoirs  pay  five  per 
cent,  on  the  produce  :  those  that  get  a 
supply  of  water  from  aqueducts  pay  fif- 
teen per  cent.,  and  those  that  have  the 
advantage  of  a  flowing  stream  pay 
twenty  per  cent.  These  rates  are  after 
deducting  the  seed,  and  allowing  ten 
oer  cent,  for  the  reapers  and  threshers, 
(See  Malcolm's  '  History  of  Persia,'  vol. 

ii.    p.    473.r—Pict.    Bible. IT   Esek. 

That  is,  confentiGTi,  strife,  wrangling. 
The  Gr.  renders  the  clause,  '  And  they 
called  the  name  of  the  well  aSiKiav,  rjSi- 
Knaav  yap  avrov,  injury  (or  wrong),  be- 
cause they  injured  (or  wronged)  him.''  '  It 
is  often  the  lot  of  even  the  most  quiet 
and  peaceable,  that,  though  they  avoid 
striving,  they  cannot  avoid  being  striven 
with.  In  this  sense  Jeremiah  was  a 
man  of  contention,'  Jer    15.  10,   and 


the  name  of  it  Rehoboth ;  and  no 
said,  For  now  the  Lord  hath  made 
room  for  us,  and  we  shall  *  be  fruit- 
ful in  the  land. 

23  And  he  went  up  from  thence 
to  Beer-sheba. 

a  ch.  17.  6.  &  23. 3.  &  41.  52.    Exod.  1.  7. 


Christ   himself,  though  the   Prince   of 
Peace.' — Henry. 

21.  Sitnah.  That  is,  hatred,  spiteful- 
ness.  From  the  same  root  with  '  Sit- 
nah,' (viz.  YJ5  satan)  is  derived  '  Satan' 
an  adversary,  or  hater,  a  well-known  ap- 
pellation of  the  Evil  Spirit. 

22.  Rehoboth.  That  is,  room,  enlarge- 
ment,  free  space;  a  plural  term  in  the 
original,  and  properly  conveying  the 
idea  o{ ampliiude  vi'\i\\  special  emphasis. 
The  two  former  names  carried  with 
them  by  implication  a  charge  of  t«ro?i^- 
ful  strife  and  hostility  against  the  Phi- 
listines, who  had  thus  defrauded  him  of 
the  fruit  of  his  labor,  while  the  latter 
was  expressive  of  his  gratitude  to  God. 
whose  kind  providence  had  at  length 
removed  hiin  beyond  the  region  of  these 
molestations  and  conflicts.  Tlie  Psalm 
ist,  in  acknowledging,  Ps.  4.  2,  the  di- 
vine deliverance,  makes  use  of  a  term 
derived  from  the  same  root,  '  Thou  hasi 
enlarged  me  ("^^  rl^nnn  hirhaUa  li,  thou 
hast  made  room  for  me)  when  I  was  in 
distress.' 

23.  He  U)ent  up  from  thence  to  Beer- 
sheba.  Whh  the  reasons  which  led  to 
this  removal  \vc  are  not  made  acquainted 
He  would  naturally  feel  attached  to  the 
place  where  Abraham  had  sojourned, 
where  he  had  so  often  called  his  house- 
hold together  for  the  worship  of  Jeho- 
vah, and  where  every  object  would 
serve  to  remind  the  son  of  the  covenant 
blessings  pledged  to  the  father.  But, 
whatever  were  his  immediate  induce- 
ments, it  was  obviously  a  step  prepara- 
tory, on  tlie  part  of  God,  to  a  larger 
measure  of  consolation  than  he  had  for 
some  time  afforded  to  his  servant.  Af- 
ter having  been  insulted  and  outraged 


S.  C.  1804.] 


CHAPTER  XXVr. 


79 


24  And  the  Loed  appeared  unto 
fiim  the  same  night,  and  said,  ^  I 
'Um  the  God  of  Abraham  thy  father: 
^  fear  not,  for  ^  I  &m  with  thee,  and 

b  ch.  17.  7.  &  24.  12.  &  28. 13.  Exod.  3.  6. 
Acts  7.32.        cch.  15.  1.        dver.  3,  4. 


by  the  Philistines,  he  needed  especial 
encouragement,  and  God  immediately 
appears  to  comfort  and  support  liim  in 
his  trials  by  a  renewal  of  his  promises. 
-'  Because,'  says  Calvin,  '  one  word  of 
God  weighs  more  with  the  faithfvd  than 
the  greatest  abundance  of  earthly  good, 
it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  this  revela- 
tion was  more  precious  to  Isaac  than 
If  a  thousand  rivers  had  flown  with  nec- 
tar. And  Moses  must  be  presumed  to 
have  set  forth  this  gracious  manifesta- 
tion with  the  express  design  of  teaching 
us  so  to  estimate  the  gifts  of  God,  as 
«ver  to  assign  the  palm  to  the  testimo- 
ny of  his  paternal  love  imparted  thi'ough 
his  word.  Food,  raiment,  health,  peace, 
and  all  our  prosperous  issues,  give  us, 
indeed,  a  taste  of  the  divine  beneficence  ; 
but  it  is  only  when  he  familiarly  ad- 
dresses us,  and  makes  himself  known  as 
our  father,  that  we  are  filled  to  satiety.' 
34.  And  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him, 
ojc.  No  doubt  by  the  usual  visible  sym- 
bol of  the  Shekinah.  Such  appearances 
would  tend  to  quicken  attention,  con- 
firm faith,  and  inspire  reverence  towards 
the  word  uttered.  The  vision  of  the  eye 
would  deepen  the  impression  made  by  a 
simple  voice,  and  remove  every  doubt 
of  the  reality  of  the  revelation.  Satan 
may  indeed  transform  himself  into  an 
angel  of  light,  and  play  off  his  illusions 
upon  a  distempered  or  corrupt  imagina- 
tion ;  but  the  visions  of  God's  glory  car- 
ry their  own  evidence  with  them,  and 
exempt  their  subjects  from  the  danger 
of  mistake.  Such  revelations,  howev- 
er, are  necessarily  partial.  The  full 
display  of  the  Godhead  is  never  to  be 
understood  by  such  expressions  as  that 
of  the  text ;  for  human  nature,  in  its 
feebleness,  would  sink  at  once  under 
su/jh  an  overpowering  disclosure.     God 


will  bless  thee,  and  multiply  thy 
seed  for  my  servant  Abraham's 
sake. 

"25  And  he  *  builded  an  altar  there, 

^ch.  12.7.  &  13. 18. 


appeared  to  Isaac  only  so  far  as  he  was 


enabled  to  bear  it. 


-IT  I  am  the  God  i 


Abraham,  4'c.  These  promises  are  the 
same  for  substance  as  were  made  to  him 
on  his  going  to  Gerar,  v.  2 — 4.  But  the 
same  truths  are  new  to  us  under  new 
circumstances,  and  toucb  our  hearts 
with  all  their  original  sustaining  and  re- 
freshing power.  This  prefatory  decla- 
ration would  at  once  renew  the  memo- 
ry of  all  the  promises  before  made,  and 
direct  the  mind  of  Isaac  to  that  abiding 
covenant  entered  into  with  Abraham, 
and  to  be  transmitted  to  his  posterity.  A 
self-righteous  spirit  would  perhaps  have 
been  offended  at  the  idea  of  being  bless- 
ed/or  another's  sake  ;  but  he  who  walk- 
ed in  the  steps  of  his  father's  faith  would 
enjoy  it ;  and  by  how  much  he  loved 
him  for  whose  sake  it  was  bestowed,  by 
so  mucli  would  his  enjoyment  be  the 
greater. 

25.  He  huilded  an  altar  there,  &c.  As 
an  expression  of  his  gratfeful  sense  of 
the  divi.ne  goodness  on  the  present  oc- 
casion, and  as  a  part  of  his  habitual  prac- 
tice as  a  pious  man,  he  set  up  the  stated 
worship  of  God  on  the  spot  which  had 
been  consecrated  by  similar  observan- 
ces in  the  days  of  his  father.  Gen.  12. 
7.— 13.  18.  'We  are  no  better  than 
brute  beasts  if,  contenting  ourselves 
with  a  natural  use  of  the  creatures,  we 
rise  not  up  to  the  Atithor ;  if,  instead  of 
being  temples  of  his  praise,  we  become 
graves  of  his  benefits.  Isaac  first  built 
an  altar,  and  then  digged  a  weW^ —Trapp. 

IT  Pitched  his  tent  there.  Heb.  tO'^  yet, 

stretched  out,  extended.  This  is  not  the 
word  usually  employed  to  signify  the 
act  of  pitching-,  planting,  or  locating  a 
tent ;  but  properly  implies  that  kind  of 
extension  in  an  encampment  of  tents 
^{^liich  would  be  caused  by  an  addition 


80 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1804. 


and  *■  called  upon  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  and  pitched  his  tent  there : 
and  there  Isaac's  servants  digged  a 
well. 

26  H  Then  Abimelech  went  to 
him  from  Gerar,  and  Ahuzzath  one 

fPs.  116.  17. 


to  the  number  of  occupants.  The  &rigi 
nal  term  occurs  Is.  54.  2,  '  Enlarge  the 
place  of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch 
forth  the  curtains  of  thy  habitations ; 
spare  not,  lengthen  thy  cords,  strength- 
en thy  stakes.'  This  affords  the  true 
clew  to  the  meaning  of  the  passage  be- 
fore us.  Isaac's  regular  maintenance  of 
the  worship  of  God  was  the  means  of 
gathering  to  his  establishment  a  consid- 
erable number  of  proselytes,  and  this 
was  the  reason  of  his  stretching  or  ex- 
tending his  tent,  or  rather  his  tents,  as 

the  import  of  the  term    is  plural. 

f  There  Isaac's  servants  digged  a  well. 
It  cannot  but  appear  singular  that  when 
this  place  had  received  its  name  from  a 
well,  Isaac  should  again  have  sought  to 
find  water,  especially  as  Abraham  had 
purchased  the  right  of  the  well  for  him- 
self and  his  posterity.  Add  to  tliis,  that 
the  digging  of  a  well  in  that  rocky  re- 
gion was  a  very  arduous  undertaking, 
as  is  clearly  intimated  by  the  fact  of 
the  discovery  of  water  being  communi- 
cated to  Isaac,  V.  32,  as  a  very  impor- 
tant piece  of  intelligence.  Why  then 
was  a  new  well  attempted  to  be  dug  ? 
The  probabihty,  we  think  is,  that  from 
a  malignant  opposition  to  his  character 
or  his  religion,  there  was  a  concerted 
plan  among  the  natives,  to  drive  that 
holy  man  from  their  territories  by  cut- 
ting off  the  necessary  supply  of  water 
for  his  flocks  and  herds,  and  that  in  the 
execution  of  this  nefarious  project,  they 
had  stopped  up  this  well  at  Beer-sheba, 
as  well  as  the  others  mentioned  above. 
26.  Abimelech  went  to  him.  One  would 
scarcely  have  expected  that  after  driv- 
ing him,  in  a  manner,  out  of  their  coun- 
try, the  Philistines  would  have  had  any 


of  his  friends^  &and  Phichol  the 
chief  captain  of  his  army. 

27  And  Isaac  said  unto  them^ 
Wherefore  coise  ye  to  me,  seeing 
^  ye  hate  me,  and  have  '  sent  me 
away  from  you  ? 

ech.  21.22.        ^Judg.  11.  7.        i  ver.  1&. 

more  to  ssy  to  Mm.  Bat  AbiraelecV 
and  some  of  his  courtiers  are  induced 
to  pay  him  a  visit.  They  were  not  easy 
when  he  was  with  them,  and  now  they 
seem  hardly  satisfied  when  he  has  left 
them.  Afraid,  prolxibly,  of  hjs  growing 
power,  and  conscious  that  they  had 
treated  him  unkindly,  they  now  seem 
to  wish  for  their  own  sakes  to  adjusS 
these  differences  before  they  proceeded 

any  farther. IT   Ahuzzath  one  of  his 

friends.  Heb.  1n!>^'*3  rTHJ^  Ahuzzath 
mereahu.  This  is  rendered  appellative- 
ly  by  the  Chal.  '  A  company  or  retinue 
of  his  friends.'  TheGr.  more  plausibly 
regards  it  as  a  proper  name,  rendering  it 
Oxo^olQ  0  vvn(paycoyr}  avTon,  Ochozath  his 
paranymph  ;  i.  fe.  the  leader  of  the  bride^ 
or  he  who  conducts  the  bride  from  her 
father's  house  to  the  house  of  her  future 
husband.  The  same  word  occurs  in 
the  Gr.  version  of  Judg.  14,  22,  render- 
ed in  the  Eng.  translation  companion 
See  Note  in  loo.  In  the  New  Testa- 
ment, the  same  personage  is  called  tin. 
friend  of  the  bridegroom,  John,  3.  29. 

27.  Isaac  said  unto  them,  &c.  Isaac, 
while  they  acted  as  enemies,  bore  it  pa- 
tiently, as  a  part  of  his  lot  in  an  evil 
world  ;  but  now  that  they  want  to  be 
thought  friends,  and  to  renew  covenant 
with  him,  he  feels  keenly,  and  speaks 
his  mind  ;  '  Wherefore  come  ye  to  me, 
seeing  ye  hate  me,'  &c.  We  can  bear 
that  from  an  avowed  adversary  which 
we  cannot  bear  from  a  professed  friend  ; 
nor  is  it  any  transgression  of  the  law  of 
meekness  and  love  plainly  to  signify 
our  strong  perception  of  the  injuries  re- 
ceived, and  to  stand  on  our  guard  in 
dealing  with  those  who  have  once  acted 
unfairly. 


B,  C.  1790.] 

28  And  they  said,  We  saw  cer- 
tainly that  the  Lord  ^'  was  with  thee: 
and  we  said,  Let  there  be  now  an 
oath  betwixt  us,  eveii  betwixt  us 
and  thee,  and  let  us  make  a  cove- 
nant with  thee  : 

29  That  thou  wilt  do  us  no  hurt, 

kcli.21.22,  23. 


CHAPTER  XXVL 


81 


28.  We  saw  certainly,  &c.  Heb.  li^'n 
13 ^5^")  raoh  rainu,  seeing  we  saw.  Had 
they,  then,  any  true  regard  for  Isaac's 
God,  or  for  him  on  that  account?  We 
fear  not.  But  '  when  a  man's  ways 
please  the  Lord,  even  his  enemies  shall 
be  at  peace  with  him,'  and  there  is 
something  sacred  in  the  character  of 
a  good  man,  to  which  the  wicked  often 
pay  an  involuntary  tribute  of  respect 
and  admiration.  Discarding  the  envy 
which  he  may  have  cherished,  he 
comes  to  do  homage  to  a  man  highly 
favored  of  the  Lord.  The  worst  of 
men  often  find  it  for  their  interest  to 
live  on  good  terms  with  the  wise  and 
the  pious,  while  the  good  cleave  to  each 
other  not  from  policy,  but  from  af- 
fection.  U"  That  the  Lord  teas  with 

thee.  Chal.  'That  the  Word  of  the 
Lord  was  thine  help.'  Such  a  confession 
from  such  a  source  is  fraught  with  a 
useful  lesson.  When  profane  or  world- 
ly men  pronounce  him  blessed  of  the 
Lord,  whose  temporal  affairs  prosper, 
they  do  in  effect  acknowledge  that  God 
is  the  sole  author  of  every  good  ;  and 
if  others  refer  our  mercies  to  this  source, 
we  shall  be  guilty  of  enormous  ingrati- 
tude not  to  express  for  ourselves  the 
same  devout  recognition  of  the  divine 

benefits. ^  Let  there  be  now  an  oath, 

&c.  Heb.  (1^54  alah,  an  oath  of  execra- 
tion. Gr.  apa,  a  curse  ;  i.  e.  an  oath  im- 
precating a  curse  upon  the  breaker  of  it. 
The  Chal.,  however,  understands  it 
somewhat  difTerently  ;  '  Let  now  the 
oath  which  was  between  our  fathers  be 

confirmed  between  us  and  thee.' 

11"  Make  a  covenant.  Heb.  *  Cut  a  cove- 
nant;'  as  usual. 


as  we  have  not  touched  thee,  and 
as  we  have  done  unto  thee  nothing 
hut  good,  and  have  sent  thee  away 
in  peace  :  '  thou  art  now. the  bless- 
ed of  the  Lord. 

SO  "^  And  he  made  them  a  feast, 
and  they  did  eat  and  drink. 

•■  ch.  24.  31.  Ps.  115. 15.        ^  ch.  19.  3. 

29.  That  thou  wilt  do  iis,  &c.  Heb 
'  If  thou  shalt  do  us,'  &c.  That  is, 
'taking  a  curse  upon  thee,  r/thou  shalt 
do  us  hurt.' ^  As  we  have  not  touch- 
ed thee,  &c.  We  cannot,  of  course,  but 
commend  Abimelech  and  his  people 
for  wishing  to  be  on  good  terms  with 
such  a  man  as  Isaac,  but  what  shall 
be  thought  of  their  assertion  that  they 
'had  done  unto  him  nothing  but  good, 
and  had  sent  him  away  in  peace  V 
Surely  they  must  have  known,  and 
he  must  have  felt,  the  contrary  to  be 
true.  They  had,  indeed,  at  first,  in  a 
courteous  manner,  shown  the  rites  of 
hospitahty  to  Isaac,  but  ere  long  their 
kindness  was  changed  to  hatred,  and 
this  hatred  to  persecution.  But  this  is 
the  very  spirit  of  the  native  self-com- 
placency of  the  human  heart,  and  a  spe- 
cimen of  its  proneness  to  lose  sight  of  its 
own  demerits.  We  magnify  the  slightest 
offices  of  good  neighborhood  into  such 
stupendous  acts  of  charity,  that  they 
completely  eclipse  all  other  conduct  of  a 

contrary  description. IT  Thou  art  now 

the  blessed  of  the  Lord.  As  if  he  should 
say,  '  Since  God  hath  so  abundantly 
blessed  thee,  thou  canst  afford  to  forget 
the  slight  annoyance  experienced  from 
the  contentionof  our  servants  with  thine.' 

30.  And  he  made  them  a  feast,  &c.  As 
Isaac  was  of  a  peaceable  spirit,  and  un- 
willing to  sharpen  the  reproaches  which 
their  own  consciences  administered  to 
them,  he  admitted  their  plea,  though  a 
poor  one,  and  treated  them  generously. 
The  providing  and  partaking  of  a  ban- 
quet by  the  parties  appears  to  have 
been  a  usual  appendage  to  the  ratify- 
ing of  a  covenant.     See  Gen.  31.  54. 


83 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1796. 


31  And  they  rose  up  betimes  in 
the  morning-,  and  "  sware  one  to 
another :  and  Isaac  sent  them  away, 
and  they  departed  from  him  in 
peace. 

32  And  it  came  to  pass  the  same 
day,  that  Isaac's  servants  came  and 
told  him  concerning  the  well  which 
they  had  <iigged,  and  said  unto  him, 
We  have  found  water. 

"  ch.  21.  31. 


31.  Sware  one  to  another.  Heb.  IS^Jj^ 
l^nj^b  ^«^  leahiv,  a  man  to  Ms  brother. 
Gr.  sKuaros  rco  TrXrjinov,  each  to  his  neigh- 
bor. 

33.  Called  it  Shebah.  Heb.  nS^-r 
shebah.  That  is,  he  confirmed  and  rati- 
fied this  name,  which  had  been  before 
given  it  by  Abraham,  Gen.  21.31,  va- 
rying it,  however,  by  the  addition  of  tlio 
emphatic  letter  |^  h,  which  may  perhaps 
have  been  intended  to  convey  the  idea 
oi  fullness,  satisfaction,  resulting  from 
the  blessing  obtained.  Or  the  meaning 
may  be,  that  the  name  had  been  given 
by  Abraham  to  the  '  place,'  i.  e.  the  re- 
gion, in  which  the  well  was  situated  ; 
but  that  it  was  now  given  to  the  partic- 
ular spot  near  the  well,  where  the  city 
of  Beer-sheba  was  afterwards  built. 
However  this  may  be,  such,  at  any  rate, 
was  the  name  (Beer-sheba)  by  which 
the  city  was  subsequently  called  to  the 
time  when  the  history  was  written. 

34.  Took  to  wife  Judith  the  daughter  of 
Beeri  the  Hitlite.  From  the  period  men- 
tioned in  the  preceding  verse,  a  delight- 
ful calm  of  eighteen  years  ensued,  of 
Avhich  no  record  remains  for  our  instruc- 
tion, but  which,  from  the  well-known 
character  of  Isaac,  we  cannot  doubt 
was  so  passed  as  to  be  had  in  everlasting 
remembrance  with  God.  At  the  end 
of  that  period,  his  domestic  peace  was 
again  disturbed  by  the  waywardness  of 
his  favorite  son.  The  patriarch  bore 
in  mind  the  extreme  anxiety  of  his  fath- 
er Abraham   lest  he  should   form   an 


;33  And  he  called  it  Shebah: 
°  therefore  the  name  of  the  city  is 
Beer-sheba  unto  this  day. 

34TT  p  And  Esau  was  forty  years 
old  when  he  took  to  wife  Judith  the 
daughter  of  Beeri  the  Hittite,  and 
Bashemath  the  daughter  of  Elon  the 
Hittite  : 

35  Which  1  were  a  grief  of  mind 
unto  Isaac  and  to  Rebekah. 


och.21.  31.        Pch.36.  2. 
28.  1,  8. 


ch.  27.  46.  & 


idolatrous  connexion,  and  therefore,  ani- 
mated by  the  same  pious  sentiments,  he 
was  naturally  desirous  that  his  sons 
should  follow  his  example.  How  then 
must  his  paternal  feehngs  have  been 
shocked  to  find  his  favorite  Esau,  with- 
out consulting  him,  introducing  two  Ca- 
naanitish  wives  at  once  into  the  holy 
family  !  In  this  high-handed  measure 
there  was  a  double  evil.  It  was,  on  the 
one  hand,  being  unequally  yoked  with 
infidelity  ;  and,  on  the  other,  it  was  up- 
holding a  practice  which  has  ever  been, 
and  ever  will  be,  fatal  to  domestic  peace. 
The  daughter  of  an  Hittite  would  na- 
turally be  disposed  to  interrupt  the  re- 
hgious  harmony  that  prevailed ;  and 
two  wives  at  once  would  as  certainly 
be  disposed  to  annoy  each  other,  and 
embroil  the  whole  household  in  their 
quarrels.  The  consequences,  we  learn, 
were  precisely  such  as  might  have  been 
anticipated.  Both  the  parents  were 
grieved,  and  their  lives  embittered,  by 
the  step.  Such  is  the  return  which  pa- 
rents are  sometimes  fated  to  meet  with 
for  all  that  profusion  of  tenderness  and 
affection  which  they  lavish  upon  their 
offspring ;  for  all  their  wearisome  days 
and  sleepless  nights. 

35.  Which  were  a  grief  of  mind,  &c, 
Heb.  mi  n1?3  morath  ruah,  a  bitterness 
of  spirit.  Gr.  ricrav  £pi§ovaai  were  con- 
tentious with  Isaac  and  Rebekah.  Chal. 
'They  were  rebelhoiis  and  stubborn 
against  the  rtl^ndate  of  Isaac  and  Re- 
bekah.'    The   idea  of  both  these  an- 


K.  C  1760.] 


CHAPTER  xxvn 


as 


CHAPTER  XXVil.  were  dim,  so  that  he  could  not  see, 

A   ND  it  came  to  pass,  that  when:  he  called   Esau  his  eldest  son,  and 
-i^^   Isaac  was  old,  and  "  his  eyes  |  said  unto  hiin,  My  son  :  and  he  said 
■■^ch.  4«.  10.    1  Sam.  3. 2.  j  unto  him,  Behold,  here  am  I. 


cient  versions  accords  with  what  some  ofhisfother.  The  second,  commenciiiL' 
have  thought  to  be  the  true  sense  ofathis  father's  death,  and  ending  in  his 
the  Hebrew,  viz.  that  they  were  of  a  j  one  hundred  and  thirty-seventh  year. 
rebellious    spirit,    as  the   original    TiTC    when  it  pleased  God  to  visit  him  witl- 


may  be  derived  either  from  "1"','^  marar, 
to  be  bitter,  or  from  ni!^  inarah,  to  rebel. 
The  sense  is,  no  doubt,  substantially  the 
same,  whichever  etymology  we  adopt ; 
but  as  the  grammatical  form  of  the  word 
favors  the  former  construction,  and  as 
we  find  elsewhere,  Prov.  14. 10,  the  par- 
allel phrase  i!J 53  tTi;^  morrath  nephesh, 
bitterness  of  soul,  we  conclude  that  that  is 
the  more  correct  of  the  two.  The  Jerusa- 
lem Targum  attributes  to  them  the  posi- 
tive practice  of  idolatry  ; — '  They  serv- 
ed God  with  strange  service,  and  receiv- 
ed not  the  instruction  of  Isaac  or  Re- 
bekah.'  But  the  disquiet  which  it  pro- 
duced, was  no  doubt  overruled  to  a  hap- 
py result.  Had  the  aged  couple  found 
these  daughters-in-law  mild,  gentle,  and 
amiable  in  their  deportment,  it  is  easy 
to  see  that  this  circumstance  might 
have  tended  gradually  to  work  a  kindly 
spirit  towards  the  reprobate  race  from 
which  they  sprang,  and  led  in  the  end 
perhaps  to  a  general  amalgamation  of 
two  peoples  designed  by  God  to  be 
kept  perpetually  distinct.  But  the  do- 
mestic jars  which  arose  from  this  ill- 
assorted  union,  went  undoubtedly  to 
counteract  any  undue  bias  in  this  direc- 
tion in  the  minds  of  Isaac  and  Rebekah. 
Thus  a  wise  and  benignant  providence 
extracts  good  out  of  evil. 


CHAPTER  xxvn. 
The  Ufe  of  Isaac  may  be  divided  into 
three  periods.  The  first,  containing  sev- 
enty-five years,  from  his  birth  to  the 
death  of  Abraham,  during  which,  being 
under  parental  government,  and  of  a 
meek,  unassuming  disposition,  his  histo- 
ry is  blended  with  and  included  in  that 


extreme  weakness,  and  a  total  loss  oi 
eye-sight,  contains  the  space  of  sixty- 
two  years,  which  may  be  called  his  ac- 
tive period.  To  this  succeeds  a  dreary 
period  of  forty-three  years  to  the  day  of 
his  death,  during  which  we  see  an  in- 
firm, dark  old  man,  holding  fast,  on  the 
whole,  his  integrity  and  his  confidence 
in  God,  but  placed  by  his  physical  and 
mental  infirmities  so  much  at  the  dispos- 
al of  others,  as  to  become  inadvertently 
the  source  of  the  most  trying  embarrass- 
ments and  disunions  in  his  own  family. 
How  this  happened,  it  is  the  object  of 
the  present  chapter  to  relate ;  and  in 
following  the  thread  of  the  narrative,  we 
are  struck  with  the  feature  so  peculiar 
to  the  inspired  historians  of  merely 
relating  their  story  without  interposing 
any  comments  of  their  own.  In  the 
account  of  Jacob's  obtaining  the  bless- 
ing by  subtlety  from  his  father,  no  cen- 
sure is  passed  upon  his  conduct  by 
Moses ;  and  an  inadvertent  reader  might 
consider  it  only  in  the  light  of  a  trick, 
displaying  considerable  ingenuity  of 
contrivance,  and  dexterity  of  execution, 
but  not,  perhaps,  as  involving  any  special 
moral  delinquency.  But  though  the  sa- 
cred writer  does  not  stop  to  descant  upon 
Jacob's  guilt,  yet  the  subsequent  history 
plainly  discovers  a  just  providence  pun- 
ishing his  sin,  and  reads  to  us  a  most  in- 
structive lesson  on  the  baneful  effects  of 
fraud. 

1.  When  Isaac  was  old.  The  age  to 
which  he  had  now  attained  is  stated 
above.  He  seems  for  some  reason  to 
have  been  impressed  with  the  idea  that 
he  was  at  this  time  near  his  end,  though 
he  lived  upwards  of  forty  years  from 


84 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


2  And  he  said,  Behold  now,  I  am 
old,  I  ^know  not  the  day  of  my 
death. 

3  <=  Now  therefore  take,  I  pray 
thee,  thy  weapons,  thy  quiver  and 


bProv.27.  1.    Jam.  4.  14, 


ch.  25.27,28, 


the  date  of  this  event. IT  Called  Esau 

his  eldest  son.  Heb.  bl^n  IjS  I"!*^  Esau 
beno  haggadol,  Esau  his  son  the  great ; 
ir  e.  the  greater  or  older ;  a  usage  al- 
ready explained,  Gen.  10.  21.— 25.  23. 
The  whole  of  the  ensuing  narrative 
makes  it  plain  that,  notwithstanding 
Esau's  perverse  and  undutiful  carriage 
towards  his  father  in  marrying  into  the 
stock  of  Canaan,  he  was  still  the  ob- 
ject of  his  doting  partiality. 

3.  Thy  weapons.  The  Heb.  'ibS  Me 
signifies  properly  vessels,  implements, 
utensils  of  any  kind  ;  and  it  is  probable 
that  our  Eng.  word  '  weapons,'  instead 
of  being  exclusively  applied  to  armor,  or 
warlike  instruments,  was  formerly  used 
in  a  like  general  sense.  The  old  Gene- 
va version  has,  more  correctly,  '  instru- 
ments.'  IT    Take    me    some  venison. 

Heb.  rrr^^  'lb  mis  tzudah  li  tznyidah, 
hunt  me  a  hunting,  i.  e.  game,  of  what- 
ever kind. 

4.  Make  me  savoury  meat.  Heb. 
lD'^)2^t3?3  matammim,  from  tS'ta  iaam,  to 
taste.  '  There  are  several  points  in  this 
account  that  require  explanation.  One 
is,  how  it  happened  that  Isaac  should 
direct  Esau  to  go  hunting,  to  get  him 
venison,  when,  as  it  seems  from  the  re- 
sult, a  '  kid  of  the  goats'  (that  is,  a  young 
kid  still  sucking  the  dam)  would  have 
done  as  well.  The  fact  is  that  the  ori- 
ental shepherds  seldom,  except  to  enter- 
tain a  stranger,  think  of  diminishing  their 
flocks  to  supply  themselves  with  meat. 
They  are  as  glad  of  any  game  that  falls 
in  their  way  as  if  tliey  had  not  a  sheep 
or  goat  in  their  possession  ;  and  it  was 
quite  natural  that  such  '  a  cunning  hunt- 
er' as  Esau  should  rather  be  directed  to 
go  out  into  the  fields  and  shoot  game 


thy  bow,  and  go  out  to  the  field, 
and  take  me  some  venison ; 

4  And  make  me  savoury  meat, 
such  as  1  love,  and  bring  ii  to  me 
that  I  may  eat ;  that  my  soul  ''maj 
bless  thee  before  I  die. 

J  ver.  27.  ch.  48.  9,  15.  &  49.  23.  Dent.  H3.  1. 


than  to  go  and  fetch  kids  from  the  flock. 
Another  thingis,  hovvthc  flesh  of  young 
kids  could  be  imposed  upon  Isaac  for 
venison :  but  if  by  venison  is  to  be  un- 
derstood the  flesh  of  a  young  gazelle, 
which  is  by  no  means  clear,  the  differ- 
ence between  it  and  that  of  a  young 
kid  is  not  great,  as  we  know  from  per- 
sonal experience ;  and  a  still  greater 
difference  would  be  lost,  even  to  per- 
sons with  senses  more  acute  than  Isaac's 
were  at  this  time,  when  disguised  by  the 
strong  flavors,  salt,  spicy,  sour,  or  sweet, 
which  the  Orientals  are  fond  of  giving 
to  their  more  luxurious  dishes.  We  have 
often  hesitated  at  an  oriental  supper  to 
determine  of  what  meat  the  strongly- 
seasoned,  or  highly-acidulated,  or  sweet- 
ened, messes  set  before  us  were  com- 
posed. As  Isaac  intended  a  particular 
indulgence,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
utmost  resources  of  patriarchal  cookery 
were  employed  upon  the  dish  prepared 
for  him.  The  word  '  matamim'  has  a 
more  extensive  signification  than  the 
word  '  savoury,'  here  used  to  translate 
it .  It  means  in  general  any  thing  highly 
grateful  to  the  taste,  and  may  express 
any  of  the  more  self-indulgent  prepara- 
tions admired  by  the  Orientals ;  all 
whose  most  esteemed  dishes  are  satu- 
rated with  butter  or  fat — highly  season- 
ed with  salt,  spices,  garlic,  and  onions- 
sharpened  WMth  vegetable  acids,  or 
sweetened  with  honey  or  vegetable 
sweets.  Sometimes  the  oleaginous,  the 
saline,  the  spicy,  the  sweet,  and  the 
sour,  concur  to  aggrandize  and  mystify 
the  same  dish.  If  Jacob's  kids  had 
been  roasted  whole,  in  the  way  formerly 
mentioned,  after  being  stuffed  with 
raisins,   pistachio    nuts,    almonds,    and 


B.  C.  1760. 


CAlAVVi'Wi  XXVfL 


95 


5  And  Rebekah  heard  when 
Isaac  spake  to  Esau  his  son :  and 
Esau  went  to  the  field  to  hunt /or 
venison,  and  to  bring  it. 


husked  corn  or  rice,  the  result  would 
have  been  a  most  savoury  dish,  now 
much  admired  in  the  East,  and  which  a 
man  with  all  his  senses  in  perfection 
would  not  readily  distinguish  from  a 
j-oung  gazelle  similarly  treated.'     Pict. 

Bible. !r    That    my    soul    may    bless 

thee,  4'C.  That  is,  that  Jmay  bless  thee, 
as  V.  7 ;  soul  being  often  used  in  Heb. 
for  one's  person.  See  Note  on  Gen.  2.  7. 
But  wherein  consisted  the  blessing 
which  was  now  about  to  be  bestowed, 
and  why  was  savory  meat  required  in 
order  to  the  bestowment  of  it  ?  It  can- 
not be  doubted  that,  from  such  a  father 
as  Isaac,  a  common  blessing  was  to  be 
expected  on  all  his  children  ;  but  in  this 
family,  there  was  a  peculiar  blessing  per- 
taining to  the  first  born — a  solemn,  ex- 
traordinary, prophetical  benediction,  en- 
tailing the  covenant  blessing  of  Abra- 
ham, with  all  the  promises,  temporal  and 
spiritual,  belonging  to  it,  and  by  which 
his  posterity  were  to  be  distinguished  as 
God's  peculiar  people.  This  was  the 
blessing  which  Isaac  was  now  about  to 
bestow,  and,  by  way  of  preparative  to 
the  solemn  act,  he  calls  for  a  dish  of  his 
favorite  food.  The  reason  of  this  is  not 
entirely  obvious ;  but,  as  the  transmis- 
sion of  the  covenant  blessing  was  sup- 
posed to  be  performed  with  the  special 
and  powerful  concurrence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  very  great  weight  and  solemnity 
were  attached  to  it ;  and  as  certain 
states  of  the  animal  system  were  sup- 
posed to  be  more  favorable  than  others 
to  th*f  illapses  of  the  Spirit,  as  is  evident 
from  the  effect  of  music  on  the  pro- 
phets, 2  Kings  3.  14, 15,  it  is  not  unlikely 
that  Isaac  designed,  by  eating  savory 
meat  nnd  drinking  wine,  v.  25,  so  to  re- 
vive the  languid  tone  of  nature,  so  to 
refresh  and  exhilarate  all  his  physical 
VOL.  If. 


6  "iT  And  Rebekah  spake  unto 
Jacob  her  son,  saying,  Behold,  I 
heard  thy  father  speak  unto  Esau 
thy  brother,  saying, 

powers,  that,  like  an  instrument  of  mu- 
sic perfectly  attuned,  he  might  render 
himself  a  more  fit  organ  of  the  oracular 
impulses  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  At  the 
same  time  we  cannot  but  regard  the 
suggestion  of  Adam  Clarke,  on  this 
subject  as  highly  plausible,  viz:  'That, 
as  eadng  and  drinking  were  used 
among  the  Asiatics  on  almost  all  re- 
ligious occasions,  it  is  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  something  of  this  kind  was 
essentially  necessary  on  this  occasion  ; 
and  that  Isaac  could  not  convey  the 
right,  till  he  had  eaten  of  the  meat  pro- 
vided for  the  purpose  by  him  who  waa 
to  receive  the  blessing.'  This  hypothe- 
sis may  be  admitted  in  entire  consisten- 
cy with  what  we  have  said  of  the  patri- 
arch's design  to  refresh  himself  by 
suitable  and  grateful  nourishment  for 
the  work  before  him.  As  to  his  purpose 
of  conferring  the  blessing  upon  Esau 
rather  than  upon  Jacob,  it  is,  perhaps, 
too  much  to  afHrm  that  in  this  he  went 
intentionally  counter  to  the  divine  coun- 
sels. We  cannot  be  positively  certain 
that  he  was  acquainted  with  the  oracle. 
Gen.  25.  23,  announcing  that  the  elder 
should  serve  the  younger,  or  that  he 
knew  of  Esau's  seUing  his  birth-right ; 
still,  it  is  not  easy  to  conceive  of  his  hav- 
ing been  ignorant  of  them  ;  and  just  in 
proportion  to  the  probability  of  his  being 
informed  on  this  head  is  the  difficulty  of 
accounting  for  his  conduct.  As  the  sacred 
narrative  afTords  us  no  clue  on  the  sub- 
ject, we  are,  perhaps,  shut  up  to  a  mere- 
ly hypothetical  solution,  viz.  that,  his 
partiality  for  Esau,  and  the  custom  of 
the  elder  son  being  heir,  led  him  to  forget, 
misunderstand,  or  disregard  the  previ- 
ous intimation  of  the  divine  will. 

6 — 10.  And  Rebekah  spake  unto  Jacob, 
<^c.    We  now  come  to  a  detailed  ac- 


85 


Gi^iXl^SiS. 


P>.r,  1760= 


7  Bring  me  venison,   nnd   make  i  and  bh^ss  thee  before  the  Lord,  he- 
me savoury  meat,  that  I  may  eat,  fore  my  death. 


count  of  the  stratagem  by  which  the 
blessing  was  diverted  from  Esau,  and 
conferred  upon  Jacob ;  and  we  cannot 
but  pause  in  astonishment,  at  beholding 
a  person  of  Rebekah'sexemplarj^  char- 
acter devising  such  a  plot,  and  a  plain 
man  like  Jacob,  executing  it  in  accord- 
ance with  her  wishes — a  plot  to  deceive  a 
holy  and  aged  man.  a  husband,  a  parent, 
in  the  very  hour  of  his  expected  decease, 
and  in  a  transaction  of  the  most  sacred 
importance.  We  cannot,  indeed,  sup- 
pose this  to  have  been  their  ordinary 
mode  of  acting  ;  and  this  renders  it  not  a 
little  surprising  that  tliey  should  all  at 
once  have  shown  themselves  such  profi- 
cients in  the  arts  of  dissimulation  and 
fraud.  But,  although  the  measure  was  ut- 
terly unjustifiable  and  base,  yet,  as  we 
cannot  at  this  distance  of  time,  put  our- 
selves into  the  precise  position  of  the 
parties,  nor  possess  ourselves  of  the  ex- 
act state  of  mind  by  which  it  was  prompt- 
ed, this  fact  should  somewhat  soften  our 
condemnation.  On  the  one  hand,  it  is 
clear  that  God  designed  that  Jacob  should 
have  the  blessing,  and  that  Rebekah 
was  aware  of  this  design.  There  is 
every  reason  to  believe,  also,  that  sjie 
highly  prized  the  blessing,  and  was  in- 
fluenced by  a  principle  of  sincere  faith 
in  seeking  to  obtain  it ;  and  so  far  she 
is  to  be  commended.  But  the  scheme 
which  she  formed  to  compass  the  end 
was  exceedingly  culpable.  She  had  no 
right  to  suppose  that  treachery  and  false- 
hood, were  under  any  circumstances, 
admissible  in  bringing  about  the  divine 
purposes.  It  is  as  high  presumption  for 
men  to  think  that  their  cunning  is  need- 
ed to  accomplish  God's  purposes,  as  that 
by  their  cunning  they  can  defeat 
them.  Rebekah'3  wag,  therefore,  a 
crooked  policy,  wholly  at  variance 
with  the  simplicity  of  a  child  of  God  ; 
and  not  only  .^o.it  was  an  expedient  ihat 


I  was  not  barely  sinful,  but  unnecessary 
1  As  she  had  been  assured  by  a  divine  ora 
cle  that  the  elder  should  serve  the  young' 
er^  as  the  birthright  was  transferable, 
and  Jacob  had  actually  purchased  ii 
the  proper  course  would  have  been  for 
I  her  and  Jacob  to  have  set  the  matter 
1  plainly  before  Isaac ;  and  by  arguments, 


expostulations,  and  entreaties,  urged 
him  thus  to  comply  with  what  was  evi- 
dently the  will  of  heaven.  Isaac  was  a 
pious  man,  and  would  scarcely  have 
dared  to  set  liimself  knowingly  against 
the  counsels  of  God.  This  should  have 
been  their  first  effort,  and,  had  it  failed, 
still  they  should  have  borne  it  in  mind 
that  God  was  able  to  overrule  his  actions 
and  to  constrain  him,  as  he  afterwards 
did  Jacob  himself,  to  cross  his  hands, 
and,  even  against  his  will,  to  trans- 
fer (he  blessing  to  him  for  whom  it 
was  designed.  They  should  have 
committed  the  result  implicidy  to  him. 
He  might  be  safely  left  with  the  exe- 
cution of  his  own  purposes.  The  sin  of 
deceiving  a  man  into  what  is  right,  dif- 
fers litde  from  the  sin  of  deceiving  him 
into  what  is  wrong.  The  effect  of  the  sin 
may  indeed  be  different,  but  its  moral 
character,  in  the  eyes  of  Omniscience, 
is  substantially  the  same.  On  the  whole, 
after  every  abatement,  we  cannot  but 
severely  condemn  the  conduct  of  Re- 
bekah and  Jacob.  The  slightest  devia- 
tion from  the  straight-forward  princi- 
ples of  integrity  and  honesty,  is  con- 
trary to  the  very  genius  and  actings  of 
a  true  faith  ;  and  though  the  event  was 
overruled  to  good,  yet  this  was  no  jus- 
tification of  the  parties  concerned.  Evil 
ceases  not  to  be    evil,    because  God 

makes    it    redound    to    his    glory. 

IT  Bless  thee  he/ore  the  Lord.  That  is, 
with  special  solemnity,  with  a  blessing  t'» 
be  pronounced  as  in  the  divine  presence, 
and  sanctione'.l  by  the  divine  authority 


B.  C.  1760.T 


CHAPTER    XXVil. 


S7 


8  Now  therefore,  my  son,  "  obey 
my  voice,  according  to  t.'iat  which  I 
command  thee. 

9  Go  now  to  the  flock,  and  fetch 
me  from  thence  two  good  kids  of  the 
goats ;  and  I  will  make  them  '"sa- 
voury meat  for  thy  father,  such  as 
he  loveth  : 

10  And  thou  shalt  bring  it  to 
thy  father,  that  he  may  eat,  and 

ver.  13.         f  ver.  4. 


11.  And  Jacob  said  to  Rehekah,  <^-c. 
The  feelings  of  Jacob  instinctively  re- 
volt at  the  proposition  of  his  mother, 
and  he  remonstrates  against  it.  Would 
that  he  had  duly  heeded  the  warning  of 
the  internal  monitor,  which,  with  far 
greater  authority  than  that  of  Rebekah, 
was  saying  to  him,  '  Obey  mi/  voice,  ac- 
cording to  that  which  /command  thee  !' 
But  the  remonstrance,  such  as  it  was, 
loses  nearly  all  its  merit  by  being  found- 
ed on  the  consequences  of  the  act,  and 
not  on  the  act  itself.  He  seems  not  to 
have  been  struck  by  the  enormity  of 
the  deed  as  an  ofTence  against  God. 
How  great  the  contrast  between  his 
reasoning  on  this  occasion,  and  that  of  his 
son  Joseph  when  assaulted  by  a  pow- 
erful temptation.  '  1  shall  bring  a  curse 
upon  me,  and  not  a  blessing,'  said  the 
one  ;  '  How  shall  I  do  this  great  wicked- 
ness, and  sin  against  God,'  said  the  other. 
But  we  learn  from  the  sequel,  that  as  he 
now  sowed,  so  he  afterwards  reaped. 

12.  J  shall  seem  to  him  as  a  deceiver. 
Heb.  5>.~l!?n'^D  kimtataa,  as  one  that 
causeth  greatly  to  err,  or,  as  a  very  de- 
ceiver. The  original  from  n^n  to  loan- 
der,  to  err,  is  of  an  intensive  form,  con- 
veying a  meaning,  the  exact  shade  of 
which  cannot  well  be  transfused  into 
Englifh.  Gr.  'As  one  despising  him.' 
Chal.  '  As  one  mocking  him.'  The 
particle  'as'  is  often  used  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, to  signify,  not  similitude,  but  re- 
ality, or  the  thing  itself;  thus,  Ob.  1.  11, 
♦Thou  wast  as  one  of  them  ;'  i.  e.  wast  |  put  himself  in  such  a  relation  to  fallen 


that  he  s  may  bless  thee  before  his 
death. 

11  And  Jacob  said  to  Rebekah 
his  mother.  Behold,  i^Esau  my  bro- 
ther is  an  hairy  man,  and  I  am  a. 
smooth  man  : 

12  My  father  peradventure  will 
'  feel  me,  and  I  shall  seem  to  him  as 
a  deceiver;  and  I  shall  bring  '^i 
curse  upon  me,  and  not  a  blessing. 

e  ver.  4.         h  ch.  25.  25.         '  ver.  22. 
^  ch.  9.  25.    Deut.  27.  18. 

one,  Deut.  9.  10,  '  On  them  (the  tables) 
was  written  according  to  all  the  words  ;' 
Heb.  'as  all  the  words;'  IVeh.  7.  2, 
'  For  he  was  a  faithful  man  ;'  Heb. 
as  a  faithful  man.'  John  1.  14,  'We 
beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the 
only  begotten  of  the  Father ;'  i.  e. 
simply,  the  glory  of  the  only  begotten  ; 
2  Cor.  3.  IS,  'Are  changed  into  the  same 
image  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  ;'  i.  e. 

by  the  Spirit. IF  Shall  bring  a  curse. 

That  his  fears  on  this  head  were  well 
founded,  appears  evident  from  the  fol- 
lowing passage  in  the  Law,  Deut.  27. 
18,  '  Curt^ed  be  he  that  makedi  the  blind 

to  wander  out  of  the  way.' IT   Upon 

me  be  the  curse.  Chal.  '  It  was  said 
unto  me  by  prophecy,  that  curses  shall 
not  come  upon  thee,  but  blessings.'  By 
Jacob's  curse  she  meant  the  curse  that 
he  might  incur.  But  her  presumption 
in  this  case  is  as  much  to  be  censured 
as  her  subdety  in  the  outset.  As  it  was 
impossible  that  she  could  have  the  full 
approval  of  her  own  conscience  in 
this  affair,  she  run  a  fearful  risk  in 
making  such  a  declaration;  and  it 
would  argue  a  very  low  tone  of  moral 
sentiment  to  imagine  that  her  pledging 
herself  to  bear  the  blame,  would  at  all 
extenuate  the  guilt  of  her  sin.  There 
is  but  one  being  who  ever  has  said,  or 
could  truly  say,  'Upon  me  be  thy 
curse.'  The  compassionate  Saviour  of 
sinners,  '  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foun- 
dation  of   the   world,'    has   graciously 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


13  And  his  mother  said  unto 
him,  ^  Upon  me  he  thy  curse,  my 
son ;  only  obey  my  voice,  and  go 
fetch  me  them. 

14  And  he  went,  and  fetched, 
and  brought  them  to  his  mother : 

1  ch.  43.  9.      1  Sam.  2j.  24.     2  Sam.  14.  9. 
Matt.  27.  25. 


man  that  he  can  properly  adopt  this 
language,  and  to  him  only  is  it  appro- 
priate. Rebekah's  words  evince,  in- 
deed, a  great  strength  of  assurance  in 
the  divine  promise  or  prediction,  but 
this  does  not  extenuate  the  fraud  she 
was  now  practising  upon  Isaac,  nor  the 
bad  morality  which  she  was  virtually 
teaching  her  son. 

14.  And  he  went,  ^c.  Rebekah  takes 
the  consequences  upon  herself,  and  then 
he  has  no  more  to  object,  but  does  as 
she  instructs  him.  Had  his  remon- 
strance arisen  from  an  aversion  to  the 
evil,  he  would  not  so  readily  have 
yielded  to  her  suggestions.  But  where 
temptation  finds  the  heart  fortified  by 
nothing  stronger  than  a  regard  to  present 
consequences,  it  is  very  certain  to  pre- 
vaU.  Let  us  beware,  however,  how 
we  are  drawn  by  any  authority  what- 
ever to  the  commission  of  evil.  It  will 
be  of  litde  avaU  to  say,  My  adviser  was 
ray  father,  or  my  mother.  There  is  a 
plain  path,  from  which  no  authority 
under  heaven  should  induce  us  to 
swerve. 

15.  Rebekah  took  goodly  raiment,  Sfc. 
Heb.  im>3nn  hahamudoth,  desirable. 
But  whether  this  '  desirableness'  arose 
from  their  pecuhar  make,  or  from  their 
color,  or  from  some  other  circumstances 
which  gave  them  an  adventitious  pre- 
ciousness,  is  uncertain  ;  though  we  are 
inclined  to  give  considerable  weight  to 
the  suggestions  that  follow.  The  Gr. 
has  rr}v  (TTo\r]v  tj]v  Ka'Xrjv  the  fair  stole  or 
robe.  Chal.  'Vestments  which  were 
clean.'  The  '  stole'  was  a  long  robe 
with  fringed  or  flounced  borders,  usual- 

y  white,  though  sometimes  purple  ;  and 


and  his  mother ""  made  savoury  meat, 
such  as  his  father  Joved. 

15  And  Rebekah  took  "  goodly 
raiment  of  her  eldest  son  Esau, 
which  2cere  with  her  in  the  house, 
and  put  them  upon  Jacob  heryoun- 
ger  son : 

m  ver.  4.  9.        "  ver.  27. 

worn  by  the  great  as  a  mark  of  distinc- 
tion, Luke  15.  22,  and  20.  46,  in  both 
which  passages  the  original  word  for 
'  robes'  is  croXai  stoles.  The  same 
word  is  applied  by  the  Gr.  of  the  Sept. 
to  the  'holy  garments'  in  which  the 
priests  ministered  under  the  law,  Ex. 
28.  2-4,  '  And  thou  shalt  make  holy  gar' 
ments  {<7To\r]v  ayiav  a  holy  stole)  for  Aaro^n 
thy  brother,  for  glory  and  for  beauty,' 
&c.  From  general  usage,  therefore,  we 
may  regard  the  'stole'  as  a  species  of 
vestment  appropriated  mainly  to  the  sa- 
cerdotal office,  and  perhaps  from  a  very 
early  period  preserved  and  handed 
down  among  the  patriarchs  as  a  badge 
of  the  birthright.  Such  a  robe,  we  are 
disposed  to  think,  was  the  many-colored 
coat  of  Joseph,  the  possession  of  which 
excited  the  envy  of  his  brethren,  be- 
cause worn  as  a  sign  of  the  transfer  of 
Reuben's  forfeited  birthright  to  Joseph. 
See  Note  on  Gen.  37.  3.  As  the  privile- 
ges and  prerogatives  included  in  the 
birthright  had  a  principal  reference  to 
Christ,  and  w-ere  never  fully  realized 
but  in  him  '  who  is  the  first-born  of  ev- 
ery creature,'  so  it  can  scarcely  be 
questioned  that  the  reason  of  .his  being 
represented  in  his  different  apparitions 
after  the  resurrection,  and  when  he  had 
entered  upon  his  eternal  priesthood,  as 
clothed  in  a  long  while  garment,  is  to 
intimate  that  the  shadow  of  the  robe  of 
primogeniture  had  now  passed  into  its 
appropriate  substance.  This  circum- 
stance was  made  evident  to  the  senses 
of  the  disciples  present  at  our  Lord's 
transfiguration,  which  was  nothing  else 
than  an  anlicipative  visible  display  of 
the  personal  glory  with  which  he  was 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CNAP'l'ER  XXVI I 


16  And  she  put  tlie  skins  of  the 
kids  of  the  goats  upon  his  hands, 
and  upon  the  smooth  of  his  neck  : 

17  And  she  gave  tlie  savoury 
meat  and  the  bread,  wliicli  she  had 
prepared,  into  the  hands  of  her  son 
Jacob, 

18  IF  And  he  came  unto  his  fath- 
er, and  said.  My  father.     And  he 


to  be  invested  after  his  resurrection 
Accordingly  we  are  told,  3Iark  9.  2 
that  among  the  splendors  of  the  scene, 
'his  raiment  became  shining,  exceeding 
white  as  snow  ;  so  as  no  fuller  on  earth 
can  white  them.'  Well,  therefore,  might 
Moses  be  commanded  to  make  the  typi 
cal  '  stoles'  for  Aaron  and  his  sons  '  for 
glory  and  for  heauhj.''  But  as  all  true 
Christians  are  fellow-heirs  with  Christ, 
and  come  into  a  participation  with  him 
in  all  the  consummated  blessings  of  the 
birthright,  being  made  kings  and  priests 
unto  God,  this  fact  lays  the  foundation 
for  such  allusions  as  the  following,  Rev. 
3.  4,  5,  '  Thou  hast  a  few  names  even  in 
Sardis,  which  have  not  defiled  their  gar- 
ments ;  and  they  shall  walk  with  me  in 
white ;  for  they  are  worthy.  He  that 
overcometh  shall  be  clothed  in  white 
raiment ;'  Rev.  6.  9 — 11,  '  And  I  saw 
under  the  altar  the  souls  of  them  that 
were  slain  for  the  word  of  God,  &c  , 
and  white  robes  (Gr. '  white  stoles, 'j  were 
given  unto  every  one  of  them.'  Kev. 
7.  9,  '  After  this  I  beheld,  and  lo,  a  great 
multitude  which  no  man  could  number, 
stood  before  the  throne  and  before  the 
Lamb,  clothed  with  white  rones  (Gr. 
'  with  white  stoles').  All  these  passa- 
ges we  conceive  have  a  direct  allusion 
to  the  birthright  garments  of  which  the 
first  mention  occurs  in  this  history  of 
Jacob  and  Esau.  These  '  garments  of 
desire'  were,  in  all  probability,  the  sa- 
cred symbolical  '  stole'  received  from 
their  ancestors,  and  kept  by  the  mother 
of  the  family  in  sweet-scented  chests  or 
wardrobes,  to  preserve   them  from  the 


who  art  thou,  mv 


said.  Here  a7n  I 
son  ] 

19  And  Jacob  said  unto  his  fath- 
er, I  am  Esau  thy  first-born  ;  I  have 
done  according  as  thou  badest  me  : 
arise,  I  pray  thee,  sit  and  eat  of  my 
venison,  °  that  thy  soul  may  bless 


ver.  4. 


depredations  of  moths.  Targ.  Jon.  'And 
Rebekah  took  the  desirable  robes  of  her 
elder  son  Esau,  which  had  belonged  to 
Adam  the  first  parent.'  In  allusion  to 
this  aromatic  fragrance  it  is  said,  v.  27, 
that '  Isaac  smelled  the  smell  of  his  rai- 
ment.' If  these  were  mere  common 
garments,  it  may  be  asked  why  they 
were  in  the  keeping  of  Esau's  mother, 
rather  than  of  himself  or  of  his  wives, 
especially  as  he  had  been  married 
37  years,  and  was  now,  as  well  as  Ja- 
cob, 77  years  old  ? IT  In  the  house. 

'  They  were  certainly  living  in  a  tent ; 
but  it  is  to  this  day  not  unusual  to  call 
a  tent  a  house.  The  word  house  is  used 
much  as  we  use  the  word  '  home,'  be- 
ing applied  quite  irrespectively  of  the 
sort  of  domestic  habitation  denoted  by 
it.  'I  he  Bedouins  always  denommate  a 
tent  'a  house,'  using  the  same  word 
in'^n  (beil)  in  sound  and  meaning  as  the 
Hebrew  word  in  the  text.'  Pict.  Bible. 
19.  I  am  Esau  thy  first-born.  Our  es- 
timate of  Jacob's  conduct  in  this  stage 
of  the  transaction  will  depend  upon  the 
views  we  entertain  of  the  real  drift  of 
this  reply.  That  the  words  taken  in 
their  literal  sense  convey  a  direct  and 
positive  falsehood  is  clear;  but  it  may 
still  be  a  question  whether  there  were 
not  another  sense  intended  by  Jacob  in  his 
own  mind  ;  one  in  which  the  expression 
might  be  understood  so  as  to  free  the 
peaker  from  the  charge  of  uttering  a 
downright  lie.  It  is,  at  any  rate,  contend- 
ed by  some  commentators,that,  as  he  had 
virtually  come  into  the  place  of  Esau 
by  the  purchase  of  the    hirthrisht,  he 

8* 


90 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


20  And  Isaac  said  unto  his  son, 
How  is  it  that  thou  hast  found  it  so 
quickly,  my  son  ?  And  he  said,  be- 
cause the  Lord  thy  God  brought  it 
to  me. 

21  And  Isaac  said  unto  Jacob, 
Come  near,  I  pray  thee,  that  I  Pmay 
feel  thee,  my  son,  whether  thou  be 
my  very  son  Esau,  or  not. 

P  ver.  12. 


might  say  that  he  was  the  first-born  on 
the  same  grounds  that  John  the  Baptist 
is  called  Elias,  and  the  Gentiles  termed 
the  cireuracision.  As  it  is  not  supposed 
that  John  the  Baptist  was  guilty  of  a 
falsehood  when  he  denied  that  he  was 
Elias,  John  1.  21,  though  our  Saviour 
eaid  that  he  was,  so  it  is  suggested  that 
Jacob's  words  may  he  true  if  interpreted 
as  equivalent  to  '  I  am  Esau  thy  first- 
born ;  not  in  person,  but  in  right.'  But 
this  plea,  however  specious,  besides 
resting  upon  a  very  uncertain  basis,  does 
not  afford  a  vindication  broad  enough  to 
cover  all  the  features  of  Jacob's  crooked 
policy  on  this  occasion.  With  Henry 
we  may  ask, '  How  could  he  say  '  I  have 
done  as  thou  badest  me,'  when  he  had 
received  no  command  from  his  father, 
but  was  doing  as  his  mother  bade  him  ? 
How  could  he  say,  '  Eat  of  my  veni- 
son, when  he  knew  it  came  not  from 
the  field,  but  from  the  fold  ?'  On  the 
whole,  we  must,  we  think,  be  content 
to  leave  this  humiliating  conduct  as  a 
blot  on  the  character  of  Jacob,  without 
apology  and  without  excuse,  only  ob- 
serving, that,  disgraceful  as  it  was,  God 
could  forgive  it,  and  did  forgive  it,  for 
the  sake  of  a  better  righteousness  than 
his  own. 

20.  Because  the  LORD  (hy  God  brought 
it  to  me.  Heb.  "i:t:b  .T'.pn  hikrah  le- 
pJianai,  made  to  occur  ;  the  appropriate 
term  for  expressing  a  special  interposi- 
tion of  providence.  See  note  on  Gen. 
24.  12.  Gr.  'For  the  Lord  thy  God  de- 
livered it  before  me.'     Chal.  '  Because 


22  And  Jacob  went  near  unto 
Isaac  his  father ;  and  he  felt  him, 
and  said.  The  voice  is  Jacob's  voice, 
but  the  hands  are  the  hands  of 
Esau. 

23  And  he  discerned  him  not,  be- 
cause his  q  hands  were  hairy,  as  his 
brother  Esau's  hands  :  so  he  blessed 
him. 

1  ver.  IG. 


the  Lord  prepared  it  before  me.'  The 
answer  intimates  that  his  speedy  suc- 
cess was  owing  to  a  particular  divine 
interference  in  his  behalf!  It  is  not 
easy  to  conceive  a  more  daring  piece  of 
effrontery  than  tiiis.  It  was  bad  enough 
to  deal  in  so  many  gross  equivocations  ; 
but  to  bring  in  the  Lord  God  of  his  fath- 
er, in  order  to  give  them  the  appearance 
of  truth,  was  much  worse,  and  what  we 
s'nould  scarcely  have  expected  but  from 
one  of  the  most  depraved  of  men.  But 
this  was  the  natural  result  of  a  first 
wrong  step.  Little  do  we  know  whith- 
er we  may  be  drawn  if  once  we  depart 
from  the  plain  direct  course  of  honesty 
and  truth.  Jacob  probably  had  no  idea 
of  going  beyond  a  little  stroke  of  dissim.- 
ulation  and  fraud  ;  yet  here  we  find  him 
treading  upon  the  borders  of  absolute 
blasphemy,  by  making  God  himself  con- 
federate in  his  sin  !  Let  us  beware  then 
of  evil  in  its  very  first  approaches. 

23.  He  discerned  him  not,  because,  Sfc. 
It  is  remarked  by  Bochart  (Hierozoic.  I. 
ii.  c.  51.)  that  in  the  eastern  countries 
the  goats'  hair  has  often  a  soft,  delicate 
fee],  very  much  like  that  upon  the  hu- 
man person  ;  sj  that  Isaac  might  be, 
without  much  difficulty,  deceived,  es- 
pecially considering  that  at  his  advan- 
ced age  his  sense  of  touch  miglit  be 
nearly  as  much  impaired  as  that  of  vis- 
ion.  ^  So  he  blessed  him.     That  is, 

after  eating  and  drinking,  as  mentioned 
V.  25.  The  incident  is  related  a  little 
out  of  its  place.  It  comes  in  here  by 
anticipation,  astl-e  writer  intends  to  say, 


B.  C.  17G0.] 


CHAPTER  XXVll. 


91 


24  And  he  said,  Art  thou  my 
very  son  Esau?  And  he  said,  I 
am. 

25  And  he  said.  Bring  it  near 
to  me,  and  I  will  eat  of  my  son's 
venison,  ^  that  my  soul  may  bless 
thee.  And  he  brought  it  near  to 
him,  and  he  did  eat :  and  he  brought 
him  wine,  and  he  drank. 

26  And  his  father  Isaac  said  un- 
to him,  Come  near  now,  and  kiss 
me,  my  son. 

f  ver.  4. 

in  general  terms,  that  Jacob  deceived 
his  father,  and  thus  obtained  the  bles- 
sing ;  but  it  is  not  till  afterwards  that  he 
proceeds  to  detail  the  various  particu- 
lars that  led  to  it. 

20.  Kiss  me.  A  sign  of  affection  and 
reverence.  Comp.  Gen.  4S.  10.  Ps.  2. 
]2.  His  thus  coming  in  contact  with  his 
father's  person  would  also  afford  a  proof 
to  the  senses,  from  the  peculiar  scent  of 
his  apparel,  in  favor  of  his  alleged  iden- 
tity. But  it  was  deceiving,  if  not  betray- 
ing, his  father  with  a  kiss. 

27.  The  smell  of  m>/  son  is  as  the  smell 
of  a  field,  4'C.  Gr.  'The  smell  of  a  full, 
or  plenteous,  field,'  i.  e.  a  field  abounding 
with  herbs,  fruits,  and  fiowers  of  every 
description,  regaling  the  senses  with 
their  grateful  fragrance.  Pliny  observes 
that  land,  after  a  long  drought,  moisten- 
ed by  the  rain,  exhales  a  delightful 
odor,  with  which  nothing  can  be  com- 
pared ;  and  adds,  that  'it  is  a  sign  of  a 
fruitful  soil  when  it  emits  an  agreeable 
smell  after  having  been  ploughed.'  Even 
the  parched  herbage  of  the  deserts  and 
uncultivated  plains  is  often  exceedingty 
fragrant,  and  would,  perhaps,  be  capable 
of  imparting  its  odor  to  the  garments  of 
Esau,' a  man  of  the  field  ;'  and  Poole  par- 
aphrases the  words  of  Isaac,  '  These 
garments  smell  not  of  the  sheep-cotes 
and  stalls,  as  Jacob's  do,  but  of  the  fields 
in  which  Esau  lives.'  But  the  smell 
in  this  case  was  probably  occasioned  by 
!he  aromatic  l^erbs  which  had  been  laid 


27  And  he  came  near,  andkissed 
him :  and  he  smelled  the  smell  of 
his  raiment,  and  blessed  him,  and 
said.  See,  Hhe  smell  of  my  son  is  as 
the  smell  of  a  field  which  the  Lord 
hath  blessed: 

28  Therefore  'God  give  thee  of 
"  the  dew  of  heaven,  and  '^  the  fat- 
ness of  the  earth,  and  ^plenty  of  corn 
and  wine  : 

9  Hos.  14.  16.        t  Hpbr.  11.  20.        "  Deut 
33.  l?>,  28.    2  Sara.  1.  21.        w  cli.  45.  18. 
^  Deut.  33.  28. 

up  with  the  clothes,  both  to  prevent 
theirbeing  fretted  by  the  moths,  and  to 
give  them  an  agreeable  odor.  '  The 
Orientals  are  proverbially  fond  of  per- 
fumes. They  sprinkle  their  c!othe.s 
with  scented  oils  or  waters,  or  fumi- 
gate them  with  the  incense  from  odorif- 
erous woods,  or  carry  such  woods  or 
fragrant  herbs  in  a  small  bag,  or  sewed 
up  in  their  clothes.  Even  the  great 
simplicity  of  their  mode  of  life  does  not 
preclude  the  use  of  perfumes  from  the 
Bedouins,  who  often  perfume  their  head- 
kerchief  with  civet,  or  with  an  odorife- 
rous earth  called  ares,  which  comes  from 
Aden,  and  is  much  in  u.se  among  the 
desert  Arabs.'  Pict.  Bible.  '  It  is  not 
common  to  salute  as  in  England  ;  they 
simply  smell  each  other ;  and  it  is  said 
that  some  people  know  their  children  by 
the  sm.ell.  It  is  common  for  a  mother 
or  father  to  say,  '  Ah  !  child,  thy  smell 
is  like  the  Sen-Paga-Poo,'  (a  flower  sa- 
cred to  Chrisna.)  The  crown  of  the 
head  is  the  principal  place  for  smelling 
Of  an  amiable  man,  it  is  said,  'Hovv 
sweet  is  thes7?2eZZof  that  man  !  the  smell 
of  his  goodness  is  universal.'  Roberts. 
The  Jerusalem  Targum  gives  this  more 
of  a  mystical  import,  interpreting  it  of 
'  the  smell  of  the  perfumes  of  good  spi 
ces,  that  should' afterwards  be  offered  in 
the  mount  of  the  house  of  the  sane- 
tuary,' 

23.  God  give  thee  of  the  dew  of  heaven, 
&c.     Or,  Heb.  '.ri"^  yitien,  toill  give  ;  at 


92 


GENESIS. 


B.  C.  1760. 


29  y  Let  people  serve  thee,  and ;  *  cursed  be  every  one  that  curseth 
nations  bow  down  to  thee  :  be  lord  thee,  and  blessed  6e  he  that  blesseth 


over  thy  brethren,  and  ^  let  thy  mo- 
ther's   sons    bow   down   to   thee : 

r  ch.  9.  25.  &  25.  23.         z  ch.  49.  8. 


once  a  prayer  and  a  prophecy.  '  The 
value  of  this  blessing  cannot  be  ade- 
quately appreciated  by  the  European 
reader.  But  in  Palestine,  and  indeed 
throughout  Western  Asia,  rain  rarely  if 
ever  falls  from  April  to  September,  and 
the  heat  of  the  sun  being  at  the  same 
time  very  strong,  all  vegetation  would 
be  parched  and  dried  up,  were  it  not  for 
the  copious  dews  which  fall  during  the 
night  and  completely  moisten  the  ground, 
keeping  in  a  fertile  condition  lands  which 
would  otherwise  be  sterile  and  desolate. 
But  all  this  moisture  evaporates  with 
astonishing  rapidity  as  soon  as  the  sun 
has  risen.  It  seems  that  the  advantage 
of  these  abundant  dews  is  not  generally 
enjoyed,  except  in  regions  more  or  less 
hilly  or  elevated,  or  in  confined  vallej^s. 
In  extensive  open  plains  and  deserts  it 
does  not  seem  tliat  any  dews  fall  in  sum- 
mer. But  in  such  tracts  no  men  can  in- 
habit, except  the  wandering  tribes,  and 
towns  and  villages  are  only  found  on 
the  banks  of  natural  or  artificial  streams  ; 
nor,  unless  in  the  same  situations,  is 
any  cultivation  attempted  where  there 
are  no  night  dews  in  summer  to  com- 
pensate for  the  want  of  rain.  The  pas- 
.sage  Gen.  2.  5,  6,  has  led  some  to  sup- 
pose that  there  w'as  no  rain,  but  dew- 
only,  previous  to  the  atmospheric  and 
other  changes  which  are  conceived  to 
have  taken  place  at  the  Deluge.  If  the 
passage  in  question  affords  sufficient 
foundation  for  tliis  theory,  there  could 
then  have  been  no  rainbow  previous  to 
the  Deluge,  and  the  opinion  would  be 
justified  which  considers  that  the  rain- 
bow was  first  manifested  to  Noah,  when 
it  was  made  a  token  of  the  covenant  be- 
tv.'een  God  and  man.     But  see  also  the 

note  on  Gen.  9.  13.'      Fid.  Bible: !r 

The  fatness  of  the  earth.     Heb.  '^2'^*.^"^ 


thee. 


«  ch.  12.  3,    Numb.  24. 


f '^S^n  tnishman-nai  haaretz,  of  the  fat- 
nesses of  the  earth  ;  i.  e.  the  choicest  and 
best.  See  note  on  Gen.  4.  4.  This  in- 
cludes the  land  of  Canaan  for  an  inher- 
ance,  the  emblem  of  all  blessedness,  and 
thence  termed,  Neh.  9.  25—35,  the  fat 
land.  That  the  language  of  the  whole 
verse  has  a  sense  beyond  that  of  the 
simple  letter  ;  or  in  other  words,  that  the 
blessing  was  not  exhausted  in  the  an- 
nunciation of  mere  temporal  good  things, 
we  think  altogether  probable.  Yet  it 
might  savor  too  much  of  the  Rabbinical 
mode  of  interpretation  to  attempt  to  give 
a  precise  import  to  these  figurative 
phrases.  We  perhaps  go  to  the  full  ex- 
tent of  sober  explication,  when  we  say, 
in  general  terms,  that  the  '  dew  of  hea- 
ven' and  the  'fatness  of  the  earth'  sha- 
dow out  to  us  the  doctrines  of  the  gos- 
pel and  the  graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
shed  forth  upon  men  ;  in  fine,  the  whole 
inventory  o( spiritual  mercies  which  flow 
to  the  holy  seed  in  virtue  of  the  coven- 
ant made  with  Abraham.  This  is  con- 
firmed by  the  evident  drift  of  the  fol- 
lowing, among  other  passages  of  sacred 
writ.  Dent.  32.  2,  Hos.  14.  G,  7,  Is.  25. 
6, — 4.  8.  8.  Indeed,  so  closely  analogous 
is  this,  in  point  of  phraseology,  to  the 
blessing  pronounced  upon  Esau,  v.  39, 
that  unless  we  would  make  them  almost 
equivalent,  it  would  seem  imperative 
upon  us  to  affix  some  sense  to  the  words 
over  and  above  that  conveyed  by  the 
mere  letter. 

29.  Let  people  serve  thee,  &c.  Heb. 
^ny^j)  ammim,  peoples  ;  that  is,  foreign 
people,  the  various  hostile  nations  by 
which  the  Israelites  were  surrounded, 
viz.  the  3Ioabites,  Ammonites,  Syrians, 
Philistmes,  and  Edomites,  all  of  whom 
were  efTectually  subdued  in  the  days  ot 
David. — T"  Be  lord  over  thy  brethren,  &c 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIl. 


93 


30  IT  x\nd  it  came  to  pass,  as 
soon  as  Isaac  had  made  an  end  of 
blessing  Jacob,  and  Jacob  was  j^et 
scarce  gone  out  from  the  presence 
of  Isaac  his  father,  that  Esau  his 
brother  came  in  from  his  hunting. 

31  And  he  also  had  made  savoury 
meat,  and  brought  it  unto  his  father  ; 
and  said  unto  his  father.  Let  my 
father  arise,  and  ^  eat  of  his  son's 
venison,  that  thy  soul  may  bless  me . 

''  ver.  4. 

In  these  words  was  ratified  to  Ja- 
cob the  principal  prerogative  of  the 
birthright,  viz.  that  of  pre-eminence 
over  the  rest  of  the  family.  It  is  to  be 
understood,  however,  mainly  of  his  pos- 
terity ;  for  Esau  was  never  personally 
in  subjection  to  Jacob.  The  elements 
of  the  blessing,  we  perceive,  were 
three-fold,    consisting   of   the    promise 

(1)  of  worldly  wealth  and  prosperity ; 

(2)  of  dominion  or  empire ;  (3)  of 
family  pre-eminence.  It  is  somewhat 
remarkable  that  the  blessing  should  be 
pronounced  in  such  general  terms,  that 
there  should  be  no  more  express  men- 
tion of  those  crowning  spiritual  mercies 
connected  with  the  promised  land, 
which  are  commonly  supposed  to  have 
constituted  the  burden  of  the  patriarchal 
benediction.  While  it  is  rich  in  the 
promise  of  earthly  good,  there  is  no  dis- 
tinct allusion  to  heavenly.  This  is  per- 
haps to  be  accounted  for  simply  by  say- 
ing that  such  partial  intimations  were  in 
keeping  with  the  nature  of  that  early 
dispensation.  It  was  mainly  an  econo- 
my of  shadows  and  symbols.  None  of 
the  patriarchs  appear  to  have  been  fa- 
vored with  explicit  revelations  of  the 
good  things  promised.  The  earthly  Ca- 
naan was  to  them  a  pledge  and  a  type 
of  the  heavenly,  and  in  that  it  would 
seem  they  were  required  to  read  about 
all  that  it  was  given  them  to  know  of  I 
their  eternal  inheritance.  Other  com- 
mentators give  other  explanations  on 
this  point,  but  perhaps  none  more  satis- 


32  And  Isaac  his  father  said  unto 
him.  Who  art  thou  ?  And  he  said, 
I  am  thy  son,  thy  first-born,  Esau. 

33  And  Isaac  trembled  very  ex- 
ceedingly, and  said.  Who?  where 
is  he  that  hath  taken  venison,  and 
brought  it  me,  and  I  have  eaten  of 
all  before  thou  earnest,  and  have 
blessed  him  1  yea,  "  and  he  shall  be 
blessed. 

<^ch.23.  3,4.  Roin.ll.  29. 

factory  ;  as,  after  all  our  efforts,  we  are 
obliged  to  confess  that,  in  regard  to  the 
actual  amount  of  knowledge  possessed 
by  the  ancient  believers,  of  the  gospel 
mysteries,  we  are  still  left  in  utter  un- 
certainty. In  all  probabihty  the  clear- 
ness of  their  knowledge  was  greatly 
disproportioned  to  the  strength  of  their 
faith.  But  we  are  obliged  to  speak 
doubtingly  on  the  whole  subject. 

30 — 33. — And  it  cams  to  pass^  &c. — 
Jacob  has  succeeded  in  clandestinely 
and  surreptitiously  obtaining  the  bles- 
sing, and  in  view  of  the  result  we  can 
hardly  refrain  from  asking,  how  a  bles- 
sing obtained  by  such  means  can  be  a 
blessing.  Certainly  we  are  ready  to  say 
that  Jacob  had  about  as  much  ground 
of  deep  repentance  for  thus  obtaining 
the  blessing,  as  Esau  for  losing  it.  Yet 
the  secret  purposes  of  Heaven  are  thus 
often  accomplished,  while  they  receive 
no  taint  from  the  corrupt  and  contam- 
inating agencies  with  which  they  are 
interwoven. — But  the  issue  of  the  trans- 
action is  now  to  be  detailed.  Jacob  had 
scarcely  left  his  father's  presence,  when 
Esau,  returning  from  the  chase,  came  to 
the  bedside  of  the  Patriarch,  and  pre- 
sented him  venison.  This  at  once  dis- 
covered the  imposition.  The  conse- 
quence was  what  might  have  been  ex- 
pected.  T  Isaac  trembled  very  exceed- 
ingly.    Heb.  i5>  ribn3  mnn  n^n^ 

"IJi^3  yeherad  haradah  gedolah  ad  mead, 
trembled  (uith)  a  great  trembling  ex- 
ceedingly.    Gr.   '  Was  thrown    into  an 


94 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


34  And  when    Esau   heard  the 
words  of  his  father,  ''  he  cried  with 
dHebr.  12.  17. 


ecstacy  of  astonishment.'    Chal. '  Won- 
dered with  an  exceedingly  great  admi- 
ration.'    His  emotions  were  absolutely 
overwhelming.     On  the   one   hand  he 
could  not  but  feel  a  degree  of  just  indig- 
nation  in  view  of  the  imposition  which 
had  been  practised  upon  him,  especial- 
ly when  he   remembered  the  precau- 
tions he  had  taken  against  being  thus 
deceived  :  yet,  on  the  other,  a  moment's 
reflection  would  convince  him  that  the 
transfer  of  the  blessing  must  have  been 
'of  the  Lord,'  and  consequently  that  he 
had  all  along  been  acting  against  his  will 
in  designing  to  have  it  otherwise.     Two 
such  considerations,  rushing  on  his  mind 
at  once,  hke  two  impetuous  counter-cur- 
rents coming  together,  sufficiently  ac- 
count for  his  feelings,  especially  when 
we  add  his  consciousness  of  the  irrevoc- 
able nature  of  the  blessing,  and  the  mo- 
mentous consequences   annexed  to  it. 
But,  while  he  resents  the  subtlety  of  Ja- 
cob and  the  unkindness  of  Rebekah,  he 
acknowledges  and  acquiesces  in  the  will 
of  God.     The  blessing  which  he  had 
unwittingly  pronounced,  and  which  he 
knows  to  be  irrevocable,  he  deliberately 
and  solemnly  confirms  ;  '  I  have  blessed 
him  ;  yea,  and  he  shall  be  blessed.'    His 
feelings  would  perhaps  be  not  inaptly 
expressed  by  the  language  of  Balaam, 
Num.  23:  19,  20,  'God  is  not  a  man, 
that  he  should  lie  ;  neither  the  son  of 
man  that   he  should  repent;    hath  he 
said,  and  shall  he  not  do  it  ?  or  hath  he 
spoken,  and  shall  he  not  make  it  good  ? 
Behold,  I  have  received  commandment 
to  bless,  and   he  hath  blessed ;   and  I 
cannot  reverse  it.'     Hence,  probably,  it 
is  that  the  Apostle,    Heb.    12.    17,   af- 
firms that  Esau  '  found  no  place  for  re- 
pentance, though   he   sought  carefully 
with  tears.'     That  is,  he  found  no  place 
for  repentance,  or  change  of  purpose,  in 
Ms  father.     He  could  not  prevail  upon 


a  great  and  exceeding  bitter  cry, 
and  said  unto  his  father,  Bless  me, 
even  me  also,  O  my  father  ! 


him  to  reverse  the  word  that  had  pro- 
ceeded from  his  lips.     The  blessing  had 
been  solemnly  conferred  and  confirmed, 
and  could  not  now  be  revoked.     From 
that  passage,  therefore,  we  can  infer  no- 
thing positive  as  to  Esau's  final  .salvation 
34.  Cried  with  a  great  and  exceeding 
Utter  cry.     The  language  is  very   em 
phalic,   and  describes   a  poignancy  o" 
grief  amounting  to    positive    anguish 
The  time  had  now  come  that  he  bitterly 
bewailed    his  folly   in    despising    and 
throwing  away  his  birthright  for  so  tri- 
fling a  consideration — a  proof  that  the  vis- 
itation of  crimes  often  sleeps  for  a  time, 
and  that  vengeance  may  awake  when  the 
misdeed  itself  is  almo.*t  forgotten.  '  Why 
did  he  not  rather  weep  to  his  brother  for 
the  pottage  than  to  Isaac  for  a   bless- 
ing ?    If  he  had  not  then  sold,  he  had  not 
needed  now  to  buy.     It  is  just  with  God 
to  deny  us  those  favors  which  we  were 
careless  in  keeping,  and  which  we  under 
valued  in  enjoying.     How  happy  a  thing 
is  it'to  know  the  seasons  of  grace,  and  not 
to  neglect  them  !  How  desperate  to  have 
known   and  neglected   them !      These 
tears  are  both  late  and  false.' — Bp.  Hall. 
In    like   manner,  the    time   will   come 
when   all    who    profanely   neglect  the 
proflfered  mercies  of  Christ,  and  practic- 
ally barter  away  their  hopes  and   pros- 
pects of  eternal  life  for  sinful  indulgen- 
ces, will  mourn  in  bitterness  of  spirit  the 
loss  of  the  blessings  which  they   have 
so  thoughtlessly  despised.     Still  it  would 
appear,  that  in  the  case  of  Esau,  in  the 
midst  of  all  his  regrets,  there   was  no 
real  contrition,  no  godly  sorrow  of  heart, 
but  only  disappointment   and  vexation 
at  his  loss.     We  find  at  the  time  no  self- 
condemnation,  no  confession  of  his  sin  ; 
but  a  severe  accusation  of  his  brother,  as 
if /le  only  were  to  blame  for  what  had 
happened.     Neither  does  he  give  any 
evidence  of  having  been  a  true  penitent 


B.  C.  1706.] 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


96 


35  And  he  said,  Thy  brother 
came  with  subtiity,  and  hath  taken 
away  thy  blessing-. 

36  And  he  said,  "  Is  not  he  riglit- 
]y  named  Jacob  ]  for  he  hath  sup- 
planted me  these  two  times  :  ^  he 
took  away  my  birth-right ;  and  be- 
hold, now  he  hath  taken  away  my 
blessing.  And  he  said,  Hast  thou 
not  reserved  a  blessing  for  me  ? 

37  And  Isaac  answered  and  said 


ch.  25. 28. 


f  ch.  25.  33. 


afterwards,  for  his  heart  was  evidently 
full  of  rage  and  enmity  towards  his 
brother,  under  the  influence  of  wiiich  he 
determines  on  a  fit  opportunity  to  put  an 
end  to  his  life.  All  this  shows  a  state 
of  mind  at  the  widest  possible  remove 
from  sincere  repentance. 

36.  Is  he  not  riglithj  iiamed,  &c.  Heb. 
yiy^  N^p  "^im  hukl  knra  sJiemo.  There 
seems  to  be  nothing  in  the  original  an- 
swering to  '  rightly'  in  our  version. 
The  word  "i^n  ^'oAV,  compoiuided  of  the 
interrogation  n  ha,whether,  and  "'^  ki,  that, 
implies  no  more  than  a  simple  question, 
'  Is  it  because  his  name  is  called  Jacob  T 
The  rendering  of  the  whole  clause  by 
Junius  and  Tremellius,  is  a  li  tde  different 
from  ours,  yet  perhaps  equally  correct ; 
'Is  it  not  because  his  name  is  called  Ja- 
cob (supplanter)  that  he  has  supplanted 
me  this  second  time  ?' f  He  hath  sup- 
planted me.  Heb-i3np5'"i  yakebani ;  in 
obvious  allusion  to  Jacob's  name,  (:3p5>"i 
yaakob,)  of  which  he  here  gives  a  cavil- 
ling interpretation ;  as  much  as  to  say, 
that  his  brother  had  shown  himself  well 
entitled  to  his  name.  It  cannot  be  de- 
nied that  there  was  some  ground  for  the 
reflections  thus  cast  upon  Jacob.  He 
had  indeed  acted  the  part  of  a  sujrplant- 
er  in  a  way  altogether  unjustifiable; 
still  the  statement  was  exaggerated. 
Esau  was  not  warranted  in  saying,  'He 
took  away  my  birthright,'  as  though  he 
robbed  him  of  it ;  for  the  surrender  was 
his  own  voluntary  act.    He  parted  with 


unto  Esau,  e  Behold  1  have  made 
him  thy  lord,  and  all  his  brethren 
have  1  given  to  him  for  servants ; 
and  ^  with  corn  and  wine  have  1 
sustained  him  :  and  what  shall  I  do 
now  unto  thee,  my  son  ? 

38  And  Esau  said  unto  his  fa- 
ther, Hast  thou  but  one  blessing, 
my  father  ?  bless  me,  even  me  also, 
O  my  father  !  And  Esau  lifted  up 
his  voice,  '  and  wept. 

e  2  Sara.  8. 14.  ver.  23.  h  ver.  23.  *  Ilebr. 
12.    17. 


it  because  he  practically  despised  it.  But 
it  is  no  unusual  thing  for  men  to  act  as 
if  accusing  others  were  the  most  effect- 
ual mode  of  justifying  themselves. 

37.    /  have  made  him  thy  lord.    Heb. 
I'^il!^"!^  samtiv.  Ihavej^ut,  appointed  ;  i.  e. 

I  have  declarativehj  made   him  so. 

IT  All  his  brethren  have  I  given  ;  i.  e.  de- 
clared   that  they   shall   be   given. 

IT  With  com  and  wine  Lave  I  sustained 
him;  i.  e.  declared  that  he  shall  be  sus 
tained.  Gr.  earnpila  have  strengthened. 
Comp.  Ps.  104.  15.  Isaac,  in  using  this 
language,  is  not  to  be  considered  as  giv- 
ing vent  to  a  self-sufficient  or  self-com- 
placent spirit;  it  is  the  ordinary  pro- 
phetic style.  Men  speaking  by  inspira- 
tion are  often  said  to  do  that  which  they 
merely  announce  shall  be  done.  Thus. 
Ezek.  43.  3, '  The  vision  that  I  saw  when' 
I  came  to  destroy  the  city  ;'  i.  e.  to  fore- 
tell its  destruction.  Jer.  1.  10,  '  I  have 
this  day  set  thee  over  the  nations  and 
over  the  kingdoms  to  root  out,  and  to 
pull  down,  and  to  destroy,  and  to  throw 
down,  to  build  and  to  plant ;'  i.  e.  to  pre- 
dict that  these  all  things  shall  be  done. 
Jer.  15.  1,  'Cast them  (this  people)  out  of 
my  sight ;'  i.  e.  announce  to  them  that 
they  shall  be  cast  out.  Gen.  41. 13,  'Me 
he  restored  and  him  he  hanged  ;'  i.e.  fore- 
told these  events.  Ezek.  21.  20,  '  Re- 
move the  diadem,  take  off  the  crown, 
exalt  him  that  is  low,  abase  him  that  is 
high;'  i.  e.  predict  that  these  events 
shall  occur. 


96 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


39  And  Isaac  his  father  answer- 
ed, and  said  unto  him,  Behold,  ^  thy 
dwelling  shall  be  the  fatness  of  the 
earth,  and  of  the  dew  of  heaven 
from  above  ; 

40  And  by  thy  sword  shalt  thou 

k  ver.  23.  Hebr.  11.  20. 


39.  Thy  dinelUng  shall  be  of  the  fatness 
of  the  earth,  &;c.  Heb .  ^2>2"i;;a  '^ish- 
inanne,  from  the  fatness,  &c.  Taken 
according  to  the  letter,  this  blessing,  as 
far  as  it  goes,  is  precisely  identical  with 
that  of  Jacob,  v.  28  ;  and  if  that,  as  we 
suggested,  includes  the  promise  of  the 
land  of  Canaan,  it  is  perfectly  incon- 
ceivable how  the  same  earthly  inherit- 
ance could  be  prophetically  secured  to 
both.  For  this  reason  we  are  strongly 
inclined  to  adopt  the  rendering  of  some 
of  the  Jewish  critics,  'Thy  dwelling 
shall  he  from  (i.  e.  at  a  distance  from) 
the  fatness  of  the  earth,'  <fec.  This  is 
the  literal  sense  of  the  original,  although 
we  know  not  that  the  present  rendering 
can  be  considered  as  doing  any  positive 
violence  to  the  Hebrew  idiom.  But 
we  think,  on  the  whole,  that  there  is  a 
designed  equivocation  in  the  words  of  the 
oracle.  They  were  so  framed  as  to  be 
susceptible  of  the  most  favorable  sense 
which  Esau  could  draw  from  them,  and 
yet  at  the  same  time,  in  Isaac's  intention, 
or  rather  in  the  mind  of  the  Spirit,  legi- 
timately conveyed  the  meaning  attri- 
buted to  them  above.  We  see  not  that 
the  phraseology  can  justly  be  objected 
to  on  this  score,  for  it  does  not  appear 
that  Isaac  was  under  obligation  to  bestow 
upon  Esau  any  blessing  at  all ;  and  if 
he  uttered  one  which,  as  he  would  na- 
turally understand  it,  would  have  the 
effect  to  soothe  and  satisfy  his  mind, 
while  at  the  same  time  in  reality  it  but 
confirmed  the  previous  blessing  of  Jacob, 
and  disjoined  Esau  from  all  participation 
in  it,  who  had  any  right  to  complain  ? 
The  land  of  Edom,  or  Mount  Seir, 
which  fell  to  him  for  a  possession,  was 
no  doubt  sufficiently  distinguished   for  I 


live,  and  •  shalt  serve  thy  brother  • 
and  ""  it  shall  come  to  pass  when 
thou  shalt  have  the  dominion,  that 
thou  shalt  break  his  yoke  from  off 
thy  neck. 

I  ch.  25.  23.  Obad.  18,  19,  20.  2  Sam.  8. 
14.    m  2  Kings  8.  20. 

its  fertility  to  warrant  the  expressions 
here  used,  and  yet  we  are  assured,  from 
the  whole  tenor  of  the  Scripture,  that 
that  region  was  not  to  be  compared  in 
this  respect  with  the  destined  inherit- 
ance of  Israel. 

40.  By  thy  sword  shalt  thou  live.  Heb 
'l^'in  b5  «^  harbeka,  upon  thy  sword; 
implying  not  only  that  his  life  should  be 
passed  in  wars  and  tumults ;  that  he 
should  be  engaged  in  perpetual  hostilities 
with  surrounding  nations  ;  but  also  that 
he  should  procure  his  subsistence,  his 
living,  by  this  means  rather  than  by  the 
peaceful  pursuits  of  agriculture  ;  that  he 
should  live  upon  the  prey  or  spoil  that  he 
should  acquire  bj^  his  warlike  weapons. 
This,  perhaps,  confirms  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  preceding  verse  ;  for  if  a  very 
rich  and  fertile  country  were  assigned 
to  him,  why  was  such  a  roving  and 
freebooting  kind  of  life  predicted  ?  Why 
should  he  not  draw  his  subsistence  from 
the  dew  of  heaven  and  the  fatness  of 

the  earth  ? IF  Shalt  serve  thy  brother. 

This  clause,  and  in  fact  the  whole  pro- 
phecy, has  a  more  especial  reference  to 
the  posterity  of  Esau  than  to  Esau  him- 
self; for  Esau  in  person  was  never  sub- 
ject   to    Jacob. IT  When    thou  shall 

have  dominion.  Heb.  T^^ln  tarid;  a 
w-ord  of  very  difficult  explication,  as  it 
may  be  derived  from  three  different 
roots,  either  (1)  TT^  radad,  to  pros- 
trate, to  subject,  to  bring  down  ;  (2)  n""l 
radah,  to  obtain  rule,  to  have  dominion ; 
or  (.3)  IT^  rud,  to  complain.  A  very 
similar  form  from  the  last  root  occurs,  Ps. 
55.  2(3),  '  Attend  unto  me,  and  hear  me 
I  mourn  in  my  complaint  (Ti"15^  arid]  and 
make  a  noise.'  An  idea  not  unsuitable  to 
the  context  may  be,  that  when  Esau,  in 


B.  C.  1760.1 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 


97 


41  IT  And  Esau  "  hated  Jacob 
because  of  the  blessing  wherewith 
his  father  blessed  him :  and  Esau 

n  ch.  37.  4,  8. 


nis  posterity,  should  have  suffered  long 
under  the  ascendancy  of  his  brother's 
race,  and  should  be  brought  penitently 
to  grieve  and  complain  by  reason  of  the 
sore  oppression,  that  then  God  would 
interpose  by  his  providence,  and  enable 
them  to  strike  the  yoke  of  bondage  from 
their  necks ;  especially  if  the  sins  of 
Israel  should  provoke  him  thus  to  give 
the  advantage  to  their  enemies.  Ac- 
cordingly both  the  Jerusalem  Targum, 
and  that  of  the  Onkelos,  render  the  pas- 
sage as  follows  :— '  When  the  sons  of 
Jacob  attend  to  the  law,  and  observe 
the  precepts,  they  shall  impose  the  yoke 
of  servitude  upon  thy  neck  ;  but  when 
they  shall  transgress  the  words  of  the 
law,  thou  shalt  break  off  the  yoke  of 
servitude  from  thy  neck.'  Syr.  '  If  thou 
shalt  repent,  his  yoke  shall  pass  from 
oiT  thy  neck.'  This  rendering,  which 
IS  adopted  in  the  version  of  Junius  and 
Tremellius — Erit  tamen  quern  planx- 
eris,  and  it  shall  be  when  thou  shalt  have 
bewailed  thyself — has  at  least  the  merit  of 
harmonizing  with  what  we  know  to 
have  been  the  tenor  of  the  divine  dis- 
pensations toward  the  chosen  people. 
They  invariably  lost  their  ascendancy 
over  their  enemies  in  proportion  as  they 
sinned  against  heaven.  The  proposed 
interpretation,  therefore,  we  think  pre- 
ferable to  any  other,  especially  to  that 
of  our  translation,  which  makes  the 
clause  a  perfect  tautology.  Would  it 
be  possible  to  gain  the  dominion  without 
breaking  the  yoke  from  their  necks  ? 
The  prediction  was  not  fully  accora- 
pUshed  till  about  nine  hundred  years 
after  it  was  uttered.  The  yoke  was  not 
firmly  fixed  upon  them  till  the  time  of 
David,  2  Sam.  8.  14 ;  and  at  that  pe- 
riod the  Jewish  people  observed  the 
law ;  but  the  nation  having  gradually 
Jegenerated,  Hadad  the  Edomite,  to- 
VOL.  If. 


said  in  his  heart,  "The  days  of 
mourning  for  my  father  are  at  hand, 
p  then  will  I  slay  my  brother  Jacob. 

o  ch.  50.  3,  4, 10.         p  Obad.  10, 

wards  the  end  of  Solomon's  reign,  made 
a  vigorous  attempt  to  free  himself  from 
the  galling  subjection,  but  without  suc- 
cess. His  failure,  however,  was  not 
long  afterwards  retrieved,  as  in  the 
reign  of  Joram  '  Edom  revolted  from 
under  the  hand  of  Judah,  and  made  a 
king  over  themselves.'  2  Kings,  8.  20, 
22.  Jehoram  made  some  attempts  to 
subdue  them  again,  but  could  not  pre- 
vail ;  '  so  the  Edomites  revolted  from 
under  the  hand  of  Judah  unto  this  day.' 
2  Chron.  21.  8—10. 

41.  And  Esau  hated  Jacc^,  &c.  What- 
ever feehng  of  commiseration  or  sym- 
pathy we  may  hitherto  have  cherished 
for  Esau  in  seeing  him  supplanted  by 
the  subtlety  of  Jacob,  it  is  all  banished 
from  our  bosoms  when  we  here  behold 
him  inwardly  cherishing  the  most  malig- 
nant passions,  and  coolly  anticipating  the 
time  when  he  can  imbrue  his  hands  in 
the  blood  of  his  brother !  His  guilt  in 
this  assumes  an  awfully  atrocious  char- 
acter. As  he  was  well  aware  of  Isaac's 
partiality  towards  himself,  he  must  have 
been  convinced  that  it  was  not  owing 
to  him,  nor  to  Jacob's  fraud,  but  to  the 
Lord's  doing,  that  the  actual  result  had 
been  brought  about.  Hence  it  appears 
that  his  hatred  was  of  the  same  nature 
with  that  of  Cain  towards  Abel,  and  of 
Saul  towards  David,  being  directed 
against  him  principally  on  account  of 
his  having  been  a  special  object  of  the 
divine  favor.  Under  these  circum- 
stances to  attempt  to  take  Jacob's  Ufa 
was  virtually  waging  war  with  the  high 
purposes  of  heaven,  and  an  attempt  to 
frustrate  the  decree  of  God  by  a  stroke 
of  his  sword !  The  depravity  which 
could  have  prompted  such  a  bloody  re- 
solve in  the  bosom  of  a  brother  and  in 
the  family  of  a  patriarch,  seems  scarce- 
ly credible :  yet  history  and  observa- 
9 


G.'ETN'ESrs.. 


[B.  C.  1760, 


42  And  these  words  of  Esau  her  |  Behold,,  thy  brothor  Esan,  as  touch- 
elder  son  were  told  to  Rebekah  :  |  in^  thee,  doth ,  comfort  himself,  pur^ 
and  she  sent  and  called  Jacob  her  I  j>osinfr  to  kill  thee. 
younger  son,  and   said   unto    him. 


tion  both  unite  to  teach  us  that  no 
bounds  can  be  set  to  the  wickedness  of 
which  human  nature  is  capable.  The 
same  spirit  of  hatred  seems  to  have  been 
perpetuated  in  his  posterity  against  the 
seed  of  Jacob.  As  nothing  but  the 
death  of  Jacob  could  comfort  Esaii,  so 
nothing  could  satisfy  his  descendants 
but  to  see  Jerusalem  '  razed  to  its  foun- 
dations.'   Obad.  V.  10, 11,  &c. IT  The 

days  of  mourning  for  7ny  father  are  at 
hand.  H-eb.  "^^i^  b!iX  ■'?2"i  yeme  cbel 
abi,  the  days  of  irdcurning  of  my  father. 
That  is,  the  days  in  which  he  shall  be 
bewailed  by  mourning;  the  days  of 
mourning  on  account  of  my  father. 
The  original  will  also  bear  another  sense, 
*The  days  of  my  father's  mourning 
shall  be  at  hand,'  i.  e.  the  days  in  which 
he  shall  himself  be  a  mourner  over  his 
slain  son.  The  former,  however,  is  pref- 
erable. '  When  the  father  (or  the  mo- 
ther) has  become  aged,  the  children 
say,  'The  day  of  the  lamentation  of  our 
father  is  at  hand.'  *'HY^  sorrowful  time 
for  our  mother  is  fast  approaching.'  If 
requested  to  go  to  another  part  of  ths 
country,  the  son  will  ask,  '  How  can  1 
go  ?  the  day  of  sorrow  for  my  father  is 
fast  approaching.'  When  the  aged  pa- 
rents are  seriously  ill,  it  is  said,  '  Ah  I 
she  days  of  mourning  have  come.' — 
Roberts.  Esau,  by  proposing  thus  to 
suppress  his  resentment  till  his  father 
■were  removed  beyond  the  reach  of  be- 
ing grieved  by  its  effects,  did  indeed 
somewhat  consult  the  feelings  of  a  pa- 
rent ;  yet  he  evidently  had  no  consider- 
ation for  the  grief  of  his  mother.  So 
cruel  are  even  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
wicked. 

42.  These  words  were  told  to  Rehekah, 
&c.  Esau,  it  seems,  had  not  only '  said 
in  his  heart,'  that  he  would  slay  his  bro- 


<!  Ps.  64.  3. 


ther,  but  ihat  he  had  in  some  w-ay  actu 
ally  avowed  his  intention,  perhaps  before 
some  of  the  servants.  His  purpose,  thus 
divulged,  had  come  to  the  ears  of  his 
mother,  and  she  clearly  foresaw  what 
was  to  be  expected.  It  would  be  at  the 
hazard  of  Jacob's  life,  and  consequently 
of  the  frustration  of  the  divine  counsels^ 
concerning  him,  that  he  remained  any 
longer  under  the  same  roof  with  his 
vindictive  brother.  Immediate  precau 
tions  must  therefore  be  taken  to  have 
him  removed  out  of  the  way.  Thus 
the  imhappy  mother  begins  to  reap  ac- 
cording as  she  had  sown.  The  safety 
of  her  favorite  can  only  be  secured  ai 
the  price  of  his  banishment.  We  see 
from  this,  that  though  their  imposition 
succeeded,  yet  it  was  a  success  thaS 
embittered  the  whole  life,  both  ef  Jacob 
and  his  parents.  Rebekah,  the  contri- 
ver of  the  fraud,  was  deprived  of  her 
favorite  son,  probably  for  the  rest  of  her 
days.  He,  who  should  have  been  the 
stay  and  ths  consolation  of  her  declining 
years,  was  a  stranger  in  a  distant  land. 
Nor  did  the  evH  terminate  here.  In- 
stead c-f  the  elder  serving  the  youngerj 
Jacob  was  now  a  banished  stranger,  s 
wandering  fugitive,  in  continual  terror 
of  his  enraged  brother.  The  retributive 
justice  of  heaven,  moreover,  is  seen  pur- 
suing him  at  every  step.  First,  he  who 
bad  imposed  upon  his  father,  was  him- 
self imposed  upon  by  his  ^ncle  in  the 
circumstances  of  his  marriage.  Next, 
the  continual  jealousies  and  hatred  be- 
tween his  wives  Leah  and  Rachel  must 
have  reminded  him  of  liis  own  want  of 
fraternal  affection.  His  sin  also  was  vis- 
ited upon  him  in  his  own  family ;  contin- 
ual feuds  prevailed  amongst  his  owti 
children ;  and  he  who  was  most  beloved 
by  the  father,  was  most  hated  by  the 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CHAPTER  XXVll. 


99 


43  Now  therefore,  my  son,  obey 
ray  voice :  and  arise,  flee  thou  to 
Laban  my  brother  »■  to  Haran  ; 

44  And  tarry  with  liim  a  few 
days,  until  thy  brother's  fury  turn 
away  ; 

45  Until  thy  brother's  anger  turn 
away  from  thee,  and  he  forget  that 
which  thou  hast  done  to  him :  then 
I  will  send,   and   fetch  thee   from 

r  ch.  11.  31. 


rest.  At  length  he  was  himself  the  dupe 
of  an  Imposture  more  successful  even 
than  that  by  which  he  had  deceived  his 
father.  Joseph,  his  beloved  son,  was 
8old  by  his  brethren,  and  stated  to  be 
slain.  In  a  word,  the  rest  of  the  life  of 
Jacob  was  signalized  by  scenes  of  do- 
mestic trouble  and  vexation,  which  had 
their  origin  in  the  unhappy  step  we  are 
now  considering.  At  the  close  of  his  life 
he  justly  said,  '  Few  and  evil  have  been 
my  days ;'  and  he  might  have  added, 
'I  am  a  melancholy  example  of  the  ef- 
fects of  deviating  from  the  path  of  sim- 
plicity and  truth.' ^  Esau  comforfeth 

himself,  purposing  to  Mil  thee.  Heb. 
^niub  nb  t:n];^?2  mitknahem  leka  le- 
horgeka,  comforfeth  himself  over  thee,  or 
touching  thee,  to  kill  thee.  What  a  source 
from  whence  to  draw  comfort!  How 
unfathoraably  deep  in  depravity  must 
that  soul  be  sunk  which  can  find  conso- 
lation in  such  a  bloody  and  barbarous 
thought  as  this ! 

44.  Tarry  with  him  a  few  days.  This 
proved  eventually  to  be  a  period  of 
twenty  years,  and  it  is  at  best  doubtful 
whether  Rebekah  everagain  beheld  her 
son. 

45.  Why  should  I  he  deprived  of  you 
loth  in  one  day  7  But  why  does  Rebe- 
kah fear  a  two-fold  bereavement  ?  It 
is  indeed  possible  that  she  may  have  ap- 
prehended that  a  murderous  attack  from 
Esau  upon  his  brother  might  arouse 
him  in  self-defence,  so  that  it  should  be 
only  at  the  expense  of  the  aggressor's 


thence.     Why  should  I  be  deprived 
also  of  you  both  in  one  day  ? 

46  And  Rebekah  said  to  Isaac, 
'  1  am  weary  of  my  life,  because  of 
the  daughters  of  Heth  :  *  if  Jacob 
take  a  wife  of  the  daughters  of 
Heth,  such  as  these  which  are  of 
the  daughters  of  the  land,  what  good 
shall  my  life  do  me  1 

«  eh.  26.  35.  &  28.  8.        » ch.  24.  3. 


life  that  he  should  lose  his  o<^n.  But  a 
more  probable  explanation  is  the  follow- 
ing :  If  Esau  had  killed  Jacob,  he  would 
have  been  liable  either  to  have  been 
punished  with  death,  according  to  the 
law,  ch.  9.  6 ;  or  to  have  been  driven 
into  exile  like  Cain,  where  he  would  have 
been  virtually  lost  to  her  forever. 

46.  lam  weary  of  my  life,  &c.  It  would 
appear  from  the  circumstances  that  Re- 
bekah was  here  framing  an  excuse  for 
Jacob's  departure,  and  concealing  the 
true  cause.  Though  Isaac  was  now  so  in- 
firm as  to  have  lost  all  power  of  man- 
agement, and  every  thing  devolved  on 
Rebekah,  yet  it  was  expedient  before  Ja- 
cob's departure,  to  obtain  his  father's 
concurrence.  But  in  order  to  do  this  she 
passes  over  the  true  reason  of  the  propo- 
sed journey  in  silence,  and  knowing  that 
he,  as  well  as  herself,  had  been  grieved 
by  Esau's  wives,  she  now  pretends  to 
fear  that  Jacob  may  form  a  similar  con- 
nexion, and  makes  this  the  ostensible  rea- 
son why  he  should  go  immediately  to 
Padan-aram,  viz.  that  he  might  take  a 
wife  from  among  their  relations  in  that 
country.  She  does  not  propose  it,  how- 
ever, directly,  but  merely  in  the  form  of 
a  bitter  complaint  of  the  conduct  of 
Esau's  wives.  But  this  policy  com- 
pletely answered  the  end,  as  is  clear 
from  the  next  chapter. 

Remarks.  Several  of  the  important 
reflections  suggested  by  the  foregoing 
narrative,  deserve  to  be  dwelt  upon  a 
little  more  in  detail. 


100 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


(1.)  The  history  furnishes  cm  admon- 1 
itory  les!(on  to  parents.  The  foundation' 
of  the  most  material  errors  in  life  is  often 
laid  at  a  very  early  period.  Parents  are 
frequently  disappointed  in  their  off- 
spring, and  troubled  in  their  lives,  from 
a  cause  which  they  little  suspect.  They 
complain  of  their  children,  when,  per- 
haps, the  fault  is  to  be  traced  mainly  to 
themselves.  They  have  indulged  an 
early  partiality,  founded  upon  no  just 
reasons,  which  has  been  productive  on 
both  sides  of  the  worst  effects.  Let 
them  guard  them  with  anxious  vigilance 
against  the  symptoms  of  a  weak  favor- 
itism toward  their  children.  God  has 
made  them  equally  the  guardians  of 
all  their  children,  and  they  who  mis- 
manage so  important  a  trust  must  ex- 
pect to  suffer  for  it.  A  wise  providence 
often  points  out  the  sin  in  the  punish- 
ment, and  teaches  parents  discretion 
in  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  by  set- 
ting before  their  eyes  the  bad  effects 
which  flow  from  the  want  of  it. 

(2.)  We  may  learn  from  this  story  not 
to  make  the  supposed  designs  of  God  the 
rule  of  our  conduct.  We  say  '  supposed 
designs,'  because  as  to  us,  they  can  be 
only  supposed.  It  may  please  God  to 
foretel  future  events,  but  it  is  not  there- 
fore our  duty  by  crooked  means  to  bring 
them  to  pass.  God  does  not  give  pro- 
phecy for  a  rule  of  action.  He  will  ac- 
complish his  own  purposes  in  his  own 
way.  It  is  happy  for  us  that  the  course 
of  duty  is  clearly  marked  out,  in  the 
preceptive  portions  of  the  word.  We 
are  to  follow  what  is  fair,  and  just,  and 
honorable,  and  leave  the  consequences 
to  God. 

(3.)  We  are  reminded  that  the  way  to  suc- 
cess and  to  prosperity  in  our  undertakings 
is  often  not  that  which  appears  the  short- 
est, or  even  the  surest.  Jacob  was,  indeed, 
for  the  lime  being  successful  in  his  frau- 
dulent device.  But  what  fruits  had  he 
of  his  triumph?  He  sowed  the  wind 
and  reaped  the  whirlwind.  Soon  was 
he  forced  to  fly  from  his  brother's  wrath, 


and  years  of  trouble  followed  his  de- 
parture from  the  paternal  mansion.  Had 
he  permitted  God  to  accomplish  his  de- 
claration in  his  own  way  ;  had  his  con- 
duct to  his  brother  been,  as  it  should 
have  been,  kind  and  affectionate,  and 
free  from  guile,  we  cannot  doubt  that 
his  history  would  have  been  far  differ- 
ent. Plis  life  might  then  have  been  as 
remarkable  for  happiness  and  peace  as 
it  was  for  calamity  and  disquietude. 
The  true  source  of  prosperity  is  the 
blessing  of  God,  and  this  cannot  be 
counted  upon,  except  in  strict  adherence 
to  the  principles  of  rectitude.  A  man 
is  exposed  to  temptation ;  some  great 
advantage  offers  itself;  a  httle  art  or 
deceit  in  supplanting  another  is  thought 
indispensable  ;  excuses  are  not  wanting 
to  justify  the  act.  But  w  hat,  in  general, 
is  the  result?  Either  his  arts  recoil 
against  himself,  and  he  is  utterly  disap- 
pointed of  his  aim  ;  or  if  he  apparently 
succeeds,  his  success  is  rather  a  curse 
than  a  blessing.  The  attainment  of  his 
end  is  more  to  be  deprecated  than  fail- 
ure. Our  highest  wisdom  and  our  su- 
rest safety  lie  in  the  course  of  plain, 
simple,  undeviating  integrity. 

(4.)  We  are  taught  that  regret  is  often 
unavailing  to  restore  an  offender  to  llie 
privileges  of  innocence.  Esau,  having 
sold  his  birthright  and  lost  the  blessing, 
discovered  his  error  too  late.  The  bles- 
sing once  gone,  was  gone  forever  ;  and 
tears,  and  prayers,  and  exclamations 
were  in  vain  employed  to  recover  it. 
Let  us  learn  then,  that  however  momen- 
tous the  consequences  depending  upon 
a  single  wrong  step,  they  may  he  irre- 
trievable. Kegret,  however  bitter,  en- 
treaty, however  urgent,  may  come  too 
late.  And  even  should  we  escape  the 
doom  of  final  despair,  yet  our  whole 
hves  may  be  embittered  by  the  recollec- 
tion of  our  guilt  and  folly.  In  vain  shall 
we  look  for  our  former  peace  of  mind, 
the  sweets  of  conscious  innocence,  and 
the  fruits  of  pleasing  hope.  We  may 
seek  for  them  with  tears  hut  they  will 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

AND  Isaac  called  Jacob,  and 
*  blessed  him,  and  charged  him, 
and  said  unto  him,  ^  Thou  shalt  not 
take  a  wife  of  the  daughters  of  Ca- 


CHAPTER  XX VIII. 


101 


naan. 
2  <=  Arise, 


go 


to 


Padan-aram, 


a  cli.  27  33.         b  ch.  24.  3,         <=  Hos.  12. 
12.        d  ch.  25.  20. 


not  be  found.  Let  us  not,  by  yielding 
to  temptation,  cast  away  our  confidence, 
which  hath  great  recompense  of  re- 
ward. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

1.  Blessed  him.  That  is,  deliberately 
confirmed  and  ratified  to  him  the  bles- 
sing which  he  had  before  given  him 
unawares.  He  had  undoubtedly  by 
this  time  become  satisfied  that  Jacob 
was  the  real  object  of  the  blessing  which 
he  had  pronounced,  and  he  now  renews 
it  not  only  inteUigently  and  expHcidy, 
but  with  all  his  heart. 

2.  Arise, goto  Padan-aram.  That  is, 
to  Mesopotamia  or  Syria  between  the 
rivers.  See  Note  on  Gen.  25.  20.  Gr. 
a-JTucipaBi  £tg  rrji/  MtaoTToraniav  run  to 
Mesopotamia.  The  precise  limits  of  the 
country  to  which  the  name  applies  can- 
not well  be  ascertained.  '  Properly 
speaking,  it  would  seem  to  include  all 
the  country  between  the  rivers  ;  but  it 
is  only  applied  to  the  great  plain  which 
extends  southward  of  Mount  Masius, 
which  passes  between  the  rivers  in  the 
north  of  this  region,  and  which  changes 
entirely  the  nature  of  the  country  :  all 
that  lies  to  the  north-west  of  this  point 
being  mountainous  and  rugged  ;  while 
to  the  south-east  a  flat  and  sandy  char- 
acter prevails.  From  the  latter  charac- 
ter we  must,  however,  except  the  ex- 
treme south-eastern  portion,  formerly 
called  Babylonia  and  Chaldea,  but  now 
Irak  Arabi,  which  possesses  a  soil  natu- 
rally rich,  the  fertility  of  which  was  pro- 
verbial in  remote  antiquitv,  when  innu- 


to  the  house  of  '  Bethuel  thy  moth- 
er's father ;  and  take  thee  a  wife 
from  thence  of  the  daughters  of 
^  Laban  thy  mother's  brother. 

3  sAnd  God  Almighty  bless  thee, 
and  make  thee  fruitful,  and  multi- 
ply thee,  that  thou  mayest  be  a 
multitude  of  people; 

e  ch.  22.  23.      t  ch.  24.  29.      e  ch.  IT.  1,  6. 

merable  canals  traversed  it  in  all  direc- 
tions, but  the  interior  of  which  is  now 
destitute  of  either  inhabitants  or  vege- 
tation. Many  parts  also  of  the  north- 
western portion,  which  is  usually  dis- 
tinguished as  Mesopotamia  Proper,  are 
naturally  fertile  ;  but,  except  near  the 
great  rivers  wliich  inclose  tliis  country, 
or  on  the  brooks  which  flow  into  them, 
the  whole  country  may  be  described 
as  a  desert — being,  in  fact,  little  better 
than  a  continuation  of  the  great  desert 
of  North  Arabia ;  and  equally  with  it 
claimed  by  the  Bedouins,  who  are  its 
sole  inhabitants,  and  who  exact  the  cus- 
tomary tribute  from  all  travellers.  One 
of  the  most  agreeable  of  the  fertUe  and 
pleasant  tracts  by  which  this  desolate 
region  is  skirted  is  the  north  and  north- 
eastern part,  in  which  Jacob  fed  the 
flocks  of  Laban  for  so  many  years  ;  and 
which  contains  numerous  rich  pastures 
and  pleasant  hills ;  although  the  want 
of  water  prevents  large  portions  of  natu- 
rally fertile  soil  from  being  productive. 
The  air  is  uncommonly  pure  throughout 
Mesopotamia  :  but  the  sandy  deserts,  by 
which  the  southern  portion  is  environed 
render  the  climate  there  so  very  warm 
in  summer  as  to  be  considered  remark- 
able even  by  Asiatics,  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  strong  summer  heats.'  Pict. 
Bible. 

3.  That  thou  mayest  he  a  multitude  of 
people.  Heb.  'C'i?35  bupb  Hhhal  am- 
mim,  to  a  congregation  of  peoples.  Gr. 
£(j  (jvvayoiyai  tQvuiv,  to  synagogues  of 
nations.  Chal.  'An  assembly  of  tribes  ;' 
in    allusion,    probably,   to    the  twelve 


102 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


4  And  give  thee  ^  the  blessing  of 
Abraham,  to  thee,  and  to  thy  seed 
with  thee  ;  that  thou  mayest  inherit 
the  land  '  wherein  thou  art  a  stran- 
ger, which  God  gave  unto  Abra- 
ham. 

5  And  Isaac  sent  away  Jacob : 

"  cli.  12.  2.        1  ch.  17.  8. 


tribes  which  were  to  spring  from  Jacob. 
The  phraseology  in  the  original  is  re- 
markable, the  term  being  the  same  that 
is  applied  in  several  instances  to  the 
church  of  Israel  in  the  VA'ilderness,  and 
conveying  under  it  an  ulterior  allusion 
to  the  Christian  church,  compo.sed  of  ev- 
ery kindred,  and  nation,  and  people,  and 
tongue.  Comp.  Gen.  35.  11,  Deut.  31. 
30,  Num.  16.  3,  Ex.  16.  3,  Acts  7.  33. 

4.  Give  thee  the  blessimr  qf  Abraham. 
That  is,  confirm,  fulfil,  make  real  to  thee 
the  blessing  promised  to  Abraham,  one 
prominent  feature  of  which  was  the  in- 
heritance, by  his  seed,  of  the  land  in 
which  Jacob  himself  is  said  to  be  a  stran- 
ger and  sojourner,  though  he  had  been 
born  in  it,  and  thus  far  bred  up  in  it. 
II  The  land  wherein  thou  art  a  stran- 
ger.    Ileb.  '^'^'^3:^  'I'^'^iJ^  !ri^  eth  erelzme- 

gureka,  the  land  of  thy  sojour?iings. 

IT  Which  God  gave.  Gave  by  promise  ; 
purposed  to  give.  Gen.  12.  7, — 13.  15, 
—15.  7,  18,-17.  8. 

5.  Belhuel  the  Syrian,  Heb.  '^/^^S^il 
haarammi,  the  Aramite,  or  Aramean  ;  so 
called,  not  because  he  was  of  the  race 
oi  Ara)n,  the  son  of  Shern,  but  because 
he  dwelt  in  that  country  which  had  for- 
merly been  poss'essed  by  the  descend- 
ants of  Aram.    See  Note  on  Gen.  25.  20. 

6.  When  Esau  saxo,  &c.  That  is, 
took  cognizance  of  the  fact;  attentively 
considered  it.  The  incidents  here  re- 
corded in  respect  to  Esau  are  very 
remarkable.  Finding  Jacob  now  dis- 
missed, and  himself  left  alone  under  the 
paternal  roof,  he  begins  to  think  of 
taking  advantage  of  circumstances,  and 
endeavoring,  if  possible,  to  recover 
what  he  had  so  foolishly  lo.st.  To  this 
end  he  knows  he  must  first  of  all  concil- 


and  he  went  to  Padan-aram  unto 
Laban,  son  of  Bethuel  the  Syrian, 
the  brother  of  Rebekah,  Jacob's  and 
Esau's  mother. 

6  ^  When  Esau  saw  that  Isaac 
had  blessed  Jacob,  and  sent  him 
away  to  Padan-aram,  to  take  him  a 
wife  from  thence  :  and  that  as  he 


iate  his  father.  It  was  only  by  ingra- 
tiating himself  afresh  into  his  favor  that 
he  could  hope  to  induce  him  to  revoke 
the  blessing  conferred  upon  Jacob,  and 
bestow  it  upon  himself.  His  great  study, 
therefore,  now  is,  to  please  his  father, 
to  work  effectually  upon  his  parental 
fondness.  He  accordingly  enters  with 
feigned  repentance  upon  a  partial  refor- 
mation. Knowing  that  his  parents  were 
both  grieved  by  his  marriage  with  the 
Hittite  women,  and  perceiving,  from  the 
charge  given  to  Jacob  and  the  ready 
obedience  he  had  yielded  to  it,  that  it 
was  on  this  point  that  the  patriarch  was 
most  accessible,  he  seems  to  have  said 
to  himself,  '  If  that  will  please  him,  I 
will  take  another  wife  ;  and  as  he  thinks 
so  much  of  his  Idndred,  it  shall  be  from 
among  them.  3Ioreover,  as  Jacob,  who 
is  his  mother's  favorite,  intends  to  mar- 
ry into  her  family,  I,  who  am  my  fa- 
ther's,  will  marry  into  /j/s.'  Such  a 
measure,  he  seems  to  have  little  doubt, 
he  could  pass  off  upon  his  father  as  a 
noble  act  of  filial  duty,  as  a  grand  sacri- 
fice of  inclination  to  conscience.  But 
in  all  this  we  see  the  awkward  and 
wayward  manoeuvring  of  a  seh''-inter- 
ested  hypocrite.  In  the  first  place  he 
stood  in  no  need  of  a  wife,  for  he  had 
two  already  ;  and  if  he  had  sincerely 
aimed  to  gratify  his  parents,  he  would 
rather  have  put  away  these  than  have 
taken  a  third  in  addition  to  them.  In 
fact,  in  pretending  to  avoid  one  sin  he 
falls  into  another ;  and  so  it  often  hap- 
pens to  those  whose  heart*  are  not  right 
with  God.  From  not  guiding  their  foot- 
steps by  his  word,  their  very  efforts 
towards  amendment  plunge  them  deep- 
er   into     difficulty.      Because    it    was 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CHAPTER  XXVITL 


103 


blessed  him,  he  gave  him  a  charge, 
paying.  Thou  shalt  not  take  a  wife, 
of  the  daiighters  of  Canaan; 

7  And  that  Jacob  obeyed  his  fa- 


ill  done  of  Esau  to  take  wives  of  the 
daughters  of  Canaan,  it  did  not  follow 
•that  it  weuld  be  doing  well  to  add  to  the 
number  by  taking  another  from  a  dif- 
ferent stsck.  It  is  well  to  refrain  from 
-any  thing  which  we  knew  to  be  dis- 
.pleasing  to  Gk>d ;  but  it  is  maldng  bad' 
■worse,  if,  in  our  projected  amend- 
ment, we  follow  the  desires  and  devices 
^f  our  own  hearts  v/ithout  consulting 
his  will.  Yet  such  was  Esau's  conduct 
on  this  occasion ;  and  not  only  so,  but, 
secondly,  he  goes  to  a  family  which  had 
become,  in  the  rigliteous  providence  of 
God,  alienated,  if  not  outlawed,  from  the 
pale  of  the  covenant,  and  which  at  this 
time  had  in  all  probability  greatly  apos- 
tatized from  the  true  faith  and  the  true 
worship.  Thirdly,  the  extreme  faulti- 
ness  of  his  conduct  appears  in  this, 
Shat  he  consulted  the  feelings  of  his 
father  only,  regardless  of  those  of  his  mo- 
ther. As  his  father  had  it  in  his  power  to 
favor  him  in  a  way  in  which  his  mother 
€ould  not,  his  sole  aira  wss  to  work  upon 
his  partialities  without  any  reference  to 
hers.  Finally,  that  he  had  no  sincere 
and  ingenuous  sorrow  for  the  past  is 
«lear  from  the  fact  that  he  still  retained 
his  hatred  against  his  brother.  He  was 
even  now  laying  snares  for  his  feet,  and 
■'hunting  for  his  precious  life.'  This 
,of  itself  was  enough  to  give  the  lie  to 
all  his  pretensions.  True  repentance 
would  have  softened  down  the  malignant 
feelings  which  he  cherished,  and  though 
lie  might  not  have  been  reinstated  in 
she  blessings  and  prerogatives  which 
he  had  lost,  yet  he  would  have  acknow- 
ledged the  hand  of  an  overruling  provi- 
dence in  what  had  occurred,  and  es- 
ieemed  it  a  mercy  to  hold  even  a  second 
place  in  a  hne  so  honored  and  favored 
as  that  of  Abraham.  The  conduct  of 
Esau  throughout  this  t.rf3.nsaction  aSords 


ther,  and  his  mother,  and  was  gone 
to  Padan-aram ; 
8  And  Esau  seeing  ^  that  the 


fc  ch.  21.  3.  &.  26.  35. 


abundant  matter  of  reflection  and  im- 
provement. What  a  striking  type  do 
we  behold  in  it  of  the  mercenary 
and  one-sided  rehgion  of  great  multi- 
tudes of  men  !  They  would  fain  secure 
the  favor  of  God  and  the  advantages  of 
piety,  while  at  the  same  time  they  are 
at  th«  farthest  remove  from  having 
respect  to  all  God's  commandments ;  and 
their  hearts  are  replete  with  unkind,  un- 
filial,  unfraternal,  envious,  and  vindict- 
ive feehngs  toward  their  fellow-men. 
Many  will  go  far  in  the  outward  prac- 
tice of  piety,  provided  there  may  be  a 
privileged  exemption  on  the  score  of 
some  particular  sin.  They  will  put 
away  some  offences,  if  only  there  may 
be  a  reservation  of  others.  But  of  what 
avail  can  be  any  religious  professions  or 
doings  when  marred  by  such  glaring  in- 
congruities and  inconsistencies  as  these  ? 
We  can  see  at  a  glance  how  ground- 
less would  be  any  one's  pretensions  to 
the  spirit  of  the  gospel  who  should  allow 
his  enmity  to  rise  to  the  murderous 
height  of  that  of  Esau.  But  let  us  not 
forget  that  there  are  lower  degrees  of 
malice  which  are  as  really  decisive 
against  our  claims  to  Christian  character, 
and  put  an  inseparable  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  our  obtaining  tli«  light  of  God's 
countenance.  A  cherished  pique,  a  la- 
tent grudge  against  a  brother  or  a  sister, 
is  not  only  destructive  of  the  peace  of 
our  own  minds,  but  conclusive  evidence 
that  the  meek  and  merciful  spirit  of 
Christ  is  not  in  us.  Of  what  nature 
must  be  that  so-called  religion,  which 
does  not  avail  to  quench  the  unholy 
fires  of  passion,  and  m^elt  away  all  our 
little  feuds  and  animcsities  in  the 
stronger,  the  sacred  fervors  of  that  love 
which  is  born  of  God  ? 

8.  Pleased  not  Isaac.       Heb.    t\1'$^ 
tTC'^'  '^;">^  rootk  heanai  yitzhak,  [were] 


104 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  176a 


daughters  of  Canaan  pleased  not 
Isaac  his  father ; 

9  Then  went  Esau  unto  Ishmael, 
and  took  unto  the  wives  which  he 
had  1  Mahalath,  the  daughter  of  Ish- 


ich.36. 3. 


evilin  the  eyes  of  Isaac  ;  i.  e.  displeas- 
ing, disagreeable,  offensive  :  as,  on  the 
contrary,  good  in  the  eyes  of  is  equiva- 
lent to  pleasing,  grateful,  acceptable. 
Gen.  16.  G. 

9.  Then  went  Esau  unto  Ishmael.  Tliat 
is,  to  his  family,  for  Isliraael  himself,  it 
would  seem,  was  now  dead.      Gen.  25. 

17. IT  Mahalath,    called    Bashemath, 

ch.  36.  3. 

10.  Jacob  went  out  from  Beershebay  &c. 
The  circumstances  of  Jacob's  departure 
from  his  father's  house,  formed  a  stri- 
king contrast  with  the  pompous  mission 
which  had  been  sent  to  tlie  same  coun- 
try when  a  v/ife  was  to  be  procured  for 
Isaac.  Without  a  servant  to  attend  him, 
or  a  beast  to  carry  him,  or  any  other 
accommodation,  except,  as  he  afterwards 
informs  us,  Gen.  32.  10, '  a  staff'  to  walk 
with,  he  pursues  his  solitary  way.  The 
reason  of  this,  though  not  expressly  as- 
signed, is  perhaps  to  be  referred  to  the 
hatred  of  Esau.  Jacob  may  have  stolen 
away  secretly,  and  without  any  retinue, 
and  have  shunned  the  frequented  path  to 
Padan-Arara,  in  order  to  elude  the  vi- 
gilance and  resentment  of  his  brother, 
who,  he  had  grounds  to  fear,  would  pur- 
sue him  to  take  his  life.  But  however 
this  may  have  been,  his  reflections  on 
the  occasion  must  have  been  pungent  in 
the  extreme.  Great  as  we  may  suppose 
his  comfort  to  have  been  in  receiving 
his  father's  pardon  and  blessing,  and 
rich  as  were  tlie  promises  embraced  in 
this  paternal  benediction,  yet  it  was 
doubtless  with  many  a  bitter  pang  that 
he  prosecuted  his  journey.  His  sin  has 
found  him  out.  He  cannot  but  feel  that 
he  has  been  himself  the  architect  of  his 
present  lonely,  destitute,  and  perilous 


mae],  Abraham's  son,  "^  the  sister 
of  Nehajoth,  to  be  his  wife. 

10  IT  And  Jacob  "  went  out  from 
Beer-sheba,  and  went  toward  °  Ha- 
ran. 


ra  ch.  25.  13. 


Hos.  12.  12. 


Acts 


condition.  Had  it  not  been  for  his 
criminal  impatience,  and  the  sinful  strat- 
agem to  which  it  led,  he  would  not, 
probably,  have  excited  his  brother's  ha- 
tred, or  subjected  himself  to  exile  from 
the  home  of  his  childhood.  But  we  here 
behold  the  heir  of  promise,  the  chosen 
servant  of  God,  in  whose  loins  were  an 
elect  people  and  many  powerful  kings,, 
whose  history  was  to  occupy  so  large  a 
space  in  the  book  of  God,  in  whom  all 
the  famihes  of  the  earth  were  to  be  bles- 
sed, a  forlorn  wanderer,  banished  from 
his  father's  house,  his  whole  inheritance 
his  staff  in  his  hand  !  We  see  him  go- 
ing forth,  an  alien  and  a  fugitive  from 
that  very  country,  his  anxiety  to  obtain 
which  had  formed  one  motive  of  his 
late  duplicity  !  But  the  lesson  which 
is  taught  by  the  patriarch's  lot  is  full  of 
instruction.  We  cannot  but  read  in  it  a 
stern  rebuke  of  that  sinister  proceeding 
to  which  it  was  owing.  Nor  can  we 
doubt  that  the  train  of  thought  that 
now  passed  through  Jacob's  mind  w^as 
of  a  gloomy  and  distressful  character. 
Oppressed  with  a  desolating  sense  of  his 
loneliness,  and  inwardly  pained  with  the 
compunctious  visitings  of  his  faithful 
conscience,  he  must  often  have  asked 
himself,  on  his  dreary  route,  '  Why  am 
I  here  ?' — a  question  to  which  the  recol- 
lection of  his  sin  would  furnish  a  ready 
answer.  The  secret  doubt  whether  he 
were  indeed  the  objectof  the  pardoning 
love  and  the  special  guidance  of  the 
Most  High,  must  have  occasioned  him 
many  a  bitter  pang  while  the  shades  of 
the  iirst  evening  were  closing  around 
him  ;  but  the  sequel  informs  us  that,  in 
the  midst  of  this  scene  of  outer  and  in- 
ner darkness-,  God  was  graciously  prepar» 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CHAPTER  XXVllL 


105 


11  And  he  lighted  upon  a  certain 
place,  and  tarried  there  all  nicrht, 
because  the  sun  was  set:  and  he 
took  of  the  stones  of  that  place,  and 
put  them/or  his  pillows,  and  lay  down 
in  that  place  to  sleep. 


ing  a  message  of  peace  and  joy  for  his 

exiled  servant.    ^  Werd  toward  Ha- 

ran.  Which  is  computed  to  have  been 
at  least  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
distant  from  Beer-sheba.  The  route 
thither  was  through  a  country  in  many 
places  desert  and  savage,  and  in  others 
no  less  dangerous  from  the  hostde  tribes 
that  dwelt  in  it  or  ranged  through  it. 
It  should  not  be  forgotten,  moreover, 
that  Jacob  at  this  time,  instead  of  being 
a  hale  young  man,  in  the  prime  of  life, 
had  attained  the  age  of  seventy-seven 
years. 

11.  He  lighted  upon  a  certain  place. 
Ileb.  3?33'i  yijjhga,  chanced  to  meet  loilh, 
implying  that  his  being  overtaken  by 
nightfall  in  that  particular  place,  and  tar- 
rying there  all  night,  was  in  consequence 
of  a  providential  ordering,  rather  than 
of  his  own  purpose.  Thus,  Eccl.  9.  11, 
^  Time  and  chance  (5):55  pega)  happen- 
eth  to  them  all ;'  wliere  the  noun  doubt- 
less has  the  import  of  something  at  once 
unexpected,  unforeseen,  and  yet  providen- 
tial. The  doctrine  of  chance,  fortune, 
or  blind  fate,  did  not  enter  into  the  theol- 
ogy of  the  Hebrews.  This  place  was  eight 
miles  north  of  -Ferusalem  and  forty-eight 
from  Beer-sheba.  Jacob  probably  in- 
tended to  reach  the  city  before  sunset, 
but  being  delayed  beyond  his  expecta- 
tions, and  finding  the  gates  shut  upon  his 
arrival,  he  was  under  the  necessity,  it 
seems,  of  lodging  in  the  open  field  in  the 
suburbs.  Even  at  the  present  day  itfre- 
quendy  happens  in  the  eastern  coun- 
tries, that  travellers  not  reaching  the 
city  previous  to  the  shutting  of  the 
gates,  are  compelled  to  abide  under  the 
walls  all  night;  as,  when  once  shut, 
they  refuse  to  opsn  them  till  next  day. 


12  And  ho  p  dreamed,  and  be- 
hold, a  ladder  set  up  on  earth,  and 
the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven  : 
and  behold,  i  the  anf^els  of  God  as- 
cending and  descending  on  it. 

p  ch.  41.  1.     Job.  33.  15.     q  John  1.  51. 
Hebr.  1. 11. 


But  sleeping  in  the  open  air  is  a  custom 
very  common  in  the  East,  and  from  the 
temperature  of  the  climate  much  less 

dangerous  than  in  colder  latitudes. 

IT  Put  them  for  his  pillows.  Heb. 
I'^lTill'iO'j  meraashothav.  This  word, 
derived  from  tlJJ^'n  rosh,  head,  properly 
signifies  head-bolster,  or  v^hat  is  at  the 
head  of  any  one,  and  stands  opposed  to 
nib:i^"^  margeloth,  from  ^:i^  regel,foof, 
signifying  any  thing  placed  at  the  feet. 
It  occurs  also  1  Sam.  25.  7, '  And  behold 
Saul  lay  sleeping  within  the  trench,  and 
his  spear  stuck  in  the  ground  at  his  bol- 
ster (^ri'::'Al'^)-' T  And  lay  doion  in 

that  place  to  sleep,  lleh .'2'Z':j^  yishkab, 
stricUy  implying  nothing  more  than 
simply  to  lie  down,  without  necessarily 
involving  the  idea  of  sleeping.  The 
words  'to  sleep,'  added  at  the  close  of 
the  verse  by  our  translators,  are  purely 
supplemental,  and  ought,  no  doubt,  to 
have  been  printed  in  Italics. 

12.  And  he  dreamed,  &c.  The  sove- 
reign manner  in  which  the  Most  High 
dispenses  his  favors  is  here  strikingly 
illustrated.  Jacob  had  been  guilty  of  a 
high-handed  offence  in  personating  his 
brother,  and  imposing  on  his  father,  and 
thus  fraudulendy  obtaining  the  blessing. 
In  consequence,  he  was  now  fleeing  to 
avoid  the  effects  of  his  brother's  indig- 
nadon.  And  in  what  manner  should 
we  suppose  that  God  would  meet  him, 
if  indeed  he  should  deign  to  notice  such 
an  offender  at  all?  Would  he  not  say 
to  him,  as  he  afterwards  did  to  the  fugi- 
tive prophet,  '  What  doest  thou  here, 
Elijah  V  Or  rather,  would  he  not  meet 
him  in  a  way  of  judgment,  as  he  did 
.Moses  on  the  way  to  Egypt,  Ex.  4. 24 — 
23,     and     pidnfully     indicate    to    him 


106 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


his  sore  displeasure  ?  But  behold,  in 
order  to  display  the  riches  of  his  grace, 
he  reve;^ls  himself  to  him  in  a  most  in- 
structive vision.  lie  confirms  to  him 
all  the  promises  previously  made  to 
J^raham  and  to  Isaac,  and  extends  the 
manifestations  of  his  favor  beyond  all 
former  bounds  !  Well  may  he  exclaim 
with  David,  '  Is  this  the  manner  of  men, 

O  Lord  God  ?' ^  And  behold,  a  ladder. 

Heb.  £30   siillam.     Gr.  xXi/ia^.      It  is 


mountains  which  are  ascended  in  this 
manner  by  jutting  prominences  on 
their  sides,  (called  in  the  Spanish  lan- 
guage 'ladderas,'  with  which  compare 
the  Eng.  phrase  '  to  scale  a  height,') 
were  sometimes  termed  '  ladders.'  Thus 
Josephus,  J.  W.  b.  ii.  c.  10,  speaking  of 
the  situation  of  Ptolemais,  says,  '  It  was 
bounded  on  the  north  by  a  mountain 
called  the  Ladder  of  the  Tyrians.'  Anal- 
ogous to  this,  '  the  stairs  that  go  dov\Ti 


extremely  doubtful  whether  the  real  ob-   from  the  chy  of  David,' in  Jerusalem, 


ject  seen  in  Jacob's  vision  was  an  ordi- 
nary 'ladder.'  We  are  not  satisfied 
that  this  rendering  yields  the  genuine 
sense  of  the  original.  It  is  certainly  very 
incongruous  in  point  of  imagery  to  con- 
ceive of  a  ladder  with  its  base  standing 
upon  the  earth,  while  its  top  had  no- 
thing solid  to  lean  against.  As  to  its  top 
reaching  to  heaven,  this  impHes  its  great 
height,  but  properly  conveys  no  intima- 
tion of  any  support  afforded  to  its  upper 
extremity.  The  Heb.  term,  which  oc- 
curs only  here,  is  a  derivative  from 
ibo  salal,  to  raise  up  in  a  pile,  to  exalt 
hy  casting  or  heaping  up,  as  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  mound  or  highxoay.  In 
this  sense,  from  which  there  is  no  im- 
portant deviation  throughout  the  Scrip- 
tures, the  verb  occurs,  Is.  57.  14,  '  Cast 
ye  up,  cast  ye  up,  prepare  the  way.'  Is. 
(52.  10,  'Go  through,  go  through  the 
gates  ;  prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  cast  up,  cast  up,  the  highway.'  Jer. 
50.  26,  'Come  against  her  from  the  ut- 
most border,  cast  her  up  as  heaps,  and 
destroy  her  utterly.'  With  these  pas- 
sages, therefore,  as  a  clew,  we  take  the 
term  to  mean,  instead  of  '  a  ladder,'  in 
the  common  acceptation,  a  towering  ele- 
vation, as  of  several  mountains  cast  up 
and  heaped  together  in  one,  with  broJcen 
irregular  sides,  composed  of  ledges  of 
rocks  serving  as  steps  .or  stairs,  hy  which 
it  might  be  ascended  to  the  top.     The 


are  rendered  K\t[iaKa5  ladders,  Neh.  3. 
15,  and  12.  36,  though  they  were  in 
reahty  nothing  else  than  stone  steps  ex- 
cavated from  the  side  of  the  hill.  In 
the  vision  of  the  patriarch,  the  angels 
of  God,  we  suppose,  were  seen  ascend- 
ing and  descending  the  decHvities  of 
this  heaped-up  mountain,  while  the  di- 
vine Glory,  in  visible  apparition,  rested 
upon  its  summit.  Though  the  dream 
was  undoubtedly  supernatural,  yet  it  is 
not  unlikely  that  the  object  presented 
in  this  vision  was  suggested  by  the  pre 
vious  circumstance  of  Jacob's  rudely 
heaping  together  his  pillow  of  stones, 
and  that  the  little  pile  on  which  his 
head  rested  was  the  miniature  model  of 
the  object  which  God  spread  before  his 
imagination  in  his  sleep.  The  interpre- 
tation given  of  this  visionary  mountain- 
pile  by  the  Jewish  commentators  is  the 
following:  'The  ladder,  which  Jacob 
our  father  saw,  was  a  parable  of  the 
monarchies ;'  i.  e.  of  the  series  of  great 
monarchies  and  kingdoms  forming  the 
subject  of  the  predictions  of  Daniel.  Of 
these,  mountains,  in  the  figurative  lan- 
guage of  Scripture,  is  a  standing 
symbol,  and  the  overthrow  of  a  king- 
dom is  thus  described  in  the  prophetic 
style.:  Jer.  51.  25,  '  Behold  I  am  against 
theCj  O  destroying  mountain,  saith  the 
Lord,  which  destroyest  all  the  earth: 
I  and  I  will  stretch  out  mine  hand  upon 


reason  of  its  being  rendered  '  ladder'  in  thee,  and  roll  thee  down  from  the  rocks, 
theGr.  of  the  Sept.,  which  most  modern!  and  will  make  thee  a  burnt  (or,  Heb. 
versions,  and  our  own  among  the  rest,  I '  a  burning')  mountain.'  Closely  con- 
havo  adopted,  may  have  been, that  high'  noct.ed  with  this,  and  ©f  a  parallel  Jm- 


B.  C.  1760.1 


CIlAI'-VKfl    NXV)IK 


107 


13  ■■  And  behold  the  Lord  i^tood 
above  it,  and  said  ^  I  am  the  Lord 

r  ch.  3o.  1.  &  43  3.        s  ch.  2o.  24. 


God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  and  the 
God  of  Isaac:  Mhe  land  whereon 

'  clj.  13.  5,  &  35. 12. 


port,  is  the  following  passage  from  the 
Apocalypse,  ch.  8.  8,  '  And  as  it  were  a 
great  mounlain,  burning  with  fire,  was 
cast  into  the  sea  ;  and  the  tiiird  part  of 
the  sea  became  blood.'  A  similar  dic- 
tion prevails  ttiroughont  the  prophets. 
We  are  inclined  to  think,  therefore,  that 
there  is  some  ground  for  this  interpreta- 
tion, so  far  at  least  as  to  warrant  us  in 
understanding  the  scenery  of  the  vision 
as  foreshadowing  some  future  hlngdoms 
or  kingdom  destined  to  arise  and  hold  a 
conspicuous  place  on  the  earth.  That  it 
has  in  some  w>ay  a  reference  to  gospel 
times  and  events  is  clear  from  our 
Saviour's  allusion  to  it,  John,  I.  51, 
'  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  hereaf- 
ter ye  shall  see  heaven  open,  and  the 
angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending 
upon  the  Son  of  man ;'  that  is,  ye  shall 
one  day  see  that  realized  in  regard  to 
me  which  was  shadowed  forth  in  Jacob's 
vision.  But  that  the  ladder,  as  it  is 
termed,  was  a  type  of  Christ  in  his  di- 
vine and  human  nature,  mediating  be- 
tween heaven  and  earth,  is,  in  our 
opinion,  an  entirely  fanciful  and  unwar- 
ranted mode  of  interpreting  the  vision. 
It  will  perhaps  be  sufficient  to  say,  that 
the  Saviour's  words  will  be  fulfilled  at 
the  period  to  which  we  have  referred, 
when  his  kingdom  shall  have  become 
fully  established  on  earth.  It  is  not  un- 
Hkely  that  the  communication  between 
heaven  and  earth  by  means  of  angels 
will  then  be  much  more  complete  than 
it  has  ever  yet  been.  But,  though  the 
above  may  have  been  its  ultimate  scope, 
yet  we  cannot  well  doubt  that  its  more 
immediate  object  was  of  a  simpler  char- 
acter, and  one  more  especially  adapted 
to  the  circumstances  of  Jacob  at  the 
time.  He  had  now  left  his  father's 
house  solitary  and  sorrowful,  with  much 
to  fear  and  little  to  hope.  He  had,  in- 
deed, received  the  paternal  blessing,  but 
he  had  irritated  his  injured  brother,  and 


under  the  reproofs  of  his  own  conscience 
he  could  not  but  be  a  prey  to  the  most 
disquieting  apprehensions.  Under  these 
circumstances,  what  could  dispel  his 
fears  and  allay  the  inward  tumult  of  his 
mind,  but  the  firm  persuasion  of  an 
overruling  providence,  of  a  real  though 
invisible  communication  betv\ieen  hea- 
ven and  earth  ?  This,  then,  we  may 
suppose  to  have  been  the  proximate  de- 
sign  of  the  \'ision.  God  would  teach 
him,  by  its  significant  imagery,  the  con- 
soling truth,  that  there  was  a  constant 
intercourse  kept  up,  through  the  me- 
dium of  angelic  ministers,  between  the 
visible  and  invisible  world ;  that  al- 
though he  was  now  an  exile  from  his 
native  land,  and  traversing  alone  unin- 
habited deserts  ;  that  though  he  was  in 
danger  from  the  wild  beasts  that  roamed 
abroad  at  night,  and  from  the  lav^dess 
tribes  that  prowled  for  spoil  through  the 
day,  yet  he  was  encompassed  by  the 
presence  and  protection  of  his  Maker, 
whose  angels  pitched  their  camps  about 
his  bed,  and  under  the  shadow  of  whose 
wmgs  he  might  rest.  To  all  this  nothing 
could  be  better  adapted  than  the  vision 
of  the  towering  mountain-height  and 
the  ascending  and  descending  angels, 
now  vouchsafed  to  him.  At  the  same 
time  we  know  of  nothing  to  forbid  the 
supposition  that  an  ulterior  and  deeper 
meaning  was  couched  under  this  sym- 
bol, of  which  it  was  not  necessary  that 
Jacob  himself  should  be  aware.  He 
learned  enough  from  it  to  answer  his 
present  purposes ;  enough  to  inspire 
him  with  confidence,  and  fill  him  with 
comfort ;  and  if  we  with  the  aid  of  sub- 
sequent revelations  and  a  superior  in- 
sight into  the  symbolic  language  of  the 
Scriptures,  can  elicit  from  it  a  greater 
fulness  and  richness  of  import,  what 
should  prevent  us  from  so  doing  ? 

13.  Behold  theLord  stood  above  it.  Heb 
1*^b5>  ^125  mn'^  Uyn  hinneh  Jehovah  nit^ 


108 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


thou  liest,  to  thee  will  I  give  it,  and 
to  thy  seed. 

14  And  "  thy  seed  shall  be  as 
the  dust  of  the  earth;  and  thou 
shalt  spread  abroad  ^  to  the  west, 

•  ch.  13. 16.        ^  ch.  13.  14.    Deut.  12.  20. 


tzab  alav,  behold  Jehovah  standing  upon 
it  or  above  it.  Gr.  O  Kvpiog  eneuTripiK- 
To  £ff'  avrris,  the  Lord  was  firmly  fixed, 
grounded,  or  established  upon  it.    Chal. 

*  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  was  fi-xed, 
(nin3!'?i  meattad,  constituta. — Buxtorf)  up- 
on or  over  it.'  The  original  word  ^iZ] 
for 'stood,'  (or  *  standing,')  is  from  the 
eame  root  with  that  rendered  '  set,' 
(1322^   mutzab.      Gr.  ecTnpiYjxtvr)  firmly 

fi^ed),  in  the  succeeding  clause,  and  is 
used  for  the  most  part  to  signify,  not  an 
active  stationing  or  placing  one's  self,  but 
passively,  a  being  firmly  fixed,  settled,  es- 
tablished, usually  spoken  of  pillars,  sta- 
tues ,  columns,  and  other  abiding  fix- 
tures, and  less  properly  applied  to  a 
personal  agent,  except  in  the  sense  of 
being  constituted,  or  appointed  to  office, 
made  to  preside  over,  as  I  Sam.   19.  20. 

•  And  when  they  saw  Samuel  standing 
as  appointed  (^^2])  over  them  ;'  where 
the  terms  for  '  standing,'  and  '  appoint- 
ed,' are  entirely  different.  1  Sam.  22. 
9,  '  Doeg,  which  was  set  over  d^:)  the 
servants  of  Saul.'  Ruth  2.  .5,  '  Said  un- 
to his  servant  that  was  set  over  ('^'Si',)  the 
reapers.'  The  phraseology,  therefore, 
legitimately  points  to  a  visible  object, 
which  was  capable  of  being  firmly  fix- 
ed and  established  on  the  summit  of  the 
visionary  pile.  And  as  the  title  'Jeho- 
vah' is  apphed  to  this  object,  we  cannot 
but  conclude  that  it  was  the  Shekinah, 
the  usual  visible  symbol,  not  so  much  of 
the  divine  nature  in  the  abstract,  as  of 
the  future  manifested  Deity  in  the  person, 
glory,  and  kingdom  of  the  Messiah.  We 
suppose,  then,  that  this  part  of  the  vision 
distinctly  imported  that  tbe  future  king- 
dom of  Christ  was  destined  finally  to 
rise  superior  to  the  glory  of  all  worldly 
kingdoms,  and  to  be  established  above 


and  to  the  east,  and  to  the  north,  and 
to  the  south  :  and  in  thee  and  *  in 
thy  seed  shall  all  the  faraihes  of  the 
earth  be  blessed. 

^  ch.  12.  :).  &  18.  18.  &  22.  18.  &  26.  4. 


them.  This  fact  the  prophet  Isaiah  an- 
nounces in  terms  strikingly  corrobora- 
tive of  our  present  interpretation.  Is. 
2.  2,  '  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the 
last  days,  that  the  mountain  of  the 
Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in  the 
top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalt- 
ed above  the  hills  ;  and  all  nations  shall 
flow  unto  it.'  In  this  view  of  the  sub- 
ject we  not  only  perceive  a  sufficient 
reason  for  the  use  of  the  extraordinary 
term  IQV;,  implying  at  once  establish- 
ment and  pre-eminence,  or  presidency,  but 
are  also  enabled  to  see  more  distinctly, 
we  believe,  than  on  any  other  inierpre  ■ 
tation,  the  grand  scope  of  the  whole  vis- 
ion, and  particularly  of  the  Divine  ad- 
dress made  to  Jacob  in  connexion  with 
the  imaginary  scenery  before  him.  It 
was,  if  we  mi.stake  not,  to  assure  him 
that  his  final  lot,  in  the  muldplication 
and  enlargement  of  his  seed,  should  be 
as  much  superior  to  his  present  hum- 
ble state,  as  the  immense  mountain-pile 
seen  in  his  vision  exceeded  the  little 
heap  of  stones  thrown  together  for  his 
pillow.  Of  this  assurance  Jacob  after- 
wards records  himself  a  partial  fulfil- 
ment; Gen.  32.  10,  'For  with  my  staff 
I  passed  over  this  Jordan,  and  now  I  am 
become  two  bands.' 

14.  As  the  dust  of  the  earth.  This 
prediction  makes  very  striking  the  apos- 
trophe of  Balaam,  Num.  23,  '  Who  can 
count  the  dust  of  Jacob,  and  the  num- 
ber of  the  fourth   part  of  ].*rael  ? 

IT  Thou  shalt  spread  abroad,  &c.  Heb. 
uiSIti  paraizta,  shall  break  forth,  like 
waters,  on  every  side.  The  assurance 
here  given  to  Jacob,  respecting  the  fu- 
ture increase  of  his  seed,  while  it  re- 
news and  confirms  the  blessings  before 
announced  to  Abraham,  falls  in,  at  the 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


109 


15  And  behold  y  I  am  with  thee, 
and  will  ^  keep  thee  in  all  places 
whither  thou  goest,  and  will  ""  bring 
thee  again  into  this  land :  for  ^i 
will  not  leave  thee,  "  until  1  have 

y  ver.  20,21.  cli.  26.  24.  &  31.  3.  ^  ch. 
48.  16.       Ps.  121.  5,  7,  8.  a  ch.  35.  6. 

•>  Deut.  28.  6.  Josh.  1.  5.  1  KiiiRS  8.  57. 
Heb,  13.  5.        c  Numb.  2^19. 

same  time  with  what  we  have  said  of 
the  symbolic  drift  of  the  vision.  What 
the  huge  mountain  mass  was  to  the  lit- 
tle heap  of  stones  at  his  head,  that 
should  the  coundess  muhitude  of  the 
patriarch's  chosen  seed  be  to  himself 
personally. 

15.  Behold  I  am  with  thee,  and  nnll  keep 
thee,  &c.  The  Gr.  of  the  Sept.  gives 
this  part  of  the  promise  in  a  more  re- 
stricted sense, — cv  rt]  o6u)  7:0(777,  in  all  the 
way,  or  in  all  this  way,  i.  e.-I  will  direct, 
help,  and  support  thee  in  a  peculiar 
manner  in  thy  present  journey.  But 
the  words  have  probably  a  more  exten- 
sive reach  of  meaning,  pledging  the  di- 
vine presence  and  protection  in  all  the 
journeys  he  might  undertake.  The 
promises  now  vouchsafed  to  Jacob  are  of 
two  kinds  ;  the  former  being  a  repetition 
and  ratification  of  those  before  made  to 
Abraham  and  Isaac,  relating  rather 
to  his  posterity  than  to  himself;  while 
the  latter  had  a  more  distinct  reference 
to  Jacob  personally,  and  to  the  circum- 
stances of  his  present  distress.  It  is  to 
Jacob,  individually,  that  God  more  espe- 
cially speaks  in  the  verse  before  us. 
Though  now  wandering  forth  alone, 
and  not  knowing  to  what  dangers  and 
temptations  he  might  be  exposed  in  the 
country  to  which  he  is  going,  or  whether 
he  should  ever  return  again  in  safety,  yet 
the  Lord  assures  him  that,  however  he 
might  be  an  alien  frum  his  father's 
house,  he  should  not  be  cast  away  from 
his  presence,  and  that  he  would  be  his 
guide  and  guardian  wherever  he  should 
go.  Why  should  we  not,  as  the  spirit- 
ual seed  of  Jacob,  catch  a  gleam  of  re- 
TOL.  If. 


done  that  which  I  have  spoken  to 
thee  of, 

16  ^  And  Jacob  awaked  out  of 
his  sleep,  and  he  said,  Surely  the 
LoKD  is  in  ^'  this  place ;  and  I  knew 
it  not. 

J  ExGd.  3,  5.    Josh.  5. 15. 


freshing  light  from  this  assurance  as  we 
pass  along  ?  If  God  will  be  with  us  ; 
if  he  will  keep  us  in  all  places  and  cir- 
cumstances ;  if  he  wdl  never  leave  us 
nor  forsake  us  ;  and  if  he  will  bring  us 
at  last  to  our  promised  and  hoped-for 
land  of  rest,  then  may  we  go  on  our 
way  with  confidence  and  joy.  Who- 
ever we  may  leave,  or  whatever  we 
may  lose,  still  we  part  not  from  our  best 
friend,  nor  are  we  deprived  of  our  most 
valuable  portion.  We  cannot  be  lone- 
ly, if  God  be  with  us.  We  cannot  want, 
if  he  provide  for  us.  We  cannot  err,  if 
he  guide  us.  We  cannot  perish,  if  he 
preserve  us.  And  all  this  he  will  do  for 
those  that  put  their  trust  in  him 

16.  Surely  the  LORD  is  in  this  place, 
and  I  knew  it  not-  Chal.  '  In  very  deed 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  dwelleth  in  this 
place.'  Arab.  'The  light  of  God  is  in 
this  place.'  As  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, the  dream  produced  a  powerful 
impression  upon  the  mind  of  Jacob. 
His  feelings  upon  awaking  were  those 
of  grateful  wonder  mingled  with  emo- 
tions of  reverential  awe,  bordering  close 
upon  dread.  He  who  had  felt  no  fear 
in  laying  himself  down  to  sleep  in  a 
lonely  place,  and  under  the  cloud  of 
night,  is  now  filled  with  holy  dismay 
when  the  morning  arose,  at  the  thought 
of  being  surrounded  with  God.  But 
the  element  of  joy  was  not  extinguished 
by  the  feeling  of  the  awful  which  the 
scene  had  inspired.  The  drift  of  his 
exclamation  was,  that  the  Lord  had  been 
especially  present  to  him  where  he  lit- 
tle thought  of  meeting  with  him.  He 
had  laid  him  down  to  sleep,  as  on  com- 
10 


110 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C   1700 


17  And  he  was  afraid,  and  said, 
How  dreadful  is  this  place!  this  is 


the  raornin<4-,  and   took   the   cJtone 
that  he  had  put /or  his  pillows,  and 


e  ch.  31.  13.  45.  &  35. 14. 
11,  12.     Nnml).  7. 1. 


f  Lev.  8.  10. 


none  Other  but  tl^ie  house  of  God,  "^ set  it  up /o?*  a  pillar,  ^  and  poured  oil 
and  this  is  the  gfate  of  heaven.  |  upon  the  top  of  it. 

18  And  Jacob  rose  up  early  in 

nion  ground,  but  he  found  that  it  was  a 
consecrated  place,  hallowed  by  the 
presence  of  God  hinnself  in  this  blessed 
vision  of  the  night.  It  seemed  a  lone 
and  uninviting  spot,  but  it  had  proved 
to  him  a  magnificent  temple.  He  had 
seen  in  it  a  glorious  appearance  of  God, 
with  his  attendant  retinue  ;  and  the  gates 
of  heaven  itself  had,  as  it  were,  been 
opened  to  his  view.  Such  a  visitation 
was  too  precious  not  to  be  especially 
commemorated,  and  this,  accordingly, 
was  his  immediate  care. 

18.  Took  the  stone — and  set  it  up  for  a 
pillar.  Heb.  f^l^'^  matzehah,  a  fjced, 
standing  pillar.  The  original  term  is 
rendered,  Lev.  26.  1,  a '  standing  image  ;' 
and  it  is  elsewhere  rendered  in  like  man- 
ner, either  '  image,'  or  '  statue  ;'  but  the 
Gr.  has  cr/jXf?  pillar,  and  it  is  properly 
used  for  those  sacred,  memorial,  or  rep- 
resentative pillars,  which  were  after- 
wards forbidden  to  the  Israelites,  prob- 
ably on  account  of  the  too  common  idola- 
trous abuse  of  them.  Lev.  20.  1.  Deut. 
16.  22.  When  Jacob  is  said  to  have  ta- 
ken the  'stone'  upon  which  his  head 
had  lain,  and  set  it  up  for  this  purpose, 
w-e  are  probably  to  understand  the  word 
as  a  collect,  sing,  for  '  stones  ;'  as  it  ap- 
pears obvious  from  v.  11,  that  there  was 
more  than  one  of  them H  And  pour- 
ed oil  upon  the  top  of  it.  This  was  to 
Jacob  not  only  a  night  much  to  be  re- 
membered, but  a  place  much  to.be  hon- 
ored. He  therefore  resolves  to  fix  upon 
the  spot  a  solemn  memorial  of  the 
Lord's  appearance  to  him  there.  From 
the  litde  cruse,  which  had  no  doubt  form- 
ed a  part  of  his  slender  stock  of  provision 
for  his  journey,  he  pours  oil  upon  the 
pillar  to  consecrate  the  place.  Things 
and  persons  anointed  with  oil  were  re- 


garded as  set  ujmrtto  the  service  of  God, 
I  to  a  holy  and  sacred  use.      Thus  the 
!  tabernacle  and  its  vessels  were  anoint- 
I  ed,    Kx     40.   9 — 11.      In  like    manner 
I  kings  and  priests,  when  inaugurated  into 
office,  passed  through  the  same  ceremo- 
:  ny,    1  Sam.  10.  1.   And  thus  Jacob  ren- 
j  (lets  the  present  place  henceforth  ht.ly,  at 
I  least  in  his  own  estimation,  and  gives  it  a. 
I  nameof  correspondingimport.  The  prac- 
tice of  erecting  pillars  as  memorials  of 
events  is  coeval  with  the  earliest  history 
of  nations.  Where  men  are  ignorant  of  the 
art  of  writing,  a  durable  monument  of 
this  kind,  which  is  associated  with  the 
story  of  some  remarkable  fact,  wilUong 
preserve  that  storj'  in  recollection.     Af- 
ter the  art  of  writing  was  introduced 
among  the  nations  of  antiquity,  we  find 
that  they  still  continued  to  erect  these 
pillars,  but  avaihng  themselves  of  that 
invention,  they  sculptured  the  history 
deeply  in  the  stone,  that  in  this  endur- 
ing f(»rm  it  might  become  the  possession 
'  of  nations  yet  to  be.'      Every  reader 
has  heard  of  the  pillars  or  obelisks  of 
Egypt  and  Nubia.     We  learn  from  Eu- 
sebius  and  other  authors,   that  it  was 
very  common,  in  early  times,  to  rear  pil- 
lars of  stone,  to  anoint  them  with  oil.  and 
then  perform  religious  rites   around  or 
over  them.     To  these  pillars  the  Greeks 
gave  the  name  '  Baitulia,'  an  evident  de- 
rivative from  '  Bethel,'  the  place  of  their 
origin.     (See  Le  Clerc  on  Gen.  28.  18.) 
From  the  same  source  undoubtedly  ori- 
ginated the  worship  of  the  '  Black  Stone,' 
among  the    followers    of  Mohammed, 
which  is  still  preserved  at  3Iecca,  in  the 
temple  of  the  Caaba,  otherwise  denom- 
inated '  Beit-allah,'  house  of  God,  a  terra 
which  also  clearly  betrays  its  etymolo- 
i  gicol  relation  to  '  Bethel.'     '  Nothing  can 


B.  C.  1760] 


CHAPTER  XXVni. 


Ill 


19  And  he   called  the  name  of  of  that  city  was  called  Luz  at  the 
?  that  place  Beth-el :  but  the  name  first. 


Ju.iff.  1.  !21.  26.     IIos.  4.  15. 


be  more  natural  than  this  act  of  Jacob,  for 
the  purpose  of  marking  the  site  and  mak- 
ing a  memorial  of  an  occurrence  of  such 
greatinterestand  importance  to  him  (see 
Note  on  chap  35.  20.)  The  true  design  of 
this  humble  monument  seems  to  have 
been,  however,  fo  set  this  anointed  pil- 
lar as  an  evidence  of  the  solemn  vow 
which  he  made  on  that  occasion.  This 
use  of  a  stone,  or  stones,  is  definitely 
expressed  in  chap.  31.  48  and  52.  Mr. 
Morier,  in  his  '  Second  Journey  through 
Persia,'  notices  a  custom  which  seems 
to  illustrate  this  act  of  Jacob.  In  trav- 
elling through  Persia,  he  observed  that 
the  guide  occasionally  placed  a  stone 
on  a  conspicuous  piece  of  rock,  o-r 
two  stones  one  upon  another,  at  the 
same  time  uttering  some  words  which 
were  understood  to  be  a  prayer  for  the 
safe  return  of  the  party.  This  explained 
to  Mr.  Morier  what  he  had  frequently 
observed  before  in  the  East,  and  par- 
ticularly on  high  roads  leading  to  great 
towns,  at  a  point  where  the  towns  are 
first  seen,  and  where  the  oriental  travel- 
ler sets  up  his  stone,  accompanied  by  a 
devout  exclamation  in  token  of  his  safe 
arrival.  Mr.  Morier  adds  :  '  Nothing  is 
so  natural,  in  a  journey  over  a  dreary 
country,  as  for  a  solitary  traveller  to  set 
himself  down  fatigued,  and  to  make  the 
vow  that  Jacob  did  :  '  If  God  will  be  with 
me,  and  keep  me  in  the  way  that  I  go, 
and  will  give  me  bread  to  eat  and  rai- 
ment to  put  on,  so  that  I  may  reach  my 
father's  house  in  peace,'  &c.,  then  will 
I  give  so  much  in  charity  ;  or,  again,  that 
on  first  seeing  the  place  which  he  has 
so  long  toiled  to  reach,  the  traveller 
should  sit  down  and  make  a  thanksgiv- 
ing, in  both  cases  setting  up  a  stone  as 
a  memorial.'  The  writer  of  this  note 
has  himself  often  observed  such  stones 
without  being  aware  of  their  object,  un- 
til happening  one  day  to  overturn  ons 


that  had  been  set  upon  another,  a  man 
hastened  to  replace  it,  at  the  same  time 
informing  him  that  to  displace  such 
stones  was  on  act  unfortunate  for  the 
person  so  displacing  it,  and  unpleasant 
to  others.  The  writer  afterwards  ob- 
served, that  the  natives  studiously  avoid- 
ed displacing  any  of  these  stones,  '  set 
up  for  a  pillar,'  by  the  way-side.  The 
place  now  pointed  out  as  Pethel  con- 
tains no  indication  of  Jacob's  pillar. 
The  Jews  believe  that  it  was  placed  in 
the  sanctuary  of  the  second  temple,  and 
that  the  ark  of  the  covenant  rested  upon 
it;  and  they  add,  that  after  the  destrue- 
tion  of  that  temple,  and  the  de.solation  of 
Judea,  their  fathers  were  accustomed 
to  lament  the  calamities  that  had  befallen 
them  over  the  stone  on  which  Jacob's 
head  rested  at  Bethel.  The  Mohamme- 
dans are  persuaded  that  their  famous 
temple  at  Mecca  is  built  over  the  same 
stone.'     Pict.  Bible. 

19.  But  the  name  of  that  city  was  call- 
ed Luz  at  the  first.  It  does  not  follow 
from  this  that  there  w^as  any  city  in  this 
place  at  this  time.  It  is  quite  clear  from 
the  preceding  narrative  that  Jacob  had 
slept  in  the  open  field  at  some  distance 
from  any  house.  But  there  may  have 
been  a  city  in  the  vicinity  which  was 
originally  called  '  Luz,'  and  which  after- 
wards, in  consequence  of  the  event 
here  mentioned  happening  in  its  neigh- 
borhood, may  have  received  the  name 
of '  Beth-el.'  Or  we  may  take  what  is 
perhaps  the  still  more  plausible  solution 
of  Calvin,  who  thinks  there  was  no 
city  whatever  on  the  spot  or  in  the 
vicinity  at  the  time,  but  that  afterwards 
one  was  built  there  by  the  Canaanites, 
and  called  '  Luz'  from  the  abundance 
oi  almond  treis  whicli  grew  there,  with- 
out any  regard  to  Jacob's  appellation; 
but  that  in  subsequent  ages,  when  the 
ciiildren  of  Israel  obtained  posgesaion  of 


112 


GENESIS. 


|B.  C.  1760. 


20  ^  And  Jacob  vowed  a  vow,  say- 
ing, If '  God  will  be  with  me,  and 

"  ch.  31. 13.    Judg.  11.  30.    2  Sam.  15.  18. 
I  ver.  15. 


the  country,  and  of  this  city  among 
others,  they  restored,  from  motives  of 
reverence,  the  ancient  name  which  the 
patriarch  had  bestowed  upon  it.  That 
the  place  was  long  regarded  with  reh- 
gious  veneration  we  may  infer  from  Jer- 
oboam's having  chosen  it  for  the  seat  of 
his  idolatrous  worship  of  the  golden 
calves,  1  Kings,  12.  28,  29,  for  which 
reason  the  prophet  Hosea,  ch.  4.  15, 
alluding  to  the  name  given  it  by  Jacob, 
calls  it '  Beth-aven,'  the  house  of  vnmty, 
i.  e.  of  idols,  instead  of  '  Beth-el,'  house 
of  God.  In  like  manner  Amos,  5.  5, 
'Bethel  shall  come  to  nought  (Heb. 
'list  il^rr^  shall  he  Avert.'')  A  good 
name  has  no  security  of  permanence 
where  a  change  for  the  worse  has  taken 
place  in  the  character.  God  even 
writes  upon  his  own  people, '  Lo- Ammi,' 
not  my  people  instead  of '  Ammi,'  my  peo- 
ple, when,  by  their  transgression,  they 
forfeit  his  favor. 

20.  And  Jacob  vowed  a  vow,  saying, 
&c.  Not  satisfied  vi'ith  merely  erecting 
and  anointing  the  memorial-pillar,  Jacob 
gives  way  still  further  to  the  prompt- 
ings of  a  grateful  heart,  and  binds  him- 
self by  the  solemnity  of  a  vow  to  be 
more  fully  the  Lord's  than  he  had  ever 
been  before.  It  is  not  to  be  understood, 
however,  from  his  conditional  mode  of 
expression,  '  If  God  will  be  with  me,' 
&c.  that  he  had  any  doubt  as  to  the 
fulfilment  of  the  divine  promise,  or  that 
he  would  prescribe  terms  to  his  Maker. 
The  language  implies  nothing  more 
than  his  cordially  taking  God  at  his 
word ;  his  laying  hold  of  his  gracious 
assurances  ;  and  a  sincere  avowal,  that 
since  the  Lord  had  kindly  promised  him 
the  bestowmentof  inestimable  blessings, 
he  would  endeavor  not  to  be  w-anling 
m  the  suitable  returns  of  duty  and  de- 
votedness.    God  had  promised  to  be 


will  keep  me  in  this  way  that  I  go 
and  will  give  me  ^  bread  to  eat,  and 
raiment  to  put  on, 

k  1  Tim.  6.  8. 


with  him,  to  keep  him,  to  bring  him 
again  into  the  land,  and  not  to  leave  him. 
He  takes  up  the  precious  words,  and 
virtually  says,  '  Oh,  let  it  be  according 
to  thy  word  unto  thy  servant,  and  thou 
shall  be  mine,  and  I  will  be  thine,  for- 
ever.' This  was  all  right  ;  for  Jacob 
sought  nothing  which  God  had  not  pro- 
mised, and  he  could  not  well  err  while 
making  the  divine  promises  the  rule 
and  measure  of  his  desires.  Our  vows 
are  wrong  when  either  we  hope  that  by 
them  we  can  induce  God  to  do  for  us 
what  otherwise  he  has  not  engaged  or  is 
unwilling  to  perform  ;  or  when  we  im- 
agine that  the  services  which  we 
stipulate  to  render  to  him  will  be  any 
compensation  for  the  mercies  vouch- 
safed. Vows  are  not  intended  to  have 
the  force  of  a  bargain  or  compact  by 
which  to  involve  the  Ueity  in  obliga- 
tions of  any  kind  ;  but  merely  to  bind 
ourselves  to  the  performance  of  some- 
thing which  was  before  indifferent,  or 
to  impress  our  minds  more  strongly 
with  the  necessity  of  executing  some 
acknowledged  duty.  From  the  connex- 
ion and  circumstances,  it  is  clear  that 
Jacob's  vow  was  one  of  the  most  unex- 
ceptionable character,  and  such  as  God 
approved.  'The  order  of  what  he  de- 
sired is  deserving  of  notice.  It  corres- 
ponds with  our  Saviour's  rule,  to  seek 
things  of  the  greatest  importance  first. 
By  how  much  God's  favor  is  better 
than  life,  by  so  much  his  being  viith  us, 
and  keeping  ns,  is  better  than  food  and 

raiment.'     Fuller. IT  Will   give    me 

bread  to  eat  and  raiment  to  put  on.  It  is 
impossible  not  to  be  struck  with  the 
moderation  of  Jacob's  desires,  as  evinced 
in  these  words.  He  speaks  like  one 
who  is  firmly  persuaded  that  if  God  be 
with  us,  and  keep  us,  the  mere  necessa- 
ris3  of  hfa  will  make  us  happy.    Ha 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


113 


21  So  that  ^  I  come  again  to  my 
father's  house  in  peace  :  "'  then  shall 
the  Lord  be  my  God  : 

22  And  this  stone,  which  I  have 

'•  Jiidg.  11.  31.    2  Sam.  19.  24,30. 
m  Deut.  2o.  17.     2  Sam.  15.  8.  2  Kings  5. 17. 


seeks  not  high  tilings  for  himself.  He 
asks  not  for  weaUh  or  equipage,  for  rank 
or  renown.  The  means  of  a  bare  sub- 
sistence, a  simple  competency,  bounds 
the  narrow  circle  of  his  wishes,  as  far  as 
worldly  good  is  concerned  ;  and  where 
this  spirit  exists,  we  know  from  the  case 
of  Solomon,  1  Kings,  3.  5—12,  that  God 
is  wont  to  grant  not  only  the  favors  re- 
quested, but  vastly  more.  Thus  it  was 
with  Jacob,  and  thus  we  shall  doubtless 
find  it  with  ourselves. 

21.  Then  shall  the  Lord  he  my  God. 
That  is,  I  vvill  utterly  renounce  and  for- 
sake all  the  idolatries  and  superstitions 
of  the  surrounding  heathen  ;  I  will  ac- 
knowledge, worship,  and  cleave  to  Je- 
hovah alone,  having  no  other  God  be- 
fore him,  and  serving  him  in  my  own 
person  and  in  my  family  faithfully  and 
reverently  all  the  days  of  my  life.  It 
should  not,  however,  be  withheld  from 
the  reader,  that  Geddes,  Rosenmuller, 
and  many  other  critics  of  note,  consider 
this  clause  as  one  of  the  conditions,  and 
not  of  tlie  consequences,  of  the  vow. 
They  accordingly  render  '  If  God  w  ill 
be  with  me,  &-c.,  and  if  the  I.ord  will  be 
a  God  to  me;'  i.  e.  according  to  the 
promise  made  to  Abraham,  Gen.  17.  7, 
to  be  a  God   to  him  and  to  his  seed. 


set  for  a  pillar,  "  shall  be  God'a 
house  :  °  and  of  all  that  thou  shalt 
give  me,  I  will  surely  give  the  tenth 
unto  thee. 


n  ch.  3.5.  7,  14. 


Lev. 


30. 


That  is,  shall  stand  for,  shall  represent, 
shall  signify  ;  for  which  the  Hebrew 
has  no  other  term  than  the  verb  of  exist- 
ence. See  Note  on  Gen.  40.  12.  It 
does  not  appear  that  he  intended  to 
erect  a  structure  in  this  place  for 
the  permanent  worship  of  God,  which 
should  be  called  '  the  house  of  God,' 
or  that  his  words,  rightly  understood, 
announce  any  such  purpose.  We  rather 
take  the  drift  of  the  clause  to  be.,  that 
he  should  ever  regard  the  place  as  pe- 
culiarly sacred,  a  .spot  honored  and 
hallowed  by  an  extraordinary  manifes- 
tation of  the  divine  presence;  and, 
prompted  by  that  feeling,  he  would  leave 
tliere  a  monument  which  should  not  only 
be  a  memento  of  the  mercies  so  signally 
vouchsafed  him,  but  also  a  shadow,  a 
symbol,  a  prefiguration  of  that  future 
structure  which  in  process  of  time  God 
would  cause  to  be  erected  within  the 
bounds  of  the  promised  land,  and  which 
should  itself  be  but  a  type  of  that  final 
spiritual  my.«tical  house,  the  church, 
composed  of  living  stones,  and  forming 
the  body  of  his  spiritual  seed.  Jt  may, 
indeed,  be  doubted  whether  Jacob  him- 
self understood  the  full  import  of  the 
words  he  now  uttered.  The  true  expo- 
sition, if  we  mistake  not,  is  to  be  read 


The  original  will  undoubtedly  admit  of  i  in   a  passage  of  the  New  Testament 


this  rendering  as  naturally  as  of  the 
other,  and  it  is  perhap-s  equally  pro- 
bable. In  this  sense  it  seems  to  have 
been  understood  by  all  the  ancient 
translators,  except  the  Syr  ,  Vulg  ,  and 
Pers.,  who  took  the  prefix  1  ((T'hl 
vehayah)  in  the  sense  of  turn,  then,  and 
hke  the  F'ng.  version,  make  it  a  part  of 
Jacob's  stipulation  to  God.  But  3Ii- 
chaelis  rejects  this,  and  adopts  the  former 
construction. 

22.   This  stone — shall  he  God's  house. 


where  Paul  appears  to  be  guided  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  the  right  explication  of 
the  patriarch's  language.  1  Tim.  3.  15, 
'That  thou  mayesf  know  how  thou 
oughtpst  to  behave  thyself  in  the  house 
of  God,  which  is  the  church  of  the  liv- 
ing God,  the  pillar  and  ground  of  truth.' 
The  phrase  'house  of  God'  seems  to 
have  suggested  to  the  Apostle  its  Heb. 
designation,  '  Bethel,'  and  this  again, 
by  a  natural  association,  the  memorial 
pillar  there  erected  by  Jacob,  the  spirit 
10*" 


114 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


CHAP.  XXIX. 

THEN  Jacob  went  on  his  jour- 
ney, "  and  came  into  the  land 
of  the  people  of  the  east. 

a  Numb.  23.  7.    Hos.  12.  12. 


ual  import  of  which  he  pronounces  to 
be  to  represent  '  the  church  of  the  liv- 
ing God,'  a  declaration  properly  based 
upon  Jacob's  words,  v.  22,  'And  this 
stone  shall  be  God's  house.'  The  ex- 
pression '  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth,' 
is  probably  a  Hebraism,  equivalent  to 
'  the  tme  pillar  and  ground  ;'  i.  e.  the 
church  is  the  reality,  the  truth,  the  sub- 
stanxie,  of  which  Jacob's  pillar  was  the 
shadow.  The  terms  true  and  iruth  are 
clearly  appUed  in  this  sense  in  the  New 
Testament.  Thus,  John,  1.  17,  'The 
law  was  given  by  Moses,  but  grace  and 
Iruth  came  by  Jesus  Christ.'  Now,  as  it 
is  certain  that  truth,  in  its  ordinary  ac-  j  fortless 
cpptation,  came  as  really,  though  not  to 
the  same  degree,  by  Moses  as  by  Christ, 
we  are  forced  to  understand  this  of  the 
substance  of  the  gospel  as  contradistin- 
guished from  the  shadows  of  the  law. 
By  3Ioses  came  the  letter  and  the  type, 
by  Christ  came  the  spirit,  the  reality, 
the  suhsta7ice,  or,  in  a  word,  the  truth. 
So  here  we  take  the  apostle's  meaning 


2  And  he  looked,  and  behold,  a 
well  in  the  field,  and  lo,  there  were 
three  flocks  of  sheep  lying  by  it ; 
for  out  of  that  well  they  watered 


CHAP.   XXIX. 

'  Isaac's  life  was  not  more  retired  and 
quiet  than  Jacob's  was  busy  and  trou- 
blesome :  in  the  one  I  see  the  image  of 
contemplation,  of  action  in  the  other. 
None  of  the  patriarchs  saw  so  evil  days 
as  he,  from  whom  justly  hath  the 
church  of  God  therefore  taken  her 
name  :  neither  were  the  faithful  ever 
since  called  Abrahamites,  but  Israelites. 
That  no  time  might  be  lost,  he  began 
his  strife  in  the  womb;  after  that,  he 
flies  for  his  life  from  a  cruel  brother  to 
a  cruel  uncle.  With  a  staff  he  goes 
over  Jordan  alone,  doubtful  and  com- 
not  like  the  son  of  Isaac: 
in  the  way  the  earth  is  his  bed,  and 
the  stone  his  pillow ;  yet  even  there  he 
sees  a  vision  of  angels.  Jacob's  heart 
was  never  so  full  of  joy  as  when  his 
head  lay  hardest.  God  is  most  present 
with  us  in  our  greatest  dejection,  and 
loves  to  give  comfort  to  those  that  are 
forsaken  of  their  hopes.'  Bp.  HaU. 

1.    Went  on  his  journey.     Heb.  5^"^" 


to  be,  that  the  church  was  the  true,  the  l^-^^^'j^^yissaraglav,  lifted  up  his  feet.  Th 


real,  the  substantial  pillar  and  ground 
{eSpaioii^a,  supporting  base)  which  Jacob 
erected,  anointed,  and  named  at  Bethel. 
If  so,  we  can  hardly  doubt  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  had  a  scope  in  the  transaction  far 
beyond  what  entered  into  the  thoughts 

of  Jacob. ^  I  will  surely  give  the  tenth 

unto  thee.  From  which  it  is  clear  that 
tithes  were  paid  and  set  apart  for  reli- 
gious uses  before  the  giving  of  the  law 
of  3Ioses.  To  whom  they  were  paid, 
or  to  what  particular  purpose  applied, 
in  this  case,  does  not  appear ;  but  it 
seems  very  probable  t'nat  Jacob  intend- 
ed to  lay  an  obligation  upon  his  poster- 
ity to  reserve  a  tenth  of  the  fruits  of 
their  labor  for  the  maintenance  of  reli- 
gious institutions. 


phrase  is  emphatic,  and  implies  that  he 
travelled  on  briskly  and  cheerfully,  not- 
withstanding his  age,  being  refreshed  in 
his  spirit  by  the  recent  manifestation 
of  the  divine  favor.  Thus,  Ps.  74.  3, 
'  Lift  up  thy  feet  unto  the  perpetual  de- 
solations ;'  i.  e.  come  speedily  for  our 
deliverance.  A  Jewish  commentator 
says,  '  His  heart  lifted  up  his  feet,'  an 
expression  strikingly  indicative  of  the 
buoyancy  and  light-heartedness  with 
which  he  re-commenced  his  travels 
Although  many  a  weary  day's  journey 
still  lay  between  him  and  the  place  of 
his  destination,  and  much  of  uncertain- 
ty,  danger,  and  fatigue  attended  his 
solitary  way,  yet  such  was  the  influence 
of  the  cheering  assurances  he  had  re- 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


115 


the  flocks :  and  a  j^reat  stone  was 
upon  the  well's  mouth. 

3  And  thither  were  all  the  flocks 
gathered  :  and  tliey  rolled  the  stone 


ceived  of  the  divine  presence  and  pro- 
tection, that  he  proceeded  on  his  course 
on  the  following  morning  with  feeUngs 
of  alacrity  and  joy  to  which  he  had 
been  before  a  stranger.  The  effect  of 
his  feelings  on  the  remainder  of  his 
journey  would  almost  appear  to  be 
hinted  by  the  brevity  with  which  the 
historian  recounts  it ;  for  the  four  hun- 
dred miles  are  despatched  in  a  single 
verse,  '  He  lifted  up  his  feet,  and  came 
into  the  land  of  the  people  of  the  east.' 
'  The  joy  of  the  Lord  was  Jacob's 
strength  ;  it  became  as  oil,  wherewith 
his  soul  being  suppled,  he  was  made 
more  lithe,  nimble,  and  fit  for  action. 
He  that  is  once  soaked  in  this  oil,  and 
bathed  with  Jacob  in  this  bath  at  Beth- 
el, will  cheerfully  do  or  suffer  aught  for 
God's  sake.  Let  us  pluck  up  our  feet, 
pass  from  strength  to  strength,  and  take 
long  and  lusty  strides  toward  heaven. 

It  is  but  a  little  before  us.'   Trapp 

IT  Of  the  people  of  the  easf.  Heb.  n;;^ 
r»^[^  bene  kedem,  children  or  sons  of  the 
east.  That  is,  to  the  country  of  Mesopota- 
mia lying  to  the  east  of  Canaan.  Tlie  peo- 
ple of  this  region  are  spoken  of  under  a 
similar  designation,  Judg.  8.  3.  1  Kings, 
4.  31.  Job,  1.  3.  The  Gr.  omits  the 
word  'children,'  and  renders  eig  yriv 
avaTo\(x)v,  to  the  land  of  the  east.  It  was 
'from  the  east'  that  the  Lord  had  for- 
merly '  raised  up  the  righteous  man' 
(Abraham),  and  to  the  same  region 
was  his  grandson  now  conducted,  that 
he  might  '  serve  for  a  wife.'  Hos.  12. 
12. 

2.  A  great  stone  was  upon  the  well's 
mouth.  '  In  Arabia,  and  in  other  places, 
they  are  wont  to  close  and  cover  up  their 
wells  of  w-ater,  lest  the  sand,  which  is 
put  into  motion  by  the  winds  there,  like 
the  water  of  a  pond,  should  fill  them, 
and  quite  stop  them  up.     This  is  the  ac- 


from  the  well's  mouth,  and  watered 

the  sheep,  and  put  tne  stone  again 

upon  the  well's  mouth  in  his  place. 

4  And   Jacob   said    unto    them, 


count  Sir  J.  Chardin  gives  us  in  a  note 
on  Ps.  69.  15.  I  very  much  question 
the  appUcableness  of  this  custom  to  that 
passage,  but  it  will  serve  to  explain,  I 
think,  extremely  well,  the  view  of  keep- 
ing that  well  covered  witn  a  stone,  from 
which  Laban's  sheep  were  wont  to  be 
watered ;  and  their  care  not  to  leave 
it  open  any  time,  but  to  stay  till  the 
flocks  w-ere  all  gathered  together,  be- 
fore they  opened  it,  and  then,  having 
drawn  as  much  water  as  was  requisite 
to  cover  it  up  again  immediately.  Gen. 
29.2,  8.  The  extreme  scarcity  of  vv-ater  in 
those  arid  regions  entirely  justifies  such 
vigilant  and  parsimonious  care  in  the 
management  of  this  precious  fluid  ;  and 
accounts  for  the  fierce  contentions  about 
the  possession  of  a  well,  which  so  fre- 
quently happened  between  the  shep- 
herds of  different  masters.'  Harmer. 

3.  Thither  were  all  the  flocks  gathered. 
.Not  only  the  flocks,  but  the  shepherds 
with  them.  Both  are  included  according 
to  Heb.  usage  under  one  and  the  same 
term.  So  '  tents,'  Gen.  13.  5,  includes 
those  who  dwelt  in  them;  'horses,' 
Zech.  1.  8,  includes  their  'riders,'  as 
appears  from  v.  11;  and  'chariots,'  1 
Chron.  19.  13,  those  who  drove  them. 
The  word  '  rolled,'  immediately  after, 
necessarily  requires  that  'shepherds' 
should  be  understood  in  '  flocks,'  as 
otherwise  we  have  a  dialogue  occupying 
several  verses,  and  yet  no  man  mention- 
ed but  Jacob  ;  the  only  living  creatures 
present  beside  himself  being  three  flocks 

of  sheep. "^  Ttiey  rolled  the  stone  from 

the  weWs  mouth,  &c.  There  is  an  apparent 
discrepancy  between  this  and  the  sequel 
of  the  narrative,  which  implies  that  the 
stone  was  not  rolled  away  till  Rachel 
came  to  the  well.  But  this  is  ea.'^ily  re- 
conciled by  the  remark,  that  the  presenl 
verse  simply  informs  us  what  it  was  cms 


116 


My  brethren,  whence  oe  ye 
they  said,  Of  Haran  are  we. 

5  And  he  said  unto  them,  Know 
ye  Laban  the  son  of  Nahor?  And 
they  said,  We  know  him. 

6  And  he  said  unto  them  ^  Is  he 
Weill     And  they  said,  He  is  well: 

b  cJi.  43.  27. 


GENESIS.  [B.  C.  1760. 

?    And  and   behold,   Rachel  his    daughter 
cometh  with  the  sheep. 

7  And  he  said,  Lo,  it  is  yet  high 
day,  neither  is  it  time  that  the  cat- 
tle should  be  gathered  togeiher : 
water  ye  the  sheep,  andgoandked 
them. 


toniary  to  do  at  this  well,  while  the  rest 
of  the  passage  describes  what  was  after- 
wards done  on  this  occasion  in  conform- 
ity with  general  usage.  This  idea  is 
distinctly  and  properly  preserved  in  the 
Lat.  Vulgate  ;  '  Morisque  erat,'  &c.,  and 
the  custom  teas,  when  all  the  sheep  were 
gathered  together,  &c.  '  The  passage, 
as  a  whole,  is  one  that  strongly  illus- 
trates the  value  of  a  well  of  water,  and 
the  care  that  was  usually  taken  of  it. 
Wells  are  still  sometimes  covered  with 
a  stone,  or  otherwise,  to  protect  them 
from  being  choked  up  by  the  drifted 
.sand  :  and  it  was  probably  to  prevent 
the  exposure  of  the  well  by  too  frequent- 
ly removing  the  stone,  that  the  shep- 
herds did  not  water  their  flocks  until  the 
whole  were  assembled  together ;  for  it 
is  not  to  be  supposed  that  tliey  waited 
because  the  united  strength  of  all  the 
shepherds  was  requisite  to  roll  away  the 
stone  when  Jacob  was  able  singly  lo 
do  so.  When  the  well  is  private  prop- 
erty, in  a  neighborhood  where  water  is 
scarce,  the  well  is  sometimes  kept 
locked,  to  prevent  the  neighboring  shep- 
herds from  watering  their  flocks  fraudu- 
lently from  it ;  and  even  when  left  un- 
locked, some  person  is  frequently  so  far 
the  proprietor  that  the  well  may  not  be 
opened  unless  in  the  presence  of  himself, 
or  of  some  one  belonging  to  his  house- 
hold. Chardin,  whose  manuscripts  fur- 
nished Harmer  with  an  illustration  of 
this  text,  conjectures,  with  great  reason, 
that  the  present  well  belonged  to  La- 
ban's  family,  and  that  the  shepherds 
dared  not  open  the  well  until  Laban's 
daughter  came  with  her  father's  flocks. 
Jacob,  therefore,  is  not  to  be  supposed 


to  have  broken  the  standing  rule,  or  to 
have  done  anything  out  of  the  ordinary 
course ;  for  the  oriental  shepherds  are 
not  at  all  persons  hkely  to  submit  to  the 
inference  or  dictation  of  a  stranger.  lie, 
however,  rendered  a  kind  service  to 
Rachel,  as  the  business  of  watering 
cattle  at  a  well  is  very  tiresome  and 
laborious.'  Pict.  Bible. 

5.  Laban  the  so7i  of  Nahor.  That  is, 
the  grandson  or  descendant  of  Xahor  ;  for 
he  was  the  son  of  Bethuel.  But  this  is 
the  well-known  usage  of  the  Hebrew. 


6    Is  he  well  ?     Heb.  I3  tib' 


hash- 


alom  lo,  {is  there)  peace  to  him  7  i  e.  not 
only  health,  but  general  welfare  and 
prosperity  ;  a  sense  often  conveyed  by 
the  word  '  peace.'  This  has  ever  been, 
and  still  is,  the  customary  mode  of  salu- 
tation in  the  east,  the  Arabic  word 
'salaam,'  which  is  constantly  employed 
on  such  occasions,  being  derived  from 
the  Heb.  l^lb-  shalom.  Gr.  vyiaivei ; 
is  he  well?  On  the  subject  of  oriental 
salutations,  see  '  Scripture  Illustrations,' 
p.  280. 

7.  It  is  yet  high  day.  Heb.  f]*!!  115 
5)1-13  odhayom  gadol,  yet  the  day  is  great  ; 
i.  e.  a  great  part  of  the  day  yet  remains. 
Gr.  en  tiniv  r)ntpa  ir-,Wr],  yet  there  is 
much  day-  '  Are  people  travelling 
through  places  Avhere  are  wild  beasts, 
those  who  are  timid  will  keep  troubling 
the  party  bj^  saying,  '  Let  us  seek  for  a 
place  of  safely  :'  but  the  others  reply, 
'  Not  yet ;  for  the  day  is  great.'  '  Why 
should  I  be  in  such  haste  ?  the  day  is 
yet  great.'  When  tired  of  working,  it 
is  remarked, '  Why,  the  day  is  yet  great.' 
— 'Yes,  yes,  you  manage  to  leave  off 
while  the  day  is  yet  great,'     Roberts. 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 


117 


8  And  they  said,  We  cannot,  un- 
til all  the  flocks  bo  g^athered  to- 
gether, and  till  they  roll  the  stone 
from  the  well's  mouth ;  then  we 
water  the  sheep. 


As  it  was  yet  too  early  to  gather  the 
flocks  into  their  cotes  or  stalls  for  the 
night,  Jacob,  who  was  well  versed  in 
the  pastoral  life,  was  at  a  loss  to  account 
for  the  fact  that  they  were  not  watered 
and  turned  again  to  pasture,  instead  of 
wasting  a  good  part  of  the  day  idly 
about  the  well.  After  being  watered 
and  allowed  to  rest  themselves  awhile 
in  the  shade  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
(Cant.  1.  7.)  the  flocks  were  usually  turn- 
ed out  again,  to  feed  till  sun-set. 

8.  And  they  said,  We  cannot,  &c.,  i.  e. 
either  from  physical  inability  were  not 
able,  or  from  moral  incapacity,  not  hav- 
ing the  right,  as  being  contrary  to  com- 
pact or  usage.  Thus,  in  the  latter  sense. 
Gen.  34.  14,,' We  carmoZ  do  this  thing,  to 
give  our  sister  to  one  that  is  uncircum- 
cised  ;'  it  is  contrary  to  law.  Gen.  43. 
32,  '  Because  the  Kgyptians  might  not 
eat  bread   with  the   Hebrews ;'    Heb. 

'  cannot.' IT  Till  they  roll   the  stone, 

i.  e.  till  the  stone  be  rolled  ;  the  active 
for  the  passive  ;  a  very  common  idiom. 
Thus,  Neh.  2.  7,  '  If  it  please  the  king 
let  letters  he  given  me  ;'  Heb. '  let  them 
give  me  letters.'  Est.  2.  2,  '  Let  there 
be  fair  young  virgins  sought  for  the 
king  ;'  Heb.  '  let  them  seek.'  Is.  9.  6. 
'  Unto  us  a  child  is  born,  and  his  name 
shall  be  called ;'  Heb.  '  One  shall  call 
his  name.'  So  in  the  New  Testament, 
Luke  16.  4,  '  I  am  resolved  what  to  do ; 
that  when  I  am  put  out  of  the  steward- 
ship, they  may  receive  me  into  their  hous- 
es ;'  i.  e.  that  I  may  be  received.  So 
likewise,  v.  9,  'that  when  ye  fail  (i.  e. 
die)  they  may  receive  you  into  everlasting 
habitations ;'  i.  e.  that  ye  may  be  re- 
ceived. Rev.  12.  6,  '  And  the  woman 
fled  into  the  wilderness,  where  she  hath 
a  place  prepared  of  God,  that  they  should 


9  IT  And  while  he  yet  spake  with 
them,  "  Rachel  came  with  her  fath- 
er's sheep :  for  she  kept  them. 

«  Cxod.  2.  IG. 


feed  her  there ;'  i.  e.  that  she  should  be 
fed  there. 

9.  Rachel  came  with  her  father  s  sheep  ; 
for  she  kept  them.  Heb.  HIH  fl3?'n  '^j 
ki  roah  hi,  for  she  shepherdized,  or  acted 
the  shepherdess.  '  The  pastoral  poetry 
of  classical  antiquity,  which  has  been 
imitated  more  or  less  in  all  nations,  has 
rendered  lis  familiar  with  the  idea  of  fe- 
males of  birth  and  attractions  acting  as 
shepherdesses  long  after  the  practice  it- 
self has  been  discontinued,  and  the  em- 
ployment has  sunk  into  contempt. 
When  nations  originally  pastoral,  settled 
in  towns,  and  adopted  the  refinements 
of  Hfe,  the  care  of  the  sheep  ceased  to 
be  a  principal  consideration,  and  grad- 
ually devolved  upon  servants  or  slaves, 
coming  to  be  considered  a  mean  em- 
ployment, to  which  the  proprietor  or  his 
household  only  gave  a  general  and  su- 
perintending attention.  The  respecta- 
bihty  of  the  employment  in  these  patri- 
archal limes  is  not  evinced  by  finding 
the  daughter  of  so  considerable  a  per- 
son as  Laban  engaged  in  tending  the 
flocks,  for  in  the  East  all  drudgery  de- 
volves upon  the  females ;  but  by  our 
finding  the  sons  of  such  persons  similar- 
ly engaged  in  pastoral  duties,  which  in 
Homer  also  appears  to  have  been  con- 
sidered a  fitting  employment  for  the  sons 
of  kings  and  powerful  chiefs.  We  are 
not  aware  that  at  present,  in  the  East, 
the  actual  care  of  a  flock  or  herd  is  con- 
sidered a  dignified  employment.  Forbes, 
in  his  '  Oriental  Memoirs,'  mentions  that 
in  the  Brahmin  villages  of  the  Concan, 
women  of  the  first  distinction  draw  the 
water  from  wells,  and  tend  the  cattle  to 
pasture,  '  like  Rebecca  and  Rachel.' 
But  in  this  instance  it  cannot  be  because 
such  employments  have  any  dignity  in 


118 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


10  And  it  came. to  pass,  when]  stone  from  the  well's  mouth,  and 
Jacob  saw  Rachel  the  daughter  ofj  watered  the  flock  of  Laban  his  mo« 


Laban  his  mother's  brother,  and  the 
sheep  of  Laban  his  mother's  brother, 
that  Jacob  went  near,  and  ^  rolled  1  he 

d  Exod.  2. 17. 

them,  but  because  the  women  are  ob- 
liged to  perform  every  servile  office. 
So,  among  the  Hedouin  Arabs,  and 
other  nomade  nations,  the  immediate 
care  of  the  flocks  devolves  either  upon 
the  women  or  the  servants ;  but  most 
generally  the  latter,  as  the  women  have 
enough  to  occupy  them  in  their  multi- 
farious domestic  duties.  However, 
among  some  tribes,  it  is  the  exclusive 
business  of  the  young  unmarried  women 
to  drive  the  cattle  to  pasture.  'Among 
the  Sinai  Arabs,'  says  Burckhardt, '  a  boy 
would  feel  himself  insulted  were  any 
one  to  say,  '  Go  and  drive  your  father's 
sheep  to  pasture ;'  these  words,  in  his 
opinion,  would  signify,  '  Yotiare  no  bet- 
ter than  a  girl.' '  These  young  women 
set  out  before  sun-rise,  three  or  four  to- 
gether, carrying  some  water  and  vic- 
tuals with  them,  and  they  do  not  return 
until  late  in  the  evening.  Throughout 
the  day  they  continue  exposed  to  the 
sun,  watching  the  sheep  with  great  care, 
for  they  are  sure  of  being  severely  beat- 
en by  their  father  should  any  be  lost. 
These  young  women  are  in  general 
civil  to  persons  who  pass  by,  and  ready 
enough  to  share  with  them  their  victuals 
and  milk.  They  are  fully  able  to  pro- 
tect their  flocks  against  any  ordinary 
depredation  or  danger,  for  their  way  of 
life  makes  them  as  hardy  and  vigorous 
as  the  men.      Pict.  Bible. 

10.  And  it  came  to  pass,  &c.  While 
they  are  yet  speaking,  Rachel,  in  the 
bloom  of  maiden  beauty,  and  as  inno- 
cent as  the  lambs  which  she  tended, 
draws  nigh  with  her  fleecy  charge. 
The  meeting  of  the  patriarch  with  his 
relative,  the  daughter  of  his  mother's 
brother,  was,  as  miglit  be  expected,  re- 
plete with  tender  interest,  and  we  may 


ther's  brother. 

11  And  Jacob  'kissed  Rachel, 
and  hfted  up  his  voice,  and  wept. 

e  ch.  33.  4.  &  45.  14. 15. 

well  suppose,  that  in  proffering  his  aid 
in  watering  the  flocks,  his  civility  was 
quickened  by  a  warmer  impulse  of 
kindness  than  he  would  have  felt  to- 
wards any  other  stranger.  This  was  a 
labor  which  had  to  be  performed  twice 
in  the  day,  and  occupied  a  considerable 
space  of  time,  so  that  the  service  ren- 
dered by  Jacob  was  something  more 
than  a  trifling  attention.  Whether 
he  rolled  away  the  stone  by  his  own 
unassisted  strength,  is  perhaps  doubtful. 
It  may  have  been  ascribe  J  to  him  be- 
cause he  bore  a  very  active  and  con- 
spicuous part  in  it.  Thus,  it  is  said  of 
Joseph,  Gen.  50.  14,  'after  he  had  bu- 
ried his  father;'  whereas,  in  v.  13,  it  is 
said  that  his  (Jacob's)  sons  carried  him 
into  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  buried  him. 
The  presence  of  Fiachel  and  the  excited 
state  of  his  own  feelings  would  no  doubt 
prompt  him  to  put  forth  his  very  best 
exertions  on  the  occasion.  '  A  light 
heart  makes  a  strong  hand.' 

11.  AndJacob  kissed  RacJiel,  &,c.  Ac- 
cording to  the  simple  manners  of  those 
ancient  times.  The  tears  shed  on  this 
occasion  must  have  flowed  from  a  full 
heart,  and  it  is  not,  perhaps,  difficult  to 
imagine  the  mixture  of  emotions  by 
which  his  bosom  was  agitated.  On  the 
one  hand,  beholding  Rachel,  and  seeing 
in  her  every  thing  that  was  amiable  and 
engaging,  his  heart  overflowed  with 
tenderness.  But  again  his  thoughts  re- 
verted, by  natural  association,  to  his 
mother;  and  every  thing  that  revived  her 
memory,  even  the  very  flocks  of  sheep 
that  belonged  to  her  brother,  was  full  of 
pleasing  yet  saddening  interest.  From 
his  mother,  his  father,  his  home,  his 
mind  would  pass  to  the  consideration  of 
his  own  peculiar  circumstances — alone 


B.  C.  1760.] 


12  And  Jacob  told  Rachel  that  lie 
was  *"  her  father's  brother,  and  that 
he  v^as  Rebekah's  son  ;  s  and  she 
ran  and  told  her  father. 

13  And  it  came  to  pass  when 
Laban  heard  the  tidings  of  Jacob 
his  sister's  son,  that  ^  he  ran  to  meet 
him,  and  embraced  him,  and  kissed 
him,  and  brought  him  to  his  house. 
And  he  told  Laban  all  these  things. 

f  ch.  ]3.  8.  &  14.  14,  16.  g  ch.  24.  28. 

!>  ch.  24.  29. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


119 


and  unattended  in  a  land  of  strangers, 
anxious  to  secure  a  particular  object, 
yet  doubting  whether  he  had  grounds 
for  hope  in  the  lack  of  those  induce- 
ments which  were  ordinarily  essential 
to  success.  With  such  a  complicated 
throng  of  feelings  rushing  at  once  upon 
him,  and  all  heightened  by  the  recollec- 
tion of  the  precious  and  unexpected  dis- 
closures made  to  him  at  Bethel,  who 
can  wonder  that  the  historian  represents 
him  as  giving  vent  to  the  insuppressive 
burden  of  his  feelings  in  a  flood  of 
tears  ? 

12.  And  Jacob  told  Rachel,  &c.  It 
must  have  excited  surprise  in  Rachel's 
mind  to  see  a  stranger  so  attentive  in 
watering  her  flock,  and  still  more  so  to 
receive  from  him  so  affectionate  a  salu- 
tation ;  but  now,  having  relieved  his 
heart  by  a  burst  of  weeping,  he  tells 
her  who  he  is ;  he  is  her  father's  near 
kinsman,  Rebekah's  son  !  On  hearing 
this  she  was  too  much  overjoyed  not  to 
run  at  once  and  communicate  the  ti- 
dings to  her  family.  This  brings  on 
another  scene  of  affecting  salutations, 
and  Jacob's  subsequent  recital  of  his 
interesting  story  so  tenderly  impresses 
Laban,  that  he  addresses  him  in  the 
most  affectionate  language, '  Surely  thou 
art  my  bone  and  my  flesh,' — a  common 
Hebraism  for  expressing  near  relation- 
ship, and  probably  derived  from  the  cre- 
ation of  Eve. 

13.  Heard  the  tidings.  Heb.  :j):2U3 
5)a"i3  shemoa   shema,  heard  the  hearing. 


14  And  Laban  said  to  him,  ■  Sure- 
ly thou  art.  my  bone  and  my  flesh  : 
and  he  abode  \vith  him  the  space  of 
a  month. 

15  IF  And  Laban  said  unto  Jacob, 
Because  thou  art  my  brother,  should- 
est  thou  therefore  serve  mo  for 
nought  1  tell  me,  what  shall  thy 
wages  be  1 


1  ch.  2.  23.     Judg.  9.  2.     2  Sam.  5.  1.    & 
19. 12, 13. 


i.  e.  the  word  or  matter  heard.  The 
corresponding  Gr.  term  occurs  Rom.  10. 
16,  'Who  hath  believed  our  report?^ 
Gr.  aKOT],  our  hearing.  The  phrase  is 
sometimes  explained  by  parallel  ex- 
pressions. Thus,  where  one  Evange- 
hst,  Mark  1.  28,  says,  'His/a??ie  (Gr.  his 
hearing)  spread  abroad,'  another,  Luke 
4.  37,  says,  '■Wis fame  (Gr.  his  sound  or 
echo)  went  out  into  every  place  i'  the 

original  words  being  different. IT  All 

these  things.  That  is,  all  the  particulars 
relative  to  the  present  journey.  The  con- 
trast between  the  humble  style  in  which 
Jacob  now  appeared  before  him,  and 
the  equipage  which  had  distinguished 
the  mission  sent  in  behalf  of  Isaac  for  a 
similar  purpose,  made  it  proper  that  h6' 
should  go  into  a  full  detail  on  this  head. 

14,  The  space  of  a  month.  Heb.  TUin 
f^y^^  hodesh  yamim,  a  month  of  days, 
i.  e.  a  full  month ;  as  a  year  of  days, 
2  Sam.  14.  28,  is  a  full  year.  It  is  not 
implied  by  this  that  Jacob  stayed  no 
longer  than  a  month  with  Laban,  but 
that  he  staid  with  him,  in  the  first  in- 
stance, the  space  of  a  month,  and  at  the 
expiration  of  this  period  entered  into  a  de- 
finite contract  with  him  for  a  longer  term. 

15.  Because  thou  art  my  brother,  &c. 
That  is,  my  kinsman.  The  latitude 
with  which  this  word  and  its  cognates, 
'sister,'  'son,'  &c.,  are  used  in  the  sa- 
cred writings,  has  already  been  advert- 
ed to.  Gen,  12.  13.  During  the  first 
month  of  his  stay,  Jacob,  far  from  being 
an  idle  guest,  employed  himself  about 


130 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1760. 


18  And  Laban  had  two  daugh- 
ters :  the  name  of  the  elder  was 
Leah,  and  the  name  of  the  younger 
was  Rachel. 

17  Leah  was    tender-eyed,   but 


his  uncle's  business;  but  nothing  was 
said  with  respect  to  terms.  On  such  a 
subject  it  was  not  for  Jacob  to  speak  ; 
so  Laban  very  properly  intimated  that 
he  did  not  wish  to  take  advantage  of  his 
near  relationsliip,  and  obtain  gratuitous 
service  from  him  any  more  than  from 
any  other  man.  This  suggestion  brought 
out  the  delaration  of  Jacob's  love  for 
Rachel. 

17.  LeaJi  was  tender-eyed,  &c.  Au- 
thorities are  about  equally  divided  as 
to  the  true  import  of  this  phrase  ;  some 
contending  that  it  is  designed  to  indicate 
a  beauty,  others  a  defect  in  Leah.  The 
Gr.  has  aoOevets  weak,  infirm.  Chal. 
'  Fair.'  Vulg. '  Blear-eyed. '  Jerus.  Targ. 
'Tender  with  weeping  and  praying.' 
In  this  diversity  of  rendering,  it  is  scarce- 
ly possible  to  speak  with  positiveness 
of  the  true  meaning  of  the  phrase.  As 
'.he  peculiarity  denoted  by  the  term  is 
Dentioned  by  way  of  contrast  to  Rebe- 
kah's  beauty,  we  think  it  most  probable, 
on  the  whole,  that  it  was  some  natural 
blemish,  or  some  accidental  distemper 
in  the  eye,  which  greatly  injured  the 
countenance.  The  sense  of  the  original 
ti'l'Dl  rakkoth,  is  doubtless  closely  allied 

to   that  of   weak,    tender,    delicate. 

IT  Beautiful  and  well-favoured.  That  is, 
having  a  fine  shape  and  fine  features, 
the  two  grand  requisites  of  personal 
beauty. 

18.  I  will  serve  thee  seven  years,  &c. 
This  he  proffered  because  he  had  no 
money  or  other  goods,  which  he  could 
give  to  the  father  for  his  daughter. 
Among  many  people  of  the  East,  in  an- 
cient and  modern  times,  the  custom  has 
always  been,  not  for  the  bride  to  bring 
a  dowry  to  the  bridegroom,  but  the 
bridegroom  must^  in  a  manner,  purchase 


Rachel  was  beautiful  and  well-fa- 
voured. 

18  And  Jacob  loved  Rachel ;  and 
said,  "^  1  will  serve  thee  seven  years 
for  Rachel  thy  younger  daughter. 

k  ch.  31.  41.    2  Sam.  3.  14. 


the  girl  whom  he  intends  to  marry,  from 
the  father.  Therefore  Shechem  says, 
(ch.  34.  12.)  to  Dinah's  father  and  broth- 
ers, '  Ask  me  never  so  much  dowry  and 
gift,  and  I  will  give  according  as  ye  shall 
say  unto  me  :  but  give  me  the  damsel 
to  wife.'  In  the  same  manner  Tacitus 
relates  that  among  the  ancient  Ger- 
mans the  wife  did  not  bring  the  dowry 
to  the  man,  but  the  man  to  the  woman. 
'  The  parents  and  relations  are  present, 
who  examine  the  gifts,  and  choose,  not 
such  as  are  adapted  to  female  dress,  or 
to  adorn  the  bride,  but  oxen,  and  a  har- 
nessed horse,  a  shield,  and  a  sword.  In 
return  for  these  presents  he  receives 
the  wife.'  This  custom  still  prevails 
among  the  Bedouins.  '  When  a  young 
man  meets  with  a  girl  to  his  taste,  he 
asks  her  of  her  father  through  one  of  his 
relations :  they  now  treat  about  the 
number  of  camels,  sheep,  or  horses,  for 
the  Bedouins  never  save  any  money, 
and  their  wealth  consists  only  in  cattle. 
A  man  that  marries  must  therefore  lit- 
erally purchase  his  wife,  and  the  fathers 
are  most  fortunate  who  have  many 
daughters.  They  are  the  principal  rich- 
es of  the  family.  When,  therefore,  a 
young  man  negotiates  with  the  father 
whose  daughter  he  intends  to  marry, 
he  says,  '  Will  you  give  me  your  daugh- 
ter for  fifty  sheep,  six  camels,  or  twelve 
cows  ?'  If  he  is  not  rich  enough  to  give 
so  much,  he  offers  a  mare  or  foal.  The 
qualities  of  the  girl,  the  family  and  the 
fortune  of  him  that  intends  to  marry 
her,  are  the  principal  considerations  in 
making  the  bargain.  {D'Arvieux  )  This 
is  confirmed  by  Seetzen,  in  his  account 
of  the  Arab  tribes  whom  he  visited  in 
1803.  The  ceremonies  at  the  marriage 
of  a  wandering  Arab  are  remarkable ; 


B.  C.  1760.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


121 


19  And  Laban  said.  It  is  better 
that  I  give  her  to  thee,  than  that  I 


a  young  Arab  knows  a  girl  who  pleases 
him ;  he  goes  to  her  father,  and  makes 
faer  wishes  known  to  him.  The  latter 
speaks  to  his  daughter.  'Daughter,' 
jsays  he,  'there  is  one  who  asks  you 
for  his  wife  :  the  man  is  good,  and  it 
depends  upon  yourself  if  you  will  be- 
come his  wife  ;  you  have  my  consent.' 
If  the  girl  refuses,  there  is  an  end  of  the 
matter ;  if  she  is  contented,  the  father 
returns  to  his  guest,  and  informs  him  of 
the  happy  intelligence,  '  But,'  he  adds, 
*I  demand  the  price  of  the  girl.'  This 
consists  of  five  camels ;  but  generally, 
by  the  intervention  of  others,  a  couple 
more  are  added,  and  those  given  are 
frequently  miserable  enough.  When 
the  young  man,  although  otherwise  an 
unexceptionable  match,  had  no  proper- 
ty which  enabled  him  to  furnish  the  re- 
quisite payments  and  presents,  some  ser- 
vice or  enterprise  was  occasionally  ac- 
cepted from  the  suitor  as  an  equivalent. 
Thus  Jacob,  being  destitute  of  property, 
and  having  no  other  prospect  than  a 
younger  brother's  share  in  the  inherit- 
ance of  his  father,  offers  seven  years' 
service  as  an  equivalent  for  wiiat  La- 
ban  might  othewise  have  expected  in 
parting  with  his  daughter.  In  a  similar 
case,  when  another  unprovided  young- 
er brother,  David,  loved  ftlichal,  the 
daughter  of  King  Saul,  the  father  pro- 
posed to  the  suitor,  and  actually  accepted 
from  him,  a  successful  enterprise  against 
the  Phillistines  as  an  equivalent  for  the 
ordinary  advantages  which  the  father 
derived  from  the  marriage  of  his  daugh- 
ter. (1  Sam.  18.  25.)  The  usage  of  an  un- 
provided young  man  to  serve  the  father, 
whose  daughter  he  sought  in  marriage, 
has  been  found  by  travellers  to  exist  in 
many  countries  distant  from  each  other. 
Out  of  various  illustrations  which  we 
could  quote,  we  shall  content  ourselves 
with  one    mentioned    ia    Buckhardt's 

VOL.  ir. 


should  give  her  to  another  man 
abide  with  me. 


'  Tra^'els  in  Syria,'  which  not  only  af- 
fords a  striking  parallel,  but  is  the  more 
interesting  from  its  occurring  at  no  very 
great  distance  from  the  scene  of  patri- 
archal narrative.  In  his  account  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Haouran,  a  region 
south  of  Damascus,  this  traveller  says, 
'  I  once  met  a  young  man  who  had 
served  eight  years  for  his  food  only ;  at 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  obtained 
in  marriage  the  daughter  of  his  master, 
for  whom  he  would  otherwise  have  had 
to  pay  seven  or  eight  hundred  piastres. 
When  I  saw  him,  he  had  been  married 
three  years,  but  he  complained  bitterly 
of  his  father-in-law,  who  continued  to 
require  of  him  the  performance  of  the 
most  servile  offices  without  paying  him 
any  thing,  and  thus  prevented  him  from 
setting  up  for  himself  and  his  family.'  In 
his  account  of  Kerek,  the  same  traveller 
describes  it  as  a  customary  thuig  for  a 
young  mar.  vithout  property  to  serve 
the  father  five  or  six  years  as  a  menial 
servant,  in  compensation  for  the  price 
of  the  girl.  Thus  Jacob  also  served 
seven  years  for  Rachel,  and  it  was  well 
for  him  that,  according  to  the  touching 
and  beautiful  expression  of  the  text, 
these  seven  years '  seemed  unto  him  but 
a  few  days,  for  the  love  he  bore  to 
her.'      Pict.  Bible. 

19.  Better  that  I  should  give  Iter  to  thee, 
&.C.  '  So  said  Laban,  in  reference  to  his 
daughter  Rachel ;  and  so  say  fathers  in 
the  East,  under  similar  circumstances. 
The  whole  affair  is  managed  in  a  busi- 
ness-like ivay,  without  any  thing  like  a 
consuhation  with  the  maiden.  Her  Ukes 
and  dislikes  are  out  of  the  question. 
The  father  understands  the  matter  per- 
fectly, and  the  mother  is  very  knowing; 
therefore  they  manage  the  transaction. 
This  system,  however,  is  the  fruitful 
source  of  that  general  absence  of  do- 
i  mestJc  happiness  which  prevails  there. 
U 


122 


GENESIS. 


[B.C.  urn: 


She  has,  perhaps,  never  seen  the  man 
with  whom  she  is  to  spend  her  days. 
He  may  be  young ;  he  may  be  aged  ; 
he  may  be  repulsive  or  attractive.  The 
whole  is  a  lottery  to  her.  Have  the 
servants  or  others  whispered  to  her 
something  about  the  match?  she  will 
make  her  inquiries  ;  but  the  result  will 
never  alter  the  arrangements  -.  for  though 
her  soul  abhor  the  thoughts  of  meeting 
him,  yet  it  must  be  done.'  Roberts. 
'  We  have  already  remarked,  that  the 
propriety  of  giVing  a  female  in  mar- 
riage to  the  nearest  relation  who  can 
lawfully  marry  her,  is  to  this  day  gene- 
rally admitted  among  the  Bedouin  Arabs 
and  other  Oriental  tribes.  The  same 
principle  was  certainly  in  operation  in 
the  patriarchal  times,  but  its  close  ap- 
plication in  the  present  instance  seems 
to  have  escaped  notice.  It  will  be  ob> 
served  that  Jacob  was  the  first  consin  to 
Laban'3  daughters,  and,  according  to 
existing  Arab  usages,  he  had  in  that 
character  the  best  possible  claim  to 
them,  or  one  of  them,  in  marriage.  His 
elder  brother,  Esau,  had  perhaps  in  this 
view  a  preferable  claim  to  the  elder 
daughter,  Leah ;  but  Jacob,  himself  a 
younger  brother,  had  anunquestio^nable 
claim  to  Rachel,  the  youngest  daughter 
of  Laban,  and  therefore,  independently 
of  his  affection  for  her,  it  was  quite  in 
the  customary  course  of  things  that  he 
should  apply  for  Rachel  in  the  first  in- 
stance. Among  all  the  Bedouin  Arabs 
at  the  present  day,  a  man  has  the  exclu- 
sive right  to  the  hand  of  his  first  cousin  ; 
he  is  not  obhged  to  marry  her,  but  she 
cannot  be  married  to  another  without 
his  consent.  The  father  of  the  girl  can- 
not refuse  him,  if  he  offers  a  reasonable 
payment,  which  is  always  something 
less  than  would  be  demanded  from  a 
stranger.  For  this,  and  much  other 
information  in  the  course  of  these  notes, 
we  are  indebted  to  Burckhardt,  whose 
work  on  the  Bedouins  supplies  a  valua- 
ble mass  of  information,  the  applicability 
of  which  to  the  illustration  of  the  Scrip- 


tures dees  not  appear  to  have  been 
hitherto  perceived.'  Pkt.  Bible.  Had* 
Laban  really  possessed  the  generosity 
which  his  words  seem  to  express,  he 
would  have  given  Jacob  the  object  o? 
his  choice  without  compelling  him  tO' 
wait  seven  years  for  her.  Though 
it  was  proper  for  Jacob  to  make  the 
offer  he  did,  it  was  mean  and  sordid 
for  Laban  to  accept  it.  But  it  is  evident 
th'at  his  own  private  interest  was  all 
that  he  .studied.  In  his  sister  Rebekah's 
marriage  there  were  presents  of  gold 
and  silver,  and  costly  raiment — things 
which  wrought  much  on  his  mind.  But 
here  were  none  of  these  moving  induce- 
ments. Here  was  a  poor  man  who 
could  only  talk  of  promised  blessings ; 
but  upon  these  he  set  no  value.  He 
was  governed  by  sight,  and  not  hy  faith  ; 
and  seeing  that  Abraham's  descendants 
were  partial  to  his  family,  he  resolved 
to  make  his  market  of  it.  '  Indeed  he 
sdd  her  to  him  for  some  years'  service. 
This  was  Laban  or  Nabal,  choose  you 
which.  Their  names  were  not  more 
like  than  their  natures.'  Trapp.  God 
makes  use  elsewhere  &f  the  circum 
stance  of  this  servitude  of  Jacob  to  keep 
up  a  spirit  of  humility,  as  well  as  a 
memory  of  their  ancestry,  among  the 
children  of  Israel.  It  was  a  part  of  the 
confession  required  to  be  made  by  every 
Israehte  when  he  presented  his  basket 
of  first  ripe  fruits  before  the  Lord,  '  A 
Syrian  ready  to  perish  was  my  father, 
allnding  to  Jacob's  poverty  and  dis 
tress  when  he  first  came,  at  this  time 
into  Syria.  Again,  when  the  prophe 
Hosea,  ch.  12.  12,  reproves  the  people  for 
their  luxury  and  pride,  and  haughtiness, 
he  reminds  them  that  '  Jacob  fled  into 
the  country  of  Syria,  and  Israel  served 
for  a  wife,  and  for  a  wife  he  kept  sheep.' 
It  would,  no  doubt,  tend  to  abate  the 
loftiness  of  spirit  of  many  of  the  wealthy 
and  the  great  of  this  world,  if  they  would 
look  back  upon  the  humble  and  perhaps 
servile  condition  of  the  founders  of  their 
familie.s,  i. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


B.  C.  1753.] 

20  And  J  acob  '  served  seven 
years  for  Hacliol ;  and  they  seemed 
unto  him  hut  a  few  days,  for  the 
love  he  had  to  her. 

>  ch.  30.  26.    Hos.  12.  12. 


123 


20.  They  seemed  unto  him  but  a  few  days, 
&c.  As  human  nature  is  constituted, 
it  is  not  easy  perhaps  to  avoid  some  de- 
gree of  surprise  at  this  intimation.  Our 
first  impressions  would  undoubtedly 
be  that  love  would  operate  directly  in 
a  contrary  way,  causing  the  time  to 
appear  rather  long  than  short.  To  a 
doting  husband,  absorbed  in  the  object 
of  his  affeciions,  the  period  of  seven 
years  might,  one  would  say,  appear  but 
as  a  few  fleeting  days  ;  but  how  it  could 
so  have  seemed  to  an  ardent  Zoi'er  dwel- 
ling under  the  same  roof  with  her  upon 
whom  his  heart  was  set,  is  not  so  obvious. 
For  this  reason  some  have  been  confi- 
dent in  the  belief  that  what  is  here 
spoken  is  expressive  of  what  it  appeared 
when  it  was  past ;  or,  in  other  words, 
that  Rachel  was  given  to  Jacob  at  the 
beginning  of  the  stipulated  term,  a  week 
after  his  nuptials  with  Leah.  In  accord- 
ance with  this  view  of  the  subject, 
those  who  hold  it  would  render  the  pre- 
ceding clause  'had  served'  instead  of 
'  served,'  as  the  Hebrew  will  no  doubt 
admit.  But  the  proposed  interpretation 
on  the  whole  seems  less  natural  than 
the  common  one,  especially  upon  refer- 
ence to  v.  25,  where  he  says, '  Did  I  not 
serve  with  thee  for  Rachel  ?'  where  the 
implication  of  n  past  service  is  too  pal- 
able  to  be  explained  away.  It  cannot, 
aerefore,  be  adopted  without  appearing 
tO  do  violence  to  the  letter  of  the  text; 
and  it  is  easier  to  account  for  the  time 
seeming  short  to  .Jacob,  than  for  a  mode 
of  expression  so  foreign  to  the  alleged 
sense  of  the  writer.  It  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  Jacob  was  now  seventy- 
seven  years  of  age,  and  consequently 
had  passed  those  days  when  passion 
would  be  apt  to  overmaster  reason. 
With  all  due  allowance  for  the  ardent 
temperament  of  the  east,  we  may  still 


21  IT  And  Jacob  said  unto  Laban, 
Give  me  my  wife  (for  my  days  are 
fulfilled)  that  1  may  '"  go  in  unto 
her. 

m  Juflg.  15.  1. 

believe  that  the  love  affairs  of  an  aged 
patriarch  would  be  carried  on  more  so- 
berly and  sedately,  and  savor  less  of 
passionate  impetuosity,  than  at  an  earlier 
period  of  life.  His  affection,  moreover, 
had  the  solace  of  the  daily  society  of  its 
object.  The  tedium  of  absence  would 
not  operate  to  make  the  days  and 
months  Hnger  in  their  course.  The 
pleasant  commerce  which  he  enjoyed 
would  make  the  recurrence  of  his  daily 
task  easy  and  delightful.  Every  morn- 
ing would  he  commence  his  accustom- 
ed labors  with  renewed  spirit  and  ac- 
tivity. Every  evening  would  he  return 
from  his  occupation,  with  pleasing  anti- 
cipations of  the  period  when  his  toils 
would  be  renumerated  and  his  wishes 
crowned.  Thus  the  seven  years  of 
service,  cheered  by  the  constant  pre- 
sence, and  sweetened  by  the  daily  con- 
versation of  his  beloved,  would  imper- 
ceplibly  glide  away.  That  an  eariier 
consummation  of  his  wishes  would  have 
been  agreeable,  we  cannot  question. 
But  the  whole  tenor  of  the  divine  dis- 
pensations seems  to  have  been  ordered 
with  a  view  to  exercise  the  patience  of 
the  patriarch,  and  Jacob  had  only  to 
reflect  back  a  few  years  to  be  reminded 
of  what  his  impatience  had  cost  him,  and 
thus  to  be  reconciled  to  a  lot  which,  after 
every  abatement,  had  so  many  sweet 
alleviations.  As  to  the  objection  that 
according  to  this  construction  Jacob 
must  have  had  twelve  children  in  seven 
years,  it  may  be  answered  that  this  is 
not  an  improbable  number  to  be  born 
in  that  time  from  two  wives  and  as 
many  handmaids.  Besides,  as  God  had 
promised  a  numerous  posterity  to  Abra- 
ham, an  extraordinary  fruitfulness  might 
reasonably  be  expected. 

21.  Give  me  my  wife.  That  is,  my 
betrothed,  affianced   wife,  though  the 


124 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1753. 


22  And  Laban  gathered  together  daughter  Leah,  Zilpah  his  maid, 
all  the  men  of  the  place,  and  "  made  for  a  handmaid. 

a  feast.  j      2.5  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  in  the 

23  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  morning,  behold,  it  was  Leah :  and 
evening,  that  he  took  Leah  his  he  said  to  Laban,  What  is  this  thou 
daujjhter,  and  brought  her  to  him ;  hast  done  unto  me?  did  not  I  serve 


and  he  went  in  unto  her. 

24  And    Laban   gave   unto   his 

°  Judg.  14.  ]0.    John'i.  1,  2. 

nuptials  were  not  yet  celebrated.  Thus, 
Mat.  1.  20,  '  Fear  not  to  take  unto  thee 
Mary  thy  wife;'  i.  e.  thy  betrothed 
wife,  or,  as  she  is  termed,  Luke  2.  5, 
'espoused  wife.'  See  also  Deut.  22.  23, 
24,  where  this  sense  of  the  word  '  wife' 

is  indubitable. IT  M'j  day  a  are  fulfilled. 

The  term  of  my  stipulated  service  ;  the 
seven  years  agreed  upon. 

22  Made  a  feast.  Heb.  r;!rri>2  mish- 
ieh,  a  dri.nkin<^,  or  a  feast  of  drinking. 
See  note  on  Gen.  19.  3.  The  word  is  ren- 
dered in  the  Gr.  yaiios  u  wedding, 
whence  the  word  '  wedding'  is  used  in 
the  New  Testament  and  elsewhere,  in- 
terchangeably with  'feast.'  Thus, 
Luke  14.  7,  '  VVlien  thou  art  bidden  of 
any  man  to  a  wedding,'  i.  e.  to  a  com- 
mon feast.  Est.  9.^  22,  'That  they 
should  make  them  days  of  feasting  and 
joy.'  Gr.  '  Days  of  wedding  and  joy.' 
As  marriage  w'as  a  very  solemn  con- 
tract, there  is  much  reason  to  believe 
that  sacrifices  were  offered  on  the  occa- 
sion, and  libations  poured  out;  and  we 
know,  that  on  festival  occasions  a  cup 
o(wine  was  offered  to  every  guest :  and 
as  this  was  drunk  with  particular  cere- 
monies, the  feast  might  derive  its  name 
from  this  circumstance,  which  was  the 
most  prominent  and  observable  on  such 
occasions. 

23.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  evening, 
&c.  '  According  to  the  custom  of  those 
eastern  nations,  the  bride  v^as  conduct- 
ed to  the  bed  of  her  hu.sband,  with  si- 
lence, in  darkness,  and  covered  from 
head  to  foot  with  a  veil ;  circumstances, 
all  of  them  favorable  to  the  wicked, 
selfish  plan  which  Laban  had  formed, 


with  thee  for   Rachel]    wherefore 
then  hast  thou  beguiled  me  ] 

23  And  Laban  said,  It  must  not 


to  detain  his  son-in-law  h)nger  in  his  ser- 
vice. Leah  is  accordingly  substituted 
instead  of  her  sister.  And  he  who, 
by  subtilty  and  falsehood,  stole  away 
the  blessing  intended  for  his  brother,  is 
puni.shed  for  his  deceit,  by  finding  a 
Leah  where  he  expected  a  Rachel.  He 
who  employed  undue  advantage  to  ar- 
rive at  the  right  of  the  first-born,  haa 
undue  advantage  taken  of  him  in  hav- 
ing the  first-born  put  in  the  place  of  the 
younger.  He  who  could  practise  upon 
a  father's  blindness,  though  to  obtain  a 
laudable  end,  is,  in  his  turn,  practised 
upon  by  a  father,  employing  the  cover 
of  the  night,  to  accomplish  a  very  un- 
warrantable purpose.'  Hunter.  In  such 
a  way  God  often  deals  with  men,  cau-ing 
them  to  reap  the  bitter  fruits  of  sin,  eren 
when  they  have  lamented  and  forsaken 
it.  'When  thou  shaii  make  an  end  to 
deal  treacherously,  they  shall  deal  trea- 
cherously with  thee.' 

24.  And  Laban  gave,  &c.  '  It  is  still 
customary  in  the  east  for  a  father,  who 
can  afford  it,  to  transfer  to  his  daughter, 
on  her  marriage,  some  female  slave  of 
his  household,  who  becomes  her  confi- 
dential domestic  and  humble  friend  in 
her  new  home,  but  not  the  less  a  slave. 
ITiis  slave  forms  a  link  between  the  old 
and  new  households,  which  often  proves 
irksome  to  the  hiisband ;  but  he  has 
little,  if  any,  control  over  the  female 
slaves  in  his  establishment.'  Pict.  Bible. 

26.  And  Laban  said.  It  must  not  bz  so, 
&c.  As  selfish  and  mercenary  as  Laban 
was,  and  as  little  scrupulous  about  the 
means  of  promoting  his  own  advantage, 
it   can   scarcely  be    supposed  that  he 


B.  C.  1753.1 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


125 


be  so  done  in  onr  country,  to  give 
the  younfifer  before  the  first-born. 

27  °  Fulfil  her  week,  and  we  will 
give  thee  this  also  for  the  service 
which  thou  shalt  serve  with  me  yet 
seven  other  years. 

23  And  Jacob  did  so,  and  fulfilled 
her  week  :  and  he  gave  him  Rachel 
his  daughter  to  wife  also. 

o  Judg.  J 4.  12. 

should  have  ventured  upon  the  extraor- 
dinary step  here  mentioned,  had  such 
a  practice  been  in  that  age  and  country 
wholly  unknown.  But  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  Laban's  statement  here 
was  correct,  though  he  evidently  ought, 
in  common  honesty,  to  have  acquainted 
Jacob  with  this  custom  before  he  made 
his  bargain  with  him.  Mr.  Roberts 
says  of  the  marriage  customs  in  India, 
that  '  when  the  eldest  daughter  is  de- 
formed, or  blind,  or  deaf,  or  dumb,  iJien 
the  younger  may  be  given  first :  but  un- 
der other  circumstances  it  would  be  dis- 
graceful in  the  extreme.  Should  any 
one  wish  tooZ^er  the  order  of  things,  the 
answer  of  Laban  is  given.  Should  a 
fcither,  however,  have  a  very  advanta- 
geous offer  for  a  younger  daughter,  he 
w-ill  exert  all  his  powers  to  get  off  the 
elder;  but  until  this  can  be  accomplish- 
ed, the  younger  will  not  be  married 
\ ounger  brothers  ^ve  sometimes  married 
first,  but  even  this  takes  place  but  very 
seldom.'  The  same  usage  still  exists  in 
many  parts  of  the  east-  '  The  Rev.  John 
Hartley,  in  his  '  Researches  in  Greece 
and  the  Levant,'  relates  an  anecdote  of 
a  young  Armenian  in  Smyrna,  who  sol- 
icited in  marriage  a  younger  daughter 
who  had  obtained  his  preference.  The 
girl's  parents  consented  to  the  match: 
but  when  the  time  for  solemnizing  the 
marriage  arrived,  the  eldest  daughter 
was  conducted  by  the  parents  to 
the  altar,  and  the  young  maa  was 
quite  unconsciously  married  to  her. 
The  deception  was  not  discovered  till 
it  could  not  be  rectified.  Mr.  Hartley 
adds   '  It  was  in  a  conversation  with  an 


29  And  Laban  gave  to  Rachel 
his  daughter,  Bilhah  his  handmaid, 
to  be  her  maid. 

J30  And  he  went  in  also  unto 
Rachel,  and  he  p  loved  also  Rachel 
more  than  Leah-  and  served  with 
him  '^  yet  seven  other  years. 

pver.  20.  Deut.  21.  15  ich.  30.  2G&31 
41.    Hos.  12.  12. 


Armenian  in  Smyrna  that  this  fact  was 
related  to  me.  I  naturally  exclaimed, 
'Why,  that  is  just  the  deception  that 
was  practised  upon  Jacob  !'  '  What  de- 
ceptitm  ?'  he  exclaimed.  As  the  Old 
Testament  is  not  yet  translated  into 
any  language  with  w^hich  the  Arme- 
nians are  familiar,  he  was  ignorant  of 
the  story.  Upon  giving  him  a  relation 
of  Jacob's  marriage,  as  related  in  Gen. 
29,  he  assented  to  it  at  once  as  a  circum- 
stance in  no  respect  improbable.  Mr 
Hardey  says,  tlie  father  excused  his 
conduct  in  precisely  the  same  way  as 
Laban,  alleging  that  custom  did  not 
warrant  the  marriage  of  the  younger 
before  the  elder  daughter.  We  have 
heard  of  cases  in  which,  when  a  man 
wished  to  obtain  a  younger  daughter, 
he  found  it  the  best  course  to  do  all  in 
his  power  to  promote  the  previous  mar- 
riage of  her  elder  sister.  A  father  also 
will  often  exert  all  his  powers  to  get  off 
his  elder  daughter,  when  a  very  advan- 
tageous and  acceptable  match  for  the 
younger  is  proposed  to  him.'  Pict.  Bible. 
27.  Fulfil  her  week.  'We  read,  that 
a  great  feast  was  made,  after  which  Leah 
was  consigned  to  Jacob.  It  is  not  said 
how  long  the  feast  lasted  ;  but  it  was 
doubtless  a  week ;  and  now  Laban 
says  in  elTect : — '  Let  there  be  another 
week  of  feasting  for  Rachel,  after  which 
she  also  ^hall  be  given  to  thee,  and  then 
thou  shalt  serve  me  yet  other  seven 
years.'  It  is  evident  that  the  marriage 
of  Jacob  with  Leah  and  Rachel  took 
place  nearly  at  the  same  time.  Calmet, 
indeed,  thinks,  that  •  the  week'  refers  to 
Leah's  marriage  ;  but  this  is  an  errpr 


120 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1753. 


31  *\\  And  when  the  Lord  ""  saw 
thai  Leah  was  hated,  ho  ^  opened 
her  womb  :  but  Rachel  7cas  barren. 

32  And  Leah  conceived,  and  bare 
a  son ,    and   she    called   his    name 

rPs.  127.  3.       Bch.  mi. 


Reuben:  for  she  said,  Surely  the 
Lord  hath  '  looked  upon  my  afflic- 
tion ;    now  therefore   my   husband 
will  love  me. 
33  And  she  conceived  again,  and 

'  Exod.  3.  7.  Sc  4.  31.    Deut.  25.  7.     Ps.  25. 
IS.  &  106.  44. 


for  in  that  case  the  festivities  must  have 
been  after  the  final  completion  of  the 
marriage  ;  whereas,  as  Calmet  himself 
states,  thu  bride  was  not  consigned  to 
the  bridegroom  until  after  the  days  of 
feasting  had  expired.  As  to  the  seven 
days'  feasting,  the  Rabbins  acquaint  us 
that  this  term  was  a  matter  of  indispen- 
sable obligation  upon  all  married  men  ; 
and  that  they  were  to  allow  seven  days 
for  the  marriage  of  every  wife  they 
took,  even  though  they  should  marry 
several  on  the  same  day.  In  this  case 
they  made  so  many  wedding  weeks  suc- 
cessively as  they  married  vvive.s.  These 
seven  days  of  rejoicing  were  common- 
ly spent  in  the  house  of  the  woman's 
father,  after  which  the  bride  was  con- 
ducted in  great  state  to  her  husband's 
house.  (See  Calmet,  article  '  ^larriage,' 
edit.  1732.)  Thus  we  read,  that  Samson's  j 
wedding  entertainment  lasted  seven 
full  days  (Judges  14.  17,  18,)  and  also 
that  of  Tobias  (Tobit  11.  19.)  When 
the  bride  was  a  widow,  the  festivities 
lasted  but  three  days.  Similar  practices 
have  prevailed  among  other  nations. 
The  famous  Arabian  romance  of  Antar,' 
translated  by  Mr.  Terrick  Hamilton,  is 
full  of  allusions  to  this  custom.'  Pict. 
Bible.  Laban's  policy  was  to  obtain 
Jacob's  voluntary  consent  to  the  mar- 
riage, which  would  be  secured  by  his 
cohabiting  and  rejoicing  with  her  during 
the  week,  and  then  he  knew  the  nup- 
tial knot  would  be  too  fast  tied  to  be  af- 
terward loosed. 

31.  That  Leah  was  hated.  That  is, 
loved  les.<!.  The  expression  is  not  abso- 
lute, but  comparative.  Apart  from  any 
thing  repulsive  in  her  person,  this  ef- 
fect was  perhaps  to  be  expected  from 
the  part  she  had  voluntarily  borne  in 


the  imposition  practised  upon  him. 
From  this  and  the  preceding  verse,  we 
obtain  a  clue  to  the  genuine  meaning  of 
the  Heb.  J^^'J  sanah,  to  hate,  in  certain 
disputed  passages.  It  evidently  im- 
plies notliing  more  than  a  less  degree  of 
love.  The  subsequent  narrative  makes 
it  plain  that  Jacob  did  not  hate  Leah,  in 
tlie  ordinary  acceptation  of  that  term  ; 
but  lie  felt  less  affection  for  her  than  for 
her  sister.  So  by  the  declaration  3Ial. 
1.'2,  3,  Eom.  9.  15  'Jacob  have  I  loved, 
but  Ksau  liave  I  hated,'  we  are  simply 
to  understand  that  God  had  shown  a 
greater  degree  of  affection  for  Jacob 
and  his  posterity  tlian  for  Esau  and 
his  descendants,  which  was  evinced  in 
giving  the  former  a  better  earthly  por- 
tion than  he  did  the  latter,  and  by 
choosing  his  family  to  be  the  progeni- 
tors of  the  Messiah.  From  this  lan- 
guage alone  no  inference  can  be  drawn 
as  to  the  eternal  states  of  the  two  na- 
tions. It  is  worthy  of  notice  in  this 
case,  how  God  balances  the  good  and 
ill  of  the  present  life.  Leah  is  slighted 
in  comparison  with  Rachel,  but  he  gives 
children  to  her,  while  he  witholds 
them  from  the  other ;  and  children  in  a 
family  whose  chief  blessedness  consist- 
ed in  a  promised  seed,  were,  of  course, 
very  highly  prized. 

32.  Culled  his  name  Reuben.  Heb. 
-pll^'l  re-u-ben,  lit.  see  ye  a  son.  The 
names  of  the  four  sons  successively  born 
to  her  were  all  significant,  and  expres- 
sive of  her  state  of  mind,  either  as  grieved 
for  want  of  an  interest  in  her  husband's 
heart,  or  as  prompted  by  piety  to  view 
the  hand  of  God  in  all  that  befel  her. 

33.  She  called  his  name  Simeon.  Heb 
liy^'iT  shimon,  hearing,  from  y^'^^  sha* 
ma,  to  hear. 


I.  C.  1752.1 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 


127 


bare  a  son ;  and  said,  Because  the 
Lord  hath  heard  that  1  was  hated, 
tie  hath  therefore  (jfiven  me  this  son 
also:  and  she  called  his  name  Si- 
meon. 

34  And  she  conceived  aorain,  and 
bare  a  son ;  and  said,  Now  this 
time  will  my  husband  be  joined  un- 


34.  Therefore  was  his  name  called  Levi, 
Heb.  1-15  levi,  (pron.  laivee,)  joined, 
from  nib  lavah,  to  join. 

35.  She  called  liis  name  Judah.  H-eb. 
rmn*^  yekudak,  praise,  from  HT^  yadah, 

to  give  thanks,  praise,  celebrate. ^  Left 

bearing.  Heb.  tnb?3  'llZ'STi  taamod 
milledeth,  stood  from  bearing.  '  When  a 
mother  has  ceased  to  bear  children, 
should  a  person  say  it  is  not  so,  others 
will  reply,  '  <S^e  stood  from  bearing  at 
euch  a  time.'  Roberts.  Our  common 
translation  would  seem  to  imply  that 
she  now  ceased  entirely  from  having 
children ;  but  the  original  purports  no 
more  than  that  she  ceased  for  a  time  from 
child-bearing,  and  this  is  the  sense  evi- 
dently required,  as  she  had  three  more 
children  after  this,  Gen.  30.  17—21. 

Remarks. — The  following  brief  prac- 
tical hints  will  easily  refer  themselves 
to  the  several  verses  on  which  they  are 
founded. 

(1.)  Cheering  tokens  of  the  divine 
presence  are  greatly  calculated  to  quick- 
en zeal  and  accelerate  speed  in  the  way 
of  duty. 

(2.)  Objects  and  incidents  of  the  most 
common  occurrence,  and  of  the  slight- 
•ost  heed  to  others,  often  have  the  char- 
acter of  special  providences  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  spiritually-minded. 

(3.)  The  civility,  kindness,  and  bene- 
volence, which  distinguish  good  men  at 
home,  should  characterize  them  on  their 
journeys  abroad.  They  know  not  what 
precious  fruits  they  may  reap  from  at- 
tentions shown  to  strangers. 

(4.)  The  waste  of  time  by  men  in  any 
occupation,  ■will  not   fail  to  gri£ve   the 


to  me,  because  I  have  borne  him 
three  sons  :  therefore  was  his  name 
called  Levi. 

35  And  she  conceived  again,  and 
bare  a  son :  and  she  said,  Now  will 
I  praise  the  Lord  :  therefore  she 
called  his  name  "  Judah,  and  lefi 
bearing. 

o  Matt.  1.2. 


hearts  and  prompt  the  admonitions  of 
those  who  have  been  trained  to  habits 
of  active  industry. 

(5.)  The  outward  expressions  of  a 
sincere  and  cordial  affection,  as  they 
are  prompted  by  nature,  so  they  are 
sanctioned  by  religion. 

(6.)  If  the  people  of  God  arc  melted 
to  tears,  or  kindled  to  transports,  it  is 
usually  in  view  of  some  striking  indica- 
tions of  a  special  providence. 

(7.)  The  plea  of  kindred  should  never 
interfere  with  the  claims  of  justice. 

(8.)  Unprincipled  men  will  not  scru- 
ple oftenlimes  to  admit  the  propriety 
of  a  conduct  which  they  never  mean  to 
practice- 

(9.)  How  sordid,  and  how  deeply 
poisoned  by  avarice,  must  have  become 
the  hearts  of  those  parents  who  value 
their  chudren  only  so  far  as  they  are  pro- 
fitable to  them  I 

(10.)  Hard  and  long  service  is  made 
easy  and  short  where  love  is  the  moving 
pring  of  action. 

(11.)  Good  men,  in  the  unsuspecting 
simplicity  of  their  hearts,  are  sometimes 
unwarily  seduced  into  evil  by  the  sub- 
tlety of  mercenary  deceivers,  but  when 
aware  of  their  error,  they  are  filled  witn 
a  holy  indignation  against  the  fraua 
practised  upon  them. 

(12.)  The  plea  of  custom,  fashion,  de- 
corum, &c.,  is  often  set  up  as  an  exten- 
uation of  conduct  directly  at  variance 
with  the  will  of  God. 

(13.)  Children  are  joinm^  mercies  be- 
tween husband  and  wife.  As  manv 
children  as  parents  have,  so  many  bond* 
of  love  exisi  between  them. 


128 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  174a 


CHAP.  XXX. 

AND  when  Rachel  saw  that 
^  she  bare  Jacob  no  children, 
Rachel  ^  envied  her  sister  ;  and  said 
unto  Jacob,  Give  me  children,  •=  or 
else  I  die. 

ch.  29.  31.    «>  ch.  37.  11.    <=  Job.  5.2. 


CHAP.  XXX. 

1.  Rachel  envied  her  sister.  Heb. 
S^-pn  iekanna.  The  original  expresses 
by  one  and  the  same  word,  the  emo- 
tions of  ertvy,  zeal,  and  jealousy.  But 
how  it  is  to  be  interpreted  in  any  given 
connexion,  whether  in  a  good  or  bad 
sense,  can  be  determined  only  by  th© 
context.  That  the  evil  affection  denot- 
ed by  the  term  is  stronger  and  more 
baneful  in  its  consequences  than  anger, 
is  to  be  inferred  from  such  passages  as 
the  following,  Prov.  27.  4,  'Wrath  is 
cruel,  and  anger  is  outrageous ;  but 
who  is  able  to  stand  before  e7ivy  T 
Prov.  14.  30, '  Envy  is  as  rottenness  in 
the  bones.'  Cant.  8.  6,  'Jealousy  is 
cruel  as  the  grave.'  'Her  envy  was  no 
doubt  sharpened  in  this  case  by  the 
fact  that  Leah  was  her  sister,  and  by 
the  knowledge  that  she  was  herself  the 
favorite  and  elected  wife.  She  must 
have  feared  that  she  should  lose  her 
ascendancy  over  Jacob  by  the  want  of 
children.  The  natural  domestic  evils 
of  polygamy  must  be  rendered  more 
intense  when  the  wives  are  sisters ; 
and  this  seems  to  be  stated  in  the  law 
(Lev.  18.  18.)  as  a  reason  why  such 
marriages  shoiild  not  in  future  be  con- 
tracted. 'Neither  shalt  thou  take  a 
wife  to  her  sister,  to  vex  her, — beside 
the  other  in  her  lifetime.'  Jacob  was, 
in  a  great  measure,  forced  by  circum- 
stances into  such  a  connexion ;  but  it 
does  not  appear  that  a  marriage  with 
two  sisters  at  once  was  at  this  tim-e  con- 
sidered singular  or  improper.  The 
Arabians,  who  retained  many  patriareh- 
a.  usages  which  the  law  forbade  to  the 
Jews,  continued  the  practice  until  the 
time    of    Mohammed,    who    declared 


2  And  Jacob's  anger  was  kin- 
dled against  Rachel ;  and  he  said, 
•^  Am  1  in  God's  stead,  who  hath 
withheld  from  thee  the  fruit  of  the 
womb  1 

1  ch.  15.  2.    1  Saai.  1.  5 


such  connexions  ttnlawful.'  Pict  Bible. 
IF  Give  me  children,  or  else  I  die.  Heb. 
■^i^b^  nril^  '^'^i^  fij^  im  ain  methah  anoki,. 
ifreone,  lam  a  dead  woman,  or  a  corse; 
i.  e.  I  shall  be  as  good  as  dead;  my 
name  will  not  be  perpetuated  ;  as  to  the 
raising  up  of  seed,  I  shall  be  as  though 
I  had  never  been.  See  note  on  the 
expression,  'thou  art  a  dead  man,' 
Gen.  20.  3.  A  possible  sense  undoubt- 
edly is,  that  she  would  die  of  vexation 
and  grief;  but  the  former  we  conceive 
to  be  the  legitimate  import  of  the 
phrase.  She  would  intimate  that  with- 
out children  she  would  be  like  a  seed 
cast  into  the  ground,  which  is  never 
quickened.  The  idea  is  substantially 
the  same  as  that  conveyed  by  the  an- 
cient Jewish  proverb,  that '  the  childless 
are  but  as  the  lifeless.'  The  eager  de- 
sire for  offspring  among  the  Hebrew 
women  is  easily  accounted  for,  if  wo 
bear  in  mind  that  the  distinguishing 
blessing  of  Abraham  was  a  numerous 
posterity,  and  in  particular  one  illus- 
trious person  in  whom  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth  should  be  blessed.  It  was 
natural,  then,  that  they  should  feel  a 
laudable  ambition  to  contribute  to  the 
fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  ;  and  we  are 
not  to  be  surprised  if  many  of  Eve's 
daughters  flattered  themselves,  hke 
their  first  parent,  with  the  hope  of  being 
the  mother  of  the  Messiah.  But  Ra- 
chel's language  was  that  of  a  sinful  im- 
patience, for  which  it  would  seem,  that 
in  the  righteous  providence  of  God  she 
afterwards  paid  dear,  as  she  died  in  giv- 
ing birth  to  Benjamin,  ch.  37.  16 — 19. 

2.  Jacob's  anger  was  kindled  against 
Rachel,  &c.  His  spirit  was  stirred  with- 
in him  rather  bv  the  reflection  which 


B.  C.  1748.] 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


129 


3  And  she  said,  Behoid  « my 
maid  BiJhah,  go  in  unto  her  ;  *"  and 
she  shall  bear  upon  my  knees,  &  that 
I  may  also  havn  children  by  her. 

4  And  she  gave  him  Bilhah  her 
handmaid  ^  to  wife  :  and  Jacob  went 
in  unto  her. 

5  And  Bilhah  conceived,  and 
bare  Jacob  a  son. 

ech.  16.  2.  f  ch.  50.23.    Job  3.  12. 

gch.  ]5.  2.  h  ch.  18.  3.  &  35.  22. 


her  complaints  cast  upon  God,  than  by 
any  injury  or  injustice  done  to  himself. 
It  excited  a  holy  resentment  to  find  one 
whom  he  so  tenderly  loved  failing  to 
recognise  her  entire  dependence  on 
the  power  and  providence  of  the  3Iost 
High  for  the  mercy  desired  ;  for  the 
truth  so  plainly  expressed  by  David, 
Ps.  127.  3,  that '  children  are  a  heritage 
of  the  Lord,'  was  no  doubt  as  cordially 
held  by  the  patriarch  as  by  the  monarch 
of  Israel.  His,  therefore,  was  a  '  being 
arigry  and  sinning  not ;'  and  we  may 
add,  that  if  any  thing  ever  tends  to  pro- 
voke anger  in  the  bosom  of  the  pious, 
it  is  not  so  much  the  sense  of  their  own 
wrongs,  as  of  the  dishonor  done  to  their 
heavenly  Father.  A  rash  demeanor,  a 
murmuring  or  rebellious  spirit  towards 
bim,  grieves  them  to  the  heart,  and 
they  cannot  forbear  to  rebuke  it  even 
in  their  nearest  and  dearest  friends. 
Though  they  may  love  their  persons, 

they  will  chide  their  sins.' IT  Am  I 

in  God's  stead  ?  Am  I  greater  than 
God  to  give  thee  what  he  has  refused  ? 
Chal.  '  Why  dost  thou  ask  children  of 
me  ?  Oughtest  thou  not  rather  to  have 
asked  them  from  before  the  Lord  ?' 
Arab. '  Am  I  above  God,  who  hath  with- 
held,' &c.  A  righdy  framed  spirit 
shudders  at  the  thought  of  being  ac- 
counted in  God's  stead  in  any  respect. 

3.  Go  in  unfa  her.  This  is  similar  to 
the  case  of  Sarah  giving  liagar  to  Abra- 
ham. Such  things,  we  are  told  by  tra- 
vellers, happen  to  this  day  in  India  and 
China,  often  with  the  full  concurrence, 


6  And  Rachel  said,  God  hath 
i  judged  me,  and  hath  also  heard 
my  voice,  and  hath  given  me  a  son  : 
therefore  called  she  his  name  Dan. 

7  And  Bilhah,  Rachel's  maid, 
conceived  again,  and  bare  Jacob  a 
second  son. 

8  And  Rachel  said,  with  great 
wrestlings  have  I  wrestled  with  my 

'  Fs.  35. 24.  &  43.  1.    Lam.  3.  59. 

and  at  the  request  of  the  lawful  wife, 
when  she  is  herself  sterile,  or  when  the 
children  are  dead  and  she  has  ceased 

to  hope  for  more. TT   She  shall  bear 

upon  my  hnees.  That  is,  bear  children 
which  I  may  nurse  and  dandle  on  my 
knees  as  though  they  were  my  own; 
which  shall  be  mine  adoptively.  Ac- 
cordingly, V.  6,  she  calls  Bilha'n's  son 
her  own.  The  handmaid  was  the  sole 
property  of  the  mistress,  and  therefore 
not  only  all  her  labor,  but  even  the 
children  borne  by  her,  were  also  her 
property.  For  this  reason  these  female 
slaves  may  be  said  to  have  borne  chil- 
dren vicariously  for    their    mistresses. 

IF  That  I  may  also  have  children  by 

her.  Heb.  1";;::^^  ibbaneh,  may  be  builded 
by  her.     See  note  on  Gen.  16.  2. 

6.  God  hath  judged  me.  Heb,  ^;2T 
dannani,  judged  me,  whence  y-^  dan, 
judging,  the  name  given  to  her  child. 
The  original  word  forjudge,  when  used 
in  reference  to  the  righteous,  sometimes 
implies  chastisement,  or  affliction  for 
sm,  as  1  Cor.  11.  32, '  when  we  are  judg- 
ed we  are  chastened  of  the  Lord  ;'  and 
sometimes  the  vindication  or  deliver- 
ance of  tliose  who  are  unrighteously 
condemned,  afflicted,  or  punished,  as 
1  Sam.  24.  15,  '  The  Lord  therefore  be 
judge,  and  judge  between  me  and  ihee, 
and  see  and  plead  my  cause,  and  deliv' 
er  me  out  of  thine  hand.'  The  latter 
sense  .especially  is  to  be  understood 
here. 

8.  With  great  wrestlings,  &c.  Heb. 
tj'^nbx  "'birtS  naphtuU  dohim^  wrest- 


130 


GENESIS. 


[13.  C.  1749. 


sifter,  and  I   Iiave  prevailed :  and 
she  called  his  name  ^  Naphtali. 

9  When  Leah  saw  that  she  had 
left  bearing,  she  took  Zilpah,  her 
maid,  and  ^  jjave  her  Jacob  to  wife. 

10  And  Zilpah,  Leah's  maid, 
bare  Jacob  a  son. 


k  Matt.  4. 13. 


vcr.4. 


lings  of  God ;  i.  e,  great,  urgent,  vehe- 
ment wrestlings.  See  the  Heb.  idiom 
illustrated,  Gen.  23.  6.  The  original 
comes  from  a  root,  ^^iS  patJial,  signify- 
ing to  twist,  wreathe,  intwist,  intioine,  and 
hence  applied  to  wrestling,  from  the  ef- 
forts of  the  combatants  to  intwine  or  in- 
ferZocZ:  their  limbs  so  as  to  throw  each 
other  to  the  ground.  That  the  expres- 
sion, as  used  by  Rachel,  implies  what  we 
ordinarily  understand  by  earnest  wrest- 
ling with  God  in  prayer,  is  highly  proba- 
ble, and  so  the  Chal.  expressly  renders 
it;  but  as  she  says  that  she  wrestled 
with  her  sister,  we  may  suppose  that  it 
implies  the  diversified  and  anxious 
expedients  to  which  she  resorted,  turn- 
ing, writhing,  struggling  by  crafty  strat- 
agems to  effect  her  object.  Hence  the 
name  'Naphtah,'  i.  e.  my  wrestling; 
called  'Nephtalim,'  Mat  4.  13. 

11.  Atroop  Cometh,  &c.  Heb.  ^3i5a- 
gad,  either  a  troop  cometh,  or  with  a  troop, 
asthe  original  has  a  double  reading.  The 
rendering  in  our  version  is  taken  from 
the  margin  of  the  Heb.  Bible,  which 
has  ^^3  5^2  ba  gad,  a  troop  cometh,  in  two 
distinct  words;  while  in  the  text  itself 
these  words  coalesce  into  one,  ^32  &a 
gad,  with  or  in  a  troop.  Yet  all  this  pro- 
ceeds upon  the  assumption  that  the  true 
sense  of  "i3  gad,  is  a  troop,  which  is 
doubtful.  Nearly  all  the  earlier  versions 
give  the  sense  of  luck,  fortune,  or  pros- 
perity, derived  perhaps  from  some  su- 
perstitious notion  of  the  auspicious  influ- 
ence ofsomeoneof  the  heavenly  bo- 
dies, either  the  sun,  moon,  or  one  of  the 
planets.  As  in  Arabic  the  planet  Jupi- 
ter is  called  Gad,  and  the  Targum  of 


11  And  Leah  said,  A  troop  com- 
eth, and  she  called  his  name  Gad. 

12  And  Zilpah,  Leah's  maid 
bare  Jacob  a  second  son. 

13  And  Leah  said,  Happy  am 
I,  for  the  daughters  ""  will  call  me 
blessed:  and  she  called  his  name 
Asher. 

m  Prov.  31.  28.    liUke  1.  43. 


Jonathan  renders  the  present  phrase, 
i^'2TJ  b^bt^D  mazzela  toba,  a  propitious 
star.  The  Chal. ,  moreover,  has  13  i^Ji^ 
atha  gad,  fortune  cometh.  Some  have 
supposed  that  this  name  was  applied  as 
the  title  of  a  species  of  divinity,  and  that 
from  it  comes,  by  remote  derivation, 
our  terms  good  and  God.  See  the  com- 
mentators on  Is.  65.  11,  where  the  same 
word  occurs  as  the  name  of  an  idol. 
The  Gr.  translates  it  ev  tvxt]  with  good 
fortune,  and  the  Vulg.  '  Feliciter,'  hap- 
pily, fortunately.  But  it  is  much  more 
likely  that  these  versions  should  have 
mistaken  the  meaning  of  the  original, 
than  that  Leah,  who  had  evinced  so 
pious  a  recognition  of  God  in  naming 
her  other  children,  should  now  all  of  a 
sudden  so  strangely  act  the  heathen  as 
to  acknowledge  thepower  of  a  fictitious 
deity.  On  the  whole,  therefore,  we  ad- 
here to  the  rendering  given  in  our  Eng. 
Bible  as  the  most  correct,  particularly 
when  compared  with  Jacob's  interpre- 
tation of  the  name  in  Gen.  49.  19, '  Gad, 
a  troop  (1113  gadud)  shall  overcome 
him,'  &c. 

13.  And  Leah  said,  Happy  am  I,  &c. 
Heh.'^'^Xi^i^^beoshri,  in  my  happiness,  or 
in  my  blessedness.     Gr.  ^aKapia  eyw,  O 

happy  II ^  The  daughters  will  call 

me  blessed.  All  coming  generations  will 
felicitate  me  on  my  happy  lot.  Marked 
allusions  to  this  phraseology  occur  else- 
where. Prov.  31.  2^,  'Her  children 
arise  up  and  call  her  blessed.^  Cant.  6. 
9,  '  The  daughters  saw  her,  and  blessed 
her.  Luke  1.  48,  'For,  beholdj  from 
henceforth  all  generations  shall  call  me 
bhssed. *r    Called  his    name    Asher 


B.  C.  1748.] 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


131 


14  IT  And  Reuben  went  in  the 
days  of  wheat-harvest,  and  found 
mandralfes  in  the  field,  and  brought 


That  is,  happy,  blessed.  The  following 
scriptural  names  are  all  of  the  same 
etymological  import  with  '  Asher,'  viz. 
Felix,  Fortunatns,  Eutychus,  Tychicus. 
So  among  the  Greeks  and  Latins,  Eu- 
demon,  Eutychus,  Macarius,  Faustus, 
Faustulus,  Felicianus. 

14.  In  the  days  of  wheat-harvest. 
Which  in  that  cHmate  ordinarily  occur- 
red in  the  month  of  May. IT  Man- 
drakes. Heb.  fj^^n  dudaim,  lovely, 
amiable,  from  HTl  dud,  beloved ;  proba- 
bly from  the  common  opinion  of  their 
tendency  to  excite  amorous  propensities. 
The  Gr.  renders  them  ixTj\a  navSpayopcov, 


them  unto  liis  mother  Leah.  Then 
Rachel  said  to  Leah,  °  Give  me  I 
pray  thee,  of  thy  son's  mandrakes. 

"  ch.  25.  30. 


apples  of  mandragora,  or  mandrake  ap. 
pies;  the  Chal.  '^^ni^ri'i  yabrohin,  a 
word  of  Arabic  origin  applied  to  this 
plant  from  the  resemblance  of  its  smell 
to  the  rank  savor  of  a  goat.  By  some 
they  are  supposed  to  have  been,  not 
fruits,  hat  Jlowers  of  peculiar  beauty  and 
fragrance.  The  mass  of  coramenta- 
tors,  however,  understand  by  '  Dudaim,' 
mandrakes,  a  species  of  melon,  abound- 
ing in  Palestine  and  the  East,  and  which 
was  in  high  repute  for  its  prolific  vir- 
tues,  as  from  it  philtres  or  love-potions 
were  made.  The  plant  grows  low  like 
the  lettuce,  to  which  its  leaves  have  a 


MAJ!U>RAEE. 


132 


GENESIS. 


[B.C.  1747 


15  And  she  said  unto  her,  "  Is  it 
a  small  matter  that  thou  hast 
taken  my  husband  1  and  wouldest 
thou  take  away  my  son's  mandrakes 
also?  And  Rachel  said,  Therefore 
he  shall  lie  with  thee  to-night  for 
thy  son's  mandrakes. 

16  And  Jacob  came  out  of  the 
field  in  the  evening",  and  Leah  went 
out  to  meet  him,  and  said.  Thou 
must  come  in  unto  me ;  for  surely  I 
have  hired  thee  with  my  son's  raan- 

0  Numb.  16.  9,  13. 


great  resemblance,  except  tliat  they 
have  a  dark  green  color.  The  flowers 
are  purple,  and  the  fruit  when  ripe,  in 
the  beginning  of  May,  is  of  the  size  and 
color  of  a  small  apple,  exceedingly  rud- 
dy, and  of  a  most  agreeable  odor.  Has- 
selquist,  speaking  of  Nazareth  in  Galilee, 
says,  '  What  I  found  most  remarkable 
at  this  village  was  the  great  number  of 
mandrakes  which  grew  in  a  valley  be- 
low it.  I  had  not  the  pleasure  to  see 
this  plant  in  blossom,  the  fruit  now 
(May  5th,)  hanging  ripe  on  the  stem, 
which  lay  withered  on  the  ground. 
From  the  season  in  which  this  mandrake 
blossoms  and  ripens  fruit,  one  might 
form  a  conjecture  that  it  was  Rachel's 
Dudaim.  These  were  brought  to  her  in 
the  wheat  harvest,  which  in  Galilee  is  in 
the  month  of  May,  about  this  time,  and 
the  mandrake  was  now  in  fruit.'  The 
word  occurs  only  here  and  Cant.  7.  13, 
•The  mandrakes  give  a  smell,'  v/hich 
Michaelis  thus  paraphrases:  'Now  the 
voluptuous  mandrakes,  widely  exhaling 
their  somniferous  odor,  breathe  and  ex- 
cite to  love.' 

17.  God  hearkened  unto  Leah.  That 
is,  mercifully  liad  respect  to  her,  not- 
withstanding her  infirmities.  We  do 
not  read  that  she  prayed  unto  him,  yet 
he  condescended  to  bless  her.  See 
what  is  said.  Gen.  21.  17,  on  God's 
hearing  the  voice  of  a  particular  con- 
dition or  estate. 

18.  She  caUed  his  name  Issachar.   Heb. 


drakes.     And  he  lay  with  her  that 
night. 

17  And  God  hearkened  unto 
Leah,  and  she  conceived,  and  bare 
Jacob  the  fifth  son. 

18  And  Leah  said,  God  hath 
given  me  my  hire,  because  1  have 
given  my  maiden  to  my  husband : 
and  she  called  his  name  Issachar. 

19  And  Leah  conceived  again, 
and  bare  Jacob  the  sixth  son. 

20  And  Leah  said,  God  hath  en- 


'ni"i!i"i!3'i  yissakar,  he  hringeth  hire,  or  he 
heareth  wages,  or  reward.  The  word  is 
written  in  the  original  with  the  letters 
of  '  Issaschar,'  but  with  the  vowel-points 
of  '  Issachar,'  suppressing  the  sound  of 
the  latter  s  which  is  quite  unusual,  and 
the  reason  of  which  is  unknown,  un- 
less the  interpretation  of  Ewald  be 
admitted,  who  supposes  the  name 
to  be  contracted  from  '■fi"^  ''13'^  yesh 
sakar,  there  is  reward,  the  first  "O  sh 
being  resolved  in  sound  into  the  'iT^  s 
following,  though  the  ancient  ortho- 
graphy has  retained  both  'ii^'o's.  In  look- 
ing upon  her  son  as  a  '  reward'  given 
her  by  God  for  yielding  her  maid 
to  Jacob,  we  may  probably  suppose  her 
laboring  under  a  mistake.  The  Lord 
favored  her  not /or  that  act,  but  in  spite 
of  it. 

20.  Now  will  my  husband  dwell  with 
me.  Heb.  'i^b^t'i  yizheleni,  wdl  dwell 
(with)  me.  Gr.  aiperiei  jie,  will  choose 
me.  '  Many  reasons  concur  to  render 
the  possession  of  sons  an  object  of  great 
anxiety  to  women  in  the  east.  The 
text  expresses  one  of  these  reasons. 
Sons  being  no  less  earnestly  desired  by 
the  husband  than  by  the  wife,  a  woman 
who  has  given  birth  to  sons  acquires 
an  influence  and  respectability  which 
strengthen  with  the  number  to  which 
she  is  mother.  To  be  without  sons  is 
not  only  a  misfortune,  but  a  disgrace  to 
a  woman,  and  her  hold  on  the  affections 
of  her  husband,  and  on  her  standing  as 


B.  C.  1747.] 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


133 


dued  me  with  a  good  dowry ;  now 
will  my  husband  dwell  with  me,  be- 
cause I  have  borne  him  six  sons  : 
and  she  called  his  name  p  Zebulun. 

21  And  afterwards  she  bare  a 
daugliter,  and  called  her  name  Di. 
nah. 

22  IF  And  God  ^  remembered  Ra- 

P  Matt.  4.  13.    q  ch.  8. 1.    1  Sam.  1.  19. 

liis  wife,  is  of  a  very  feeble  description. 
Divorces  are  easily  effected  in  the  East. 
An  Arab  has  only  to  enunciate  the 
simple  words,  e7it  taleka — 'thou  art 
divorced,'  which,  in  whatever  heat  or 
anger  spoken,  constitute  a  legal  divorce.' 
Pict.  Bible.  Mr.  Roberts's  testimony 
is  equivalent.  '  Should  it  be  reported 
of  a  husband  that  he  is  going  to  forsake 
his  wife  after  she  has  borne  him  chil- 
dren, people  will  say,  '  She  has  borne 
him  sons ;  he  will  never,  never  leave 
her.'  To  have  children  is  a  powerful 
tie  upon  a  husband.  Should  she,  how- 
ever, not  have  any,  he  is  almost  certain 

to  forsake  her.' IF  Zebulun.    That  is, 

dwelling ;  implying  that  he  should  be 
the  cause  or  occasion  of  the  dwelling 
together  of  his  parents. 

21.  Called  her  name  Dinah.  Heb. 
Tti*'~[  dinah,  judgment;  a  word  coming 
from  the  same  root  with  Dan,  v.  6.  No 
reason  is  assigned  by  the  mother  for  the 
name,  but  the  inference  seems  fair  that 
it  was  prompted  by  sentiments  similar 
to  those  which  led  Rachel  to  adopt  an 
equivalent  name  for  her  son  by  Bilhah, 
v.  6.  '  The  simplicity  of  this  announce- 
ment, contrasted  with  the  exuberant 
thankfulness  and  exultation  which  ac- 
company the  birth  of  sons  in  this  and 
the  preceding  chapter,  is  remarkably 
expressive  to  persons  acquainted  with 
the  customs  and  feelings  of  the  east. 
When  there  is  prospect  of  a  child,  both 
the  parents  hope  and  pray  that  it  may 
be  a  son.  All  their  desires  centre  in 
male  offspring,  which  is  everywhere 
regarded  as  the  greatest  of  blessings ;  and 
the  disappointment  is  most  acute  when 
VOL.  ir. 


chel,  and  God  hearkened  to  her,  and 
""  opened  her  womb. 

23  And  she  conceived,  and  bare 
a  son  ;  and  said,  God  hath  taken 
away  ^  my  reproach  : 

24  And  she  called  his  name  Jo- 
seph ;  and  said,  *  The  Lord  shall 
add  to  me  another  son. 

rch.  29.  3h  « 1  Sam.  1.  C.  Isai.  4.  1.  Luke 
1.  25.        «  ch.  35. 17. 

the  child  proves  to  be  a  female.  This 
IS  not  that  the  possession  of  a  daughter 
is  in  itself  regarded  as  an  evil,  but  be- 
cause her  birth  disappoints  the  sanguine 
hopes  which  had  been  entertained  of 
the  greater  blessing.  Time  enables 
the  httle  creature  to  win  her  way  to 
the  hearts  of  her  parents.  But  it  is 
only  time  that  can  reconcile  them  to 
their  disappointment  \  and  in  the  first 
instance  the  household  in  which  a  fe- 
male child  has  been  born,  has  the  ap- 
pearance of  having  been  visited  by 
some  calamitous  dispensation.  Her 
birth  is  quite  unmarked  by  the  rejoicings 
and  congratulations  which  greet  the 
entrance  of  a  son  into  the  world,  and 
every  one  is  reluctant  to  announce  the 
untoward  event  to  the  father;  whereas, 
when  the  infant  is  a  boy,  the  only  ques- 
tion is,  who  shall  be  foremost  to  bear 
to  him  the  joyful  tidings.'   Pict.  Bible. 

23.  God  hath  taken  away  my  reproach. 
That  is,  the  reproach  of  my  barrenness. 
In  like  manner  Elizabeth  says,  Luke, 
1.25, 'Thus  hath  the  Lord  dealt  with 
me,  in  the  days  wherein  he  looked  on 
me,  to  take  away  my  reproach  among 
men.'    Comp.  1  Sam.  1.  6.  Is.  4.  1. 

24.  Called  his  name  Joseph.  Heb. 
wlCT"'  yoseph,  adding,  or,  he  will  add.  In 
Ps.  81.  6,  and  in  the  engraving  on 
Aaron's  breastplate,  Ex.  23.  the  name 
is  written  trjDin"^  yehoseph,  analogous  to 
which  we  find  1  Chron.  10.  2,  Jonathan^ 
and  1  Sam,  31.  2,  Jehonathan ;  and  in 
like  manner  2   Chron.  24.  1,  Joash,  and 

2  Kings,   12.   \,  Jehoash. ^  Shall  add 

to  me  another  son!  Thus  prophetically 
declarinar  the  event  which  was  accom' 

12 


134 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1745. 


25  *\l  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
Rachel  had  borne  Joseph,  that  Ja- 
cob said  unto  Laban,  "  Send  me 
away,  that  I  may  go  unto  '■'•'  mine 
own  place,  and  to  my  country. 

28  Give  me  my  wives  and  my 
children,  ^  for  whom  I  have  served 
thee,  and  let  me  go  :  for  thou  know- 
cst  my  service  which  I  have  done 
thee. 

a  ch.  24.  54,  56.     "  ch.  18.  33.  &  31.  55. 
X  ch.  29.  20,  30. 


plished  in  the  birth  of  Benjamin,  Gen. 
35,  18.  Yet  it  should  be  remarked  that 
the  original  will  admit  of  its  being  ren- 
dered in  the  form  of  a  praj^er,  '  May  the 
Lord  add  another.' 

25.  Send  me  away,  &c.  Having  nov^- 
fulfilled  the  second  seven  years'  period 
of  service,  and  attained  the  age  of  about 
ninety  years,  Jacob's  desire  to  return 
to  his  native  country  was  prompted  not 
only  by  his  experience  of  the  hard, 
selfish,  unjust,  and  perfidious  character 
of  Laban,  and  an  earnest  anxiety  once 
more  to  behold  his  aged  parents  before 
they  died,  but  by  a  paramount  regard 
to  the  promise  of  God.  He  remember- 
ed that  this,  the  land  of  his  sojourning, 
was  not  the  land  of  his  inheritance. 
He  called  to  mind  the  hereditary  hope 
of  his  family,  the  parting  benediction  of 
Isaac,  the  vision  at  Bethel,  and  under 
the  influence  of  these  impressions  felt 
all  the  ties  that  bound  him  to  Mesopota- 
mia to  give  way.  That  he  was  finally 
induced  to  protract  his  stay  somewhat 
longer  with  his  uncle  does  not  essential- 
ly militate  with  this  view  of  his  present 
feelings ;  for  the  determination  was 
pardy  forced  upon  him  by  the  urgent 
solicitation  of  Laban,  whom  he  saw  he 
could  not  leave  without  making  him  his 
enemj',  and  partly  by  the  desire  to  pro- 
vide more  amply  for  liis  family,  that  he 
might  not  return  em  ply-handed  to  his 
friends  in  Canaan.  This  he  distinctly 
hints  at  below  ;  'When  shall  I  provide 
for  mine  own  house  nl.<^o  ?' 


27  And  Laban  said  unto  him,  I 
pray  thee,  if  I  have  found  favour  in 
thine  eyes,  tarry  :  for  y  I  have  learn- 
ed by  experience  that  the  Lord  hath 
blessed  me  ^  for  thy  sake. 

2S  And  he  said,  ^  Appoint  me 
thy  wages,  and  I  will  give  it. 

29  And  he  said  unto  him,  ^' Thou 
knowest  how  I  have  served  thee, 
and  how  thy  cattle  was  with  me. 

y  ch.  39.  3,  5.        ^  ch.  26.  24.  a  ch.  29 

15-  b  ch.  31.6,  38,  39,  40.      MaU.  24.  45 


27.  And  Laban  said  unto  him,  I  pray 
thee,  &c.  Although  Jacob's  proposal  to 
return  to  Canaan  was  very  moilestly 
made,  yet  his  greedy  kinsman,  well 
aware  of  the  advantages  which  had  ac- 
crued to  him  from  his  nephew's  faithful 
service,  expresses  much  regret  on  hear- 
ing his  departure  spoken  of.  But  it  is 
not  regret  at  the  thought  of  parting  with 
his  daughters  and  his  grand-children. 
It  is  not  the  tender  concern  of  bidding 
a  long  farewell  to  a  near  relation  and  a 
devoted  servant.  No,  it  is  regret  at 
lobing  an  instrument  of  gain-  It  is  the 
sorrow-  of  a  man  who  loves  only  him- 
self.  IT  I  have  learned  by  experience, 

&c.  Heb.  ^ri'LlTl^  nihashti,  I  have  learn- 
ed by  experiment.  Gr.  oioivicaijnv,  Thave 
divined  by  birds,  or  augury.  The  root  of 
the  original  word  is  "j^n:  nahash,  from 
which  comes  the  Heb.  oi  serpent,  (Gen. 
3.  1.)  signifying  to  ascertain  by  means  oj 
a  close,  subtle,  and  insidious  inspection. 
Laban  had  no  doubt  watched  Jacob 
with  the  most  jealous  vigilance,  and  the 
conclusion  to  which  he  was  brought 
was,  that  his  kinsman  was  an  object  of 
the  special  superintending  providence  of 
God,  and  that  he  himself  was  blessed 
for  his  sake.  Thus  a  testimony  is  some- 
tim.es  extorted  from  the  lips  of  the  wick- 
ed, that  they  are  prospered  for  the  sake 
of  the  good. 

2-^.  Appoint  me  thy  wages.  Heb. 
nlpD  nokbah,  puncture,  or  prick  down  ; 
i.  e.  state  with  the  most  absolute  pre- 


n.  C.  1745.] 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


135 


30  For  it  was  little  which  thou 
hadst  before  1  cmne,  and  it  is  now 
increased  unto  a  multitude ;  and 
the  Loud  hath  blessed  thee  since 
my  coming  :  and  now,  when  shall  I 
*  provide  for  mine  own  house  also  ] 

<=  I  Tim   5.  8. 


30.  It  is  now  increased.  Heb.  y-j^n 
yiphrotz,  broken  forth,  spread  abroad  ;  a 
term  usually  employed  to  signify  a  vast 
and  sudden  increase.  Comp.  Gen.  25. 
14. — —IT  Since  my  coming.  Heb  "^^^^b 
leragli,  at  my  foot.  The  usage  in  regard 
to  the  original  term  for  '  foot,'  is  pecu- 
liar. In  some  cases  itobviou.sly  has  the 
sense  of  ZoSor,  as  Is.  5S.  13,  'If  thou  turn 
away  thy  foot  from  the  Sabbath  ;'  i.  e. 
if  thou  refrain  from  all  servile  work  on 
the  Sabbatb.  Is.  32.  20,  '  Blessed  are 
ye  that  send  forth  the  feet  of  the  ox  and 
the  ass ;'  i.  e.  that  employ  the  labor  of 
these  animals.  The  phrase  is  elsewhere 
Ui?ed  as  equivalent  to  conduct,  guidance, 
direction.  Thus,  2  Sam.  15.  17,  '  And 
the  king  went  forth,  and  all  the  people 
after  him ;'  Heb.  '  at  his  foot.'  2  Kings 
3.  9,  '  And  there  was  no  water  for  the 
host,  and  for  the  cattle  that  folloived 
them;'  Heb.  'at  their  feet.'  So  here, 
'  the  Lord  hath  blessed  thee  at  my  foot ;' 
i.  e.  under  my  guidance  and  manage- 
ment. '  By  the  labor  of  Jacob's  foot,  the 
cattle  of  Laban  bad  increased  to  a  mul- 
titude. Of  a  man  who  has  become 
rich  by  his  own  industry,  it  is  said, 
'  Ah !  by  the  labor  of  his  feet  these 
treasures  have  been  acquired.'  '  How 
have  you  gained  this  prosperity  ?'  '  By 
the  favor  of  the  gods,  and  the  labor  of 
my  feet.'  'How  is  it  the  king  is 
prosperous?'  'By  the  labor  of  the  feet 
of  his  ministers.'     Roberts. 

31.  Shalt  not  give  me  any  thing.  That 
is,  no  definite  fixed  amount,  as  Laban 
was  minded  to  do.     Jacob  had  in   view 

another  plan    of   proceeding. ^  If 

thou  wilt  do  this  thing  for  me,  &c.  '  There 
is  a  difficulty  in  this  passage  which  will 
not  escape   the   notice   of  the    careful 


31  And  he  said,  What  shall  1 
give  thee?  And  Jacob  said.  Thou 
shalt  not  give  me  any  thing.  If 
thou  wilt  do  this  thing  for  me,  I  will 
again  feed  and  keep  thy  flock  : 


reader.  The  terms  of  the  agreement 
were,  that,  in  consideration  of  Jacob's 
services,  Laban  should  allow  to  him  all 
the  sheep  or  goats  of  a  certain  descrip- 
tion which  should  thereafter  be  born. 
The  agreement  refers  to  no  present  dis 
tribution  of  the  flocks  ;  yet  we  find  La- 
ban immediately  selecting  the  animals 
of  the  description  defined  by  Jacob,  an  J 
sending  them  three  days'  journey  dis- 
tant from  the  others,  under  the  charge 
of  his  sons.  Perhaps  the  first  impres- 
sion of  the  reader  would  be,  that  Laban, 
for  the  greater  security,  placed  with  his 
sons  the  animals  of  the  class  (parti-co- 
lored) defined  by  Jacob,  leaving  with 
him  those  of  one  color,  and  that,  from 
time  to  time  an  exchange  was  efTected, 
the  parti-colored  in  the  one-colored 
flock  of  Laban,  fed  by  Jacob,  going  to 
the  parti-colored  flock  of  Jacob,  fed  by 
Laban's  sons  ;  and  the  one-colored  ani- 
mals produced  in  Jacob's  parli-colored 
flock,  in  charge  of  Laban's  sons,  being 
transferred  to  the  flock  in  charge  of  Ja- 
cob. But  this  hypothesis  assumes  that 
Laban  made  over  to  Jacob  in  the  first 
instance  all  the  parti-cnlored  animals  in 
his  flocks,  whereas  the  agreement  only 
states  a  prospective  advantage.  We 
have  therefore  no  doubt  that  the  solu- 
tion offered  by  Dr.  Adam  Clarke  is  the 
most  reasonable.  He  supposes  that  the 
separation  was  a  stratagem  of  Laban, 
for  the  purpose  of  diminishing  Jacob's 
chances  as  much  as  possible,  by  leaving 
him  with  a  flock  that  did  not  contain  a 
single  animal  of  the  sort  to  which  he 
was  to  be  entitled,  and  from  which  it 
might  therefore  be  expected  that  the 
smallest  possible  proportion  of  parti- 
G/)Lor»d  animals  would  proceeii       Tha 


136 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1745. 


32  I  will  pass  through  all  thy 
flock  to-day,  removing  from  thence 
all  the  speckled  and  spotted  cattle, 
and  all  the  brown  cattle  among  the 
sheep,  and  the  spotted  and  speckled 
among  the  goats  :  and*^  of  such  shall 
be  my  hire. 

33  So  shall  my  *  righteousness 
answer  for  me  in  time  to  come, 
when  it  shall  come  for  my  hire  be- 
fore thy  face  :  every  one  that  is  not 
speckled  and  spotted  among  the 
goats,  and  brown  among  the  sheep, 
that  shall  be  counted  stolen  with 
me. 

«>  ch.  31.  8.  e  Ps.  37. 6. 


counter-stratagem  of  Jacob,  and  its  re- 
sult, appear  in  the  sequel  of  the  chap- 
ter.'    Pict.  Bible. 

32.  I  will  pass  through  all  thy  JlocJc, 
&c.  •  Flock'  here  is  a  general  term  un- 
der which  Jacob  goes  on  to  specify  the 
two  species  of  animals  of  which  it  was 
composed.  The  original  for '  removing' 
("icn  haser)  is  a  word  of  very  doubtful 
construction  in  this  place.  Grammati- 
cally, it  may  refer  either  to  Jacob  or  to 
Laban.  In  the  former  sense  it  is  taken 
by  the  Syr.  and  Arab. ;  in  the  latter  by 
the  Gr.,  Chal.,  and  Vulg.  Probably  it 
would  be  best,  in  translating,  to  leave  it 
in  its  native  ambiguity  ;  '  Let  me  pass 
through  all  thy  flocks  to-day,  (and)  re- 
move,' &c.  By  'speckled'  is  meant 
those  marked  with  small  sprinklings, 
and  by  'spotted,'  those  bearing  spots  of 
a  larger  size.  The  term  '  catde,'  more 
over,  is  applied  in  the  Scriptures  to  sheep 
and  goats,  as  well  as  to  cows  and  oxen. 

^  Of  auch  shall  be  my  hire.     It  is  all 

along  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  was 
a  prospective  arrangement.  Jacob  did 
not  propose,  by  removing  the  parti-co 
lored  from  the  one-colored,  now  to  ap- 
propriate one  portion  to  himself  and 
another  to  Laban ;  but  the  stipulation 
was  thtmceforth  to  take  effect.  All  the 
brown  and  speckled  which  should  there- 
after bo  brought  forth  should  belong  to 


34  And  Laban  said,  Behold,  I 
would  it  might  be  according  to  thy 
word. 

35  And  he  removed  that  day  the 
he-goats  that  v/ere  ring-streaked 
and  spotted,  and  all  the  she-goats 
that  were  speckled  and  spotted,  and 
every  one  that  had  some  white  in  it, 
and  all  the  brown  among  the  sheep, 
and  gave  them  into  the  hands  of  his 
sons. 

36  And  he  set  three  days'  jour- 
ney betwixt  himself  and  Jacob :  and 
Jacob  fed  the  rest  of  Laban's  flocks. 


Jacob,  and  the  rest  to  Laban  ;  and  it 
was  so  imlikely  that  the  single-colored 
should  produce  many  parti-colored,  that 
Laban  gladly  embraces  the  proposal. 
But  the  event  shows  him  to  have  been 
supplanted  by  the  superior  astuteness  of 
Jacob, 

33.  So  shall  my  righteousness  answer  for 
me  in  time  to  come.  Heb.  '^n'^  fiT^3  beyom 
7nahur,intheday  tO'morTou\i.  e.  shordy 
hereafter,  or  in  time  to  come.  The 
clause  might  perhaps  be  more  correctly 
rendered,  'So  shall  my  righteousness 
answer  for  me  before  thee  hereafter 
when  thou  shalt  come  upon  my  wages 
before  thee  ;'  i.  e.  shalt  come  to  exam- 
ine my  portion  of  the  flock,  and  to  see 
that  all  is  right.  Jt  is  as  if  he  had 
said,  so  shall  my  honest  and  upright 
conduct  bear  witness  for  me.  The 
thing  will  show  for  itself  that  I  am  guilty 
of  no  fraud  whatever,  but  simply  take 
what  yuu  agree  to  give  me.  The  origi- 
nal word  for  answer  (,'-;;55  nnah)  is  often 
rendered  testify.  Thus  Is.  59.  12,  *  Our 
:-ins  testify  against  us.'     Heb.  Answer 

against  us. IT  Shall  be  counted  stolen 

vnth  me.  You  shall  count  it  to  have 
been  stolen  by  me. 

34.  I  would  that  it  might  be,  &c.  Or, 
Let  it  indeed  be. 

35.  All  the  brown  among  the  sheep 
As  tha  original  has  the  import  of  heat^ 


B,  C.  1739.1 


37  IF  And  *"  Jacob  took  him  rods 
of  green  poplar,  and  of  the  hazel 
and  chesnut-tree  ;  and  pilled  white 
streaks  in  them,  and  made  the 
white  appear  which  ivas  in  the  rods. 

33  And  lie  set  the  rods  which  he 
had  pilled  before  the  flocks  in  the 
gutters,  in  the  watering-troughs 
when  the  flocks  came  to  drink  ; 
that  they  should  conceive  when 
they  came  to  drink. 

39  And  the  flocks  conceived  be- 
fore the  rods,  and  brought  forth 
cattle  ring-streaked,  speckled,  and 
spotted. 

40  And  Jacob  did  separate  the 
lambs,  and  set  the  faces  of  the 
flocks  toward  the  ring-streaked,  and 

fch.  31.  9—12. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


137 


sultriness,  hurnivg,  it  is  probable  that  by 
'  brown'  here  we  are  to  understand  sim- 
hurnt  or  black.  It  is  not  known  that  any 
slieep  are  brown. 

37.  And  Jacob  took  him  rods,  Ac- 
Many  have  contended  that  this  was  a 
natural  means  sufficient  for  producing 
the  effect;  and  it  is  an  established  fact, 
that  any  stronj^  imprc^ssion  upon  the 
mind  of  the  female  during  tlie  period  of 
gestation  bas  a  corresponding  in.Quence 
upon  the  offspring.  Kven  on  this  sup- 
position Jacob  cannot  be  considered  as 
violating  his  contract,  fur  he  only  used 
such  means  to  produce  variegated  cattle 
as  his  knowledge  of  natural  causes  af- 
forded him.  But  it  is  evident  from  ch. 
31.  5 — 13,  that  there  was  something  mi- 
raculous in  it,  and  that  in  the  means 
which  he  employed,  be  followed  some 
divme  intimation.  If  so,  his  conduct, 
Eo  far  from  being  culpable,  was  praise- 
worthy, as  being  a  compliance  v>ilh  the 
will  of  God.  lie  is,  in  fact,  hereby  ac- 
quitted of  selfishness  and  every  other 
improper  motive,  just  as  the  divine  com- 
mand to  the  Israelites  to  borrow  of  the 
Egyptians  acquits  them  of  fraud.  Bo\h 
were  extraordinary  interpositions  on  be- 
half of  the  injured  ;  n  kind  of  divine  re- 


all  the  brown  in  the  flock  of  Laban : 
and  he  put  his  own  flocks  by  them- 
selves, and  put  them  not  unto  La- 
ban's  cattle. 

41  And  it  came  to  pass  whenso- 
ever the  stronger  cattle  did  con- 
ceive, that  Jacob  laid  the  rods  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  the  cattle  in  the 
gutters,  that  they  might  conceive 
among  the  rods. 

42  But  when  the  cattle  were 
feeble,  he  put  them  not  in :  so  the 
feebler  were  Laban's,  and  the 
stronger  Jacob's. 

43  And  the  man  ^increased  ex- 
ceedingly, and  ^  had  much  cattle, 
and  maid-servants,  and  men-ser- 
vants, and  camels,  and  asses. 

g  vor.  30.        h  cAu  1.3. 2.  &  24.  35.  &  26. 13,  14. 

prisal,  in  which  justice  was  executed  on 
a  broad  scale.  'They  shall  spoil  those 
that  spoiled  them,  and  rob  those  that 
robbed  them,  saith  the  Lord  God.'  And 
as  the  Egyptians  could  not  complain  of 
the  Israelites,  inasmuch  as  they  had 
freely  lent,  or  rather  given  their  jewels, 
without  any  expectation  of  receiving 
them  again  (see  note  on  Ex.  9.  1 — 3)  ; 
so  neither  could  Laban  complain  of  Ja- 
cob, for  that  he  had  nothing  more  than 
it  was  agreed  he  should  have  :  nor  was 
he,  on  the  whole,  injured,  but  greatly 

benefited      by     Jacob's     devices. 

^  Pilled.  Pealed.  He  took  green  rods 
of  different  trees,  or  shrubs,  and  pealed 
off  the  bark  so  as  to  make  streaks  of 
white  in  them,  and  then  placed  them  in 
full  view  of  the  flocks  at  the  times  men- 
tioned in  the  text,  that  the  designed  ef- 
fect might  take  place.  If  unbelievers 
object  to  tliis  as  a  crafty  device  origin- 
ating with  Jacob,  we  may  answer,  Let 
them  make  use  of  the  same  means,  and 
see  if  the  same  results  will  follow.  We 
presume  it  wiil  not  be  pretended  that 
i  any  person  has  since  made  the  experi- 
I  ment  with  success. 

i  IvEsi.\RKS.  (1.)  The  jealousy  and 
strife  which  took  place  in  the  tents  of 


138 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


A. 


CHAP.  XXXI. 
ND  he  heard  the  words  of  La- 
ban's  sons,  saying,  Jacob  hath 


taken  away  alJ  that  icas  our  father's  ; 
and  of  that  whicli  was  our  father's 
hath  he  gotten  all  this  *  glory. 

a  Ps  49.  16. 


Jacob,  by  reason  of  his  many  wives, 
may  make  us  thankful  that  a  practice, 
common  amongst  the  people  of  God  in 
early  times,  has  been  totally  abolisbed 
by  the  gospel  of  Christ.  It  is  one  of  the 
many  instances  in  which  the  liberty 
wherewith  we  should  be  apt  to  indulge 
ourselves,  would  be  far  less  conducive 
to  our  happiness,  than  that  liberty  where- 
with Christ  has  made  us  free.  This 
lesson  of  gratitude  is  still  more  strongly 
enforced  upon  us  by  considering  the  ef- 
fects of  Jacob's  marrying  two  sisters, 
who  thenceforth  seem  to  have  lost  ail 
sisterly  aflfeclion  ;  envying  each  other, 
and  trafficking  with  each  other  for  the 
kind  regards  of  their  common  husband. 
May  we  hence  learn  to  feel  thoroughly 
convinced,  that  the  bounds  which  God 
sets  to  our  desires  are  in  all  cases  or- 
dered for  our  good  ;  and  that  whether 
we  can  see  the  reasonableness  of  his 
laws  or  not,  it  must  be  as  much  for  our 
real  interest,  in  every  case,  to  refrain 
from  that  which  he  forbids,  as  to  enjoy 
that  which  he  allows. 

(2)  Though  some  of  the  names  given 
by  the  sisters  to  their  respective  children 
have  perpetuated  the  memory  of  their 
strife,  yet  in  others  they  seem  to  have 
been  piously  designed  to  express  their 
sense  of  the  divine  goodness.  In  this, 
their  example  may  suggest  to  us  a  claim 
for  our  thankfulness  too  often  forgotten 
upon  the  birth  of  those  little  ones  whom 
God  brings  into  the  world.  It  may  teach 
as  to  render  our  devout  acknowledg- 
ments to  him  who  thus  setteth  the  soli- 
tary in  families  ;  and  not  only  so,  but  it 
may  hint  the  propriety  of  giving  more 
scope  to  religious  sentiments  in  the 
choice  of  names  for  our  children  than  is 
common  amongst  many  professing  god- 
hness.  Why  should  not  such  names  be 
selected  as  will  not  only  remind  us  of 


what  we  owe  to  the  father  of  mercies, 
but  such  also  as  will  establish  an  im- 
portant association  in  the  minds  of  our 
children  between  their  names  and  thejr 
duty  ?  We  are  probably  but  little  aware 
of  the  secret  influence  exerted  upon  the 
character  from  this  source.  The  bestow- 
ing of  the  names  of  great  military  chiel- 
tains  and  heroes  has  no  doubt  tended  to 
kindle  up  and  keep  alive  the  baneful  spir- 
it of  war  among  men,  and,  in  general,  we 
could  not  well  more  effectually  secure 
the  transfusion  of  any  one's  spirit  into 
another,  than  by  giving  him  in  infancy 
his  name,  and  then  rearing  him  up  un- 
der the  influences  of  all  the  associations 
which  it  carries  vvith  it.  Let  us  then 
avail  ourselves  of  this  principle  to  a 
good  end.  Let  us  call  our  children  af- 
ter the  good,  rather  than  the  great. 
Let  us  name  them,  not  so  much  from 
our  earthly  relations  as  from  our  spirit- 
ual kindred,  those  whose  names  are 
written  in  the  book  of  God,  on  purpose 
that  we  may  follow  their  examples. 


CHAP.  XXXL 

1.  And  he  heard,  <tc.  Not  perhaps 
that  he  heard  it  directly  from  them,  for 
they  were  three  days'  journey  asunder  ; 
but  it  was  reported  to  him  ;  it  came  to 

his  ears. ^  Jacob  hath  taken  away  all 

that  was  our  father  s.  The  spirit  which 
prompted  this  calumnious  assertion  was, 
no  doubt,  of  the  most  malevolent  char- 
acter, and  but  for  Jacob's  timely  remov- 
al, would  probably  have  led  to  a  violent 
seizure  of  all  his  possessions  under  the 
pretext  of  tlieir  belonging  in  equity  to 
Laban.  In  this  extremity  God  inter- 
feres for  the  protection  of  his  servant. 

11  Gotten  all  this  glory.     Heb.  rir!!^ 

asah,  made,  in  tlie  sense  of  acquired,  ac 
cumulated,  amassed,  as  explained  in  the 
note   on   Gen.   12.   5.  Chal. 'Gotten  all 


n.  C.  1739.1 


CHAPTER    XXXf. 


139 


2  And  Jacob  beheld  ^  the  coun- 
tenance of  Laban,  and  behold,  it 
icas  not  "=  toward  him  as  before. 

3  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Jacob, 
^  Return  unto  the  land  of  thy  fa- 

b  ch.  4.  5.  c  Deut.  28.  54.  d  ch.  28.  15,  20, 
21.  &c  32.  9. 


these  riches.'  The  original  for  glory 
(-j^i  habod)  properly  signifies  weigld  or 
burden,  as  Gen.  13.  2,  where  Abraham 
is  said  to  have  been  '  very  rich,'  Heb. 
'  very  weighty.'  The  word  is  rendered 
'  glory,'  because  glory  and  honor  are  the 
usual  concomitants  of  riches.  This 
sense  of  the  term  occurs  Is.  61.  6,  'Ye 
•shall  eat  the  riches  of  the  Gentiles,  and 
(or,  even)  in  their  fflonj  shall  ye  boast 
yourselves ;'  i.  e.  in  their  abundance, 
their  opulence.  Rev.  21.  21,  '  And  the 
kings  of  the  earth  do  bring  their  glory 
and  honor  into  it;'  i.  e.  their  riches. 
Mat.  4. 8,  '  He  shovveth  him  all  the  king- 
doms of  the  world,  and  the  glory  of 
them  ;'  i.  e.  all  their  riches  and  treasures. 
2.  Was  not  toward  hiinns  before.  Heb. 
t'l'.IlV^  bT^r.i  Idthmol  shilshom,  as  yes- 
terday (and)  the  day  before.  '  Tliis  form 
of  speech  is  truly  oriental,  and  means 
time  gone  by.  Has  a  person  lost  the 
friendship  of  another,  he  will  say  to 
him,  'Thy  face  is  not  to  me  as  yester- 
day and  the  day  before.'  Is  a  man  re- 
duced in  his  circumstances,  he  says, 
'The  face  of  God  is  not  upon  me  as 
yesterday  and  the  day  before.'  The  fu- 
ture is  spoken  of  as  to-day  and  to-morrow  ; 
'  His  face  will  be  upon  me  to-day  and 
to-morrovj,'  which  means,  alumys.  '] 
nil!  lov^  thee  to-day  and  to-morrow,' 
'  Do  you  think  of  me  ?' — '  Yes,  to-day 
and  to-morrov\'.'  '31odeliar,  have  you 
heard  that  Tamban  is  trying  to  injure 
you?' — 'Yes;  and  go  and  tell  him  that 
neitiier  to-day  nor  to-morrow  will  he 
fcucceed.'  Our  Saviour  says,  '  Cehold,  I 
cast  out  devils,  and  I  do  cures  to-day  and 
to-morrow.'  Jacob  said  to  Laban,  '3Iy 
righteousness  answers  for  me  in  time 
to  come  ;'  but  t'le  Hebrew  has  for  this. 


thers,  and  to  thy  kindred;    and  I 
will  be  with  thee. 

4  And  Jacob  sent  and  called  Ra- 
chel and  Leah  to  the  field  unto  his 
flock, 


'^  to-morrow  i'  bis  righteousness  would 
be  perpetual.  In  eastern  language, 
therefore,  'yesterday  and  the  day  be- 
fore' signifies  Uxnepast ;  but '  to-day  and 
to-morrow,'  tim.e  Income.  See  Ex.  18. 14. 
Jos.  4.  6,  also  '24.  22,  margin.'  Roberts. 

3.  The  Lord  said  unto  Jacob,  &c 
Had  Jacob  removed  under  the  impulse 
of  mere  personal  resentment,  he  might 
have  sinned  against  God,  though  not 
against  Laban.  But  when  an  expre.^s 
command  came  to  him  from  Jehovah  to 
return  to  the  land  of  his  fathers,  with  a 
promise  that  he  would  be  with  him,  the 
path  of  duty  was  plain.  In  all  our  re- 
movals it  becomes  us  so  to  act  that  we 
may  hope  for  the  divine  presence  and 
blessing  to  attend  us  ;  else,  though  we 
may  flee  from  one  trouble,  we  shall  fali 
into  many,  and  be  less  able  to  endure 
them. 

4.  Jacob  sent  and  called  Rachel  and 
Leah,  &c.  This  is  easily  explained  on 
the  supposition,  which  eastern  customs 
abundantly  confirm,  that  while  Laban 
and  his  daughters  dwelt  in  a  house,  Ja- 
cob was  now  at  some  distance  with 
his  flocks  abiding  in  tents.  We  know 
from  ch.  SO.  36^  that  Laban's  flocks 
uere  in  two  parcels,  one  under  the  care 
of  Jacob ;  the  other  committed  to  tlie 
care  of  Laban's  sens,  three  days'  jour- 
ney o(F.  Jacob's  also  were  probably, 
for  the  same  reason,  removed  to  an 
equal  distance.  Tliis,  of  course,  made  it 

i  necessary  for  him  to  send  for  his  wives, 
;  a  measure  still  more  natural  if  we 
:  suppose  it  to  have  been  at  the  sheep- 
\  shearing  season,  wh'ch  was  a  time  of 
[feasting  and  special  entertainment  to 
I  relations  and  friends,  who  were  invited 
to    be  present.      Comp.  Gen.  33.  12.  I 


140 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


5  And  said  unto  them,  ^I  see 
your  father's  countenance,  that  it  is 
not  toward  me  as  before  :  but  the 
God  of  my  father  *"  hath  been  with 
nje. 

6  And  s  ye  know  that  with  all 
my  power  I  have  served  your  father. 

7  And  your  father  hath  deceived 
me,  and  ^  changed  my  wages  '  ten 

e  ver.  2.  t  ver.  3.  e  ver.  38,  39,  40,  41.  ch. 
30.29.  liver.  41.  'Numb.  14.22.  Neli. 
4. 12.    Job  19.  3.    Zech.  8.  23 


Sam.  25.  4,  8,  36.  2  Sam.  13.  25.  Bp. 
Patrick's  explanation  of  the  circum- 
stance, that  it  was  for  greater  secrecy, 
and  perhaps  to  avoid  tlie  danger  of  be- 
ing seized  upon  by  Laban  and  his  sons, 
is  far  less  plausible.  Could  not  a  hus- 
band speak  to  his  wives  with  sufficient 
privacy  in  Laban's  house  ?  Were 
matters  come  to  such  an  extremity  that 
Jacob  durst  not  venture  himself  within 
the  doors  of  his  uncle's  house,  for  fear 
of  being  seized  upon  and  made  a  pri- 
soner ?  In  fact,  Jacob  seems  actually 
to  have  communicated  his  intention  to 
Rachel  in  her  father's  house  ;  for  when 
he  sent  for  his  wives,  she  brought  her 
father's  teraphim  with  her,  which  she 
would  by  no  means  have  done  had  she 
been  unapprised  of  his  design. 

5.  I  se'3  your  father's  countenance,  that 
it  is  not,  &c.  Had  Laban's  sons  only 
murmured,  Jacob  might  have  borne  it : 
but  their  father  partook  of  their  disaffec- 
tion, as  was  palpably  evident  by  his  al- 
tered demeanor.  It  is  wisely  ordered 
that  the  countenance  shall,  in  most 
cases,  be  an  index  to  the  heart ;  else 
there  would  be  much  more  deception 
in  the  world  than  there  is.  We  gather 
more  of  men's  dispositions  towards  us 
from  looks  that  from  words ;  and  do- 
mestic happiness  is  more  influenced  by 
the  one  than  the  other.  Sullen  silence 
is  often  less  tolerable  than  contention 
itself,  because  the  latter,  painful  as  it  is, 
affords  opportunity  for  mutual  explana- 
nation.    But  while  Jacob  had  to  com- 


times  :  but  God  ^'  suffered  him  not 
to  hurt  me. 

8  If  he  said  thus,  ^  The  speckled 
shall  be  thy  wages ;  then  all  the 
cattle  bare  speckled  :  and  if  he  said 
thus.  The  ring-streaked  shall  be  thy 
hire  ;  then  bare  all  the  cattle  ring- 
streaked. 

9  Thus  God  hath  '"  taken  awa> 


k  ch.  20.  6.    Ps.  105.  14. 
m  ver.  1, 16. 


1  ch.  30.  32. 


plain  of  Laban's  cloudy  countenance, 
he  could  add,  '  The  God  of  my  father 
has  been  with  me  ;'  or,  as  the  Chal.  has 
it,  '  The  Word  of  the  God  of  my  father 
has  been  for  m.y  help ;'  thus  bearing 
witness  to  his  integrity  ;  far  had  he  done 
wrong,  he  would  not  have  been  thus 
blessed.  The  smiles  of  God  are  the 
best  supports  under  the  frowns  of  men 
If  we  walk  in  the  light  of  discountenance, 
we  need  not  fear  what  man  can  do 
unto  us. 

7.  Your  father  hath  deceived  me.  Heb. 
^TTi  hcthel.  This  word,  in  Judg.  16.  10, 
is  rendered  mocked  ;  in  Ex.  8.  29,  deal 
deceitfully,  and  by  the  Chal.  is  here 
rendered  hath  lied  unto  me.  It  properly 
denotes  all  these. ^  Changed  Viy  wa- 
ges ten  limes.  That  is,  many  times  ;  a 
definite  rmmber  for  an  indefinite,  ac- 
cording to  a  common  usage  of  the  origi- 
nal. Thus, Num.  14.22.  ' Yehavetempt- 
ed  me  these /en  times,'  i.  e.  many  times. 
Job  19.  3,  'These  ten  times  have  ye 
reproached  me,'  i.  e.  in  repeated  instan- 
ces ;  again  and  again.  In  like  manner, 
Lev.  26.  25,  '  Ten  women  shall  bake 
your  bread  in  one  oven.'  Eccl.  7.  19, 
'  Wisdom  strengtheneth  the  wise  more 
than  ten  migtity  men  the  city.'  Zech. 
8.  23,  '  In  those  days — ten  men  shall  take 
I  hold  of  the  skirt  of  him  that  is  a  Jew. 
Rev.  2.  10.  '  Ye  shall  have  tribulation 

ten  daj's.' IF  Suffered  him  not.     Heb. 

i:~:  ncfhano,  gave  him  not.      See  the 
idiom  explained  Gen.  20.  6, 


10.  Thus  God  hath  taken  auay,  &c 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


141 


the  cattle  of  your  father,  and  given 
them  to  me. 

10  And  it  came  to  pass  at  the 
time  that  the  cattle  conceived,  that 
I  Ufted  up  mine  eyes,  and  saw  in  a 
dream,  and  behold,  the  rams  which 
leaped  upon  the  cattle  were  ring- 
streaked,  speckled,  and  grizzled. 

11  And  "  the  angel  of  God  spake 
unto  me  in  a  dream,  saying,  Jacob : 
And  I  said.  Here  am  I. 

12  And  he  said.  Lift  up  now  thine 

"  ch.  48.  16. 


These  words  contain  a  clear  vindication 
of  Jacob  from  the  charge  brought 
against  him  by  Laban's  sons,  v.  1,  of 
having  despoiled  their  father  of  his 
wealth.  In  whatever  form  his  wages 
were  to  be  paid  to  him,  God,  and  not 
he,  liad  so  ordered  the  course  of  things, 
that  it  should  turn  to  his  advantage,  and 
this  he  would  piously  and  gratefully  ac- 
knowledge. To  this  assertion  of  the 
patriarch  the  sentiments  of  his  wives, 
as  they  express  themselves,  v.  16,  most 
cordially  respond. 

10.  Saw  in  a  dream.  It  was  doubtless 
in  this  way  that  the  expedient  describ- 
ed in  the  preceding  chapter  was  sug- 
gested to  the  mind  of  Jacob. ^  Griz- 
zled. Heb.  t]"iT^2  heruddim,  from  the 
verb  Tnn  harad,  to  strew,  scatter,  sprin- 
kle, and  hence  to  hail.  Indeed,  our  word 
grisled  comes  from  the  old  French  gresle, 
hail,  now  written  grele.  The  import 
of  the  epithet  therefore  here  is  hail-spot- 
ted, or  marked  with  rather  large  w'hite 
spots,  like  hail-stones  on  a  dark  ground. 
It  differs  from  C^lp^  nekuddim,  speckled, 
occurring  in  the  same  connexion,  only 
by  mdicating  spots  of  a  larger  size. 
This  was  the  color  of  the  horses  seen 
in  the  fourth  chariot  in  Zechariah's 
vision,  Zech.  C>.  3,  bay  mottled  with 
white. 

11.  The  angel  of  God  spake  unto  me  in 
a  dream.  It  is  somewhat  doubtful 
whether  this  and  the  dream  mentioned 
V.  10,  were  one  and  the  same.      That 


eyes  and  see,  all  the  rams  which 
leap  upon  the  cattle  are  ring-streak- 
ed, speclded,  and  grizzled  :  for  °  I 
have  seen  all  that  Laban  doeth  unto 
thee. 

13  I  am  the  God  of  Beth-el, 
p  where  thou  anointedst  the  pillar, 
and  where  thou  vowedst  a  vow  un- 
to me :  now  "  arise,  get  thee  out 
from  this  land,  and  return  unto  the 
land  of  thy  kindred. 

o  Exod.  3.  7.         p  ch.  28.  18, 19,  20. 
q  ver.  3.    ch.  32.  9. 


they  were  so,  appears  on  the  whole  most 
probable,  and  if  we  render  v.  11,  ^  For 
the  angel  of  God  spake  unto  me,'  &c. 
the  words  contained  in  vv.  12,  13,  be- 
come merely  a  more  expanded  state- 
ment of  the  particulars  of  the  dream 
briefly  alluded  to  in  v.  10.  Not  having 
previously  mentioned  it  to  his  wives,  he 
here  takes  occasion,  in  order  to  confirm 
them  still  more  in  the  belief  that  he  was 
under  special  divine  direction  in  the 
contemplated  removal,  to  recite  it  in 
fuller  detad.  The  words  uttered  by  the 
angel  are  very  remarkable.  '  I  am  the 
God  of  Bethel.'  It  is  scarcely  conceiv- 
able that  such  language  should  ever 
have  proceeded  from  the  lip^  of  a  crea- 
ted being.  Indeed,  the  evidence  of  the 
supreme  divinity  of  the  speaker  here 
is  the  same  with  that  which  meets  us  in 
the  account  of  similar  apparitions  alrea- 
dy considered.  Gen.  16.  7.-22.  11.  It 
is  therefore  unnecessary  to  dwell  upon 
it  here. 

13.  Where  thou  anointedst  the  pillar. 
This  was  a  clear  intimation,  if  any  such 
were  needed,  that  God  had  accepted 
the  services  of  Jacob,  performed  at  Beth- 
el. But  in  directing  his  thoughts  to  the 
vision  at  Bethel,  the  Lord  reminds  his 
servant  of  those  solemn  acts  by  which 
he  had  at  that  time  devoted  himself  to 
him.  It  is  not  only  necessary  for  our 
support  in  trouble  that  we  should  re- 
member the  promises  of  God  to  us,  but 
our  solemn  engagements  also  to  him. 


142 


GENESIS. 


[Ji.  C.  1739. 


14  And  Rachel  and  Leah  an- 
swered, and  said  unto  him, "  Is  there 
yet  any  portion  or  inheritance  for  us 
in  our  father's  house  ? 

15  Are  we  not  counted  of  him 
strangers  1  for  =  he  hath  sold  us,  and 
hath  quite  devoured  also  our  money. 

16  For  all  the  riches  which  God 
hath  taken  from  our  father,  that  is 
our?,  and  our  children's  :  now  then, 

r  cli.  2.  24.        •  ch.  29. 15, 27. 

It  is  thus  that  the  same  devout  and  joy- 
ful affections  which  distinguished  the 
happiest  seasons  of  our  lives  will  be 
kindled  afresh,  and  in  all  our  movements 
we  shall  more  distinctly  keep  in  view 
the  end  for  which  we  live. 

14.  Is  there  yet  any  portion  or  inherit- 
ance 7  Implying  that  they  had  no  hope 
of  deriving  any  farther  benefit  from  their 
relation  to  such  a  fatlier,  and  conse- 
quently no  motive  for  remaining  longer 
with  him.  By  '  portion,'  is  to  be  under- 
stood such  voluntary  gifts  and  presents 
as  he  might  be  induced  to  make  to  them, 
and  by  '  inheritance,'  that  to  which  they 
might  expect  to  succeed  by  law  or  com- 
mon usage. 

15.  Hath  sold  us,  and  hath  quite  devour- 
ed also  our  money.  Instead  of  dealing 
with  us  as  daughters,  disposing  of  us 
with  honorable  dowries,  he  has  bar- 
gained us  away  like  slaves,  and  applied 
the  proceeds  to  his  own  use,  instead  of 
bestowing  any  portion  of  it  upon  us. 

T  Devoured  our  money.  Heb.  12  £  DID 

kaspenu,  our  silver ;  i.e.  the  price,  the 
equivalent,   for   which   we   were   sold. 
The  '  selling'  to  which  they  allude,  was 
Laban's  compact  with  Jacob  for  four- 
teen years'  service.      As  this  service 
was  in  lieu  of  a  dowry,  which  would 
naturally  have  accrued  to  the  wives  as 
aright,  they  jointly  complain  of  being  1 
excluded   from  all  participation  in  the  i 
avails  of  it.     Their  crimination  of  their  I 
father  is  not  to  be  reckoned  a  breach  of' 
filial  reverence,  for  they  are  not  iradu- 1 
cing^  him  in  the  presence  of  strangers, ' 


whatsoever  God  hath  said  unto  thee, 
do. 

17  IT  Then  Jacob  rose  up,  and 
set  his  sons  and  his  wives  upon 
camels ; 

18  And  he  carried  away  all  his 
cattle,  and  all  his  goods  which  he 
had  gotten,  the  cattle  of  his  getting, 

I  which  he  had  gotten  in  Padan-aram  ; 
for  to  go  to  Isaac  his  father  in  the 
land  of  Canaan. 

but  merely  stating  the  reason  which 
justified  them  to  their  own  consciences 
in  leaving  him. 

17,  IS.  Then  Jacob  rose  up,  &c.  The 
result  showed  that  Jacob  acted  prudent- 
ly in  taking  his  departure  without  the 
knowledge  of  Laban.  Had  he  known 
it,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  he 
would  either  have  detained  him  by  force, 
or  deprived  him  of  a  part  of  his  proper- 
ty.— '  A  very  interesting  part  of  Orien- 
tal usages  consists  in  the  different  forms 
of  travelling  and  migration,  in  which 
httle  alteration  seems  to  have  taken 
place  since  the  most  early  times,  the 
usages  of  which  are  briefly  indicated  in 
tlie  book  of  Genesis.  It  is  impossible 
for  one  who  is  acquainted  with  the  Bi- 
ble to  witness  the  migration  of  a  nomade 
tribe,  whether  Arabian  or  Tartar,  with- 
out being  forcibly  reminded  of  this  jour- 
ney of  Jacob,  and  the  various  removals 
of  his  grandfather  and  father.  The  de- 
gree of  change  probably  extends  little 
further  than  to  the  more  warlike  char- 
acter which  the  tribes  now  assume  in 
their  journeys,  arising  from  the  increase 
of  population,  and  from  the  extension  of 
the  aggressive  principle  among  the  chil- 
dren of  the  deserts.  We  have  already 
mentioned  the  expedition  with  which 
the  people  in  the  East  prepare  for  an 
entire  removal  (see  note  on  chap.  14.  10.) 
In  a  quarter  of  the  time  which  it  would 
take  a  poor  family  in  England  to  get  the 
furniture  of  a  single  room  ready  for  re- 
moval, the  tents  of  a  large  encampment 
will   have   been   struck,   and,  together 


J3.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


143 


with  all  the  moveables  and  provisions, 
packed  away  upon  the  backs  of  camels, 
mules,  or  asses ;  and  the  whole  party- 
will  be  on  its  way,  leaving,  to  use  an 
expression  of  their  own,  not  a  halter 
or  a  rag  behind.  The  order  of  march  in 
the  removal  of  a  pastoral  tribe  or  fami- 
ly seems  to  be  much  the  same  as  that 
which  may  be  traced  in  the  next  and 
ensuing  chapter.  When  the  number  of 
animals  is  considerable,  they  are  kept  in 
separate  flocks  and  droves,  under  the 
charge  of  shepherds  and  herdmen,  or  of 
the  yaung  men  and  women  of  the  tribe, 
who  hurry  actively  about,  often  assisted 
by  dogs,  to  restrain  the  larger  and  more 
lively  animals  from  straying  too  far- 
The  very  young  or  newly-born  lambs 
and  kids  are  carried  either  under  the 
arms  of  the  young  people,  or  in  baskets 
or  panniers  thrown  across  the  backs  of 
camels.  To  this  custom  of  carrying  the 
lambs  in  the  arms  of  the  shepherds,  as 
well  as  to  the  necessity  mentioned  by 
Jacob  (chap.  33.  13.)  of  driving  slowly 
when  the  sheep  are  with  young,  there 
is  a  beautiful  allusion  in  Isaiah,  chap. 
40.  11;  'He  shall  feed  his  flock  like  a 
shepherd  ;  he  shall  gather  the  lambs 
with  his  arm,  and  carry  them  in  his  bo- 
som, and  shall  gently  lead  those  that  are 
with  young.'  The  sheep  and  goats 
generally  lead  the  van,  and  are  followed 
by  the  camels,  and  perhaps  asses,  laden 
more  or  less  with  the  property  of  the 
community :  consisting  of  the  tents, 
with  their  cordage,  mats,  carpets,  clothes, 
skins,  water  and  provision-bags,  boilers, 
and  pots,  and  sundry  other  utensils, 
bundled  up  in  admirable  confusion,  un- 
less when  all  the  property  belongs  to 
one  person,  as  in  the  case  of  Jacob. 
The  laden  beasts  are  usually  followed 
by  the  elderly  men,  the  women,  and  the 
children,  who  are  mostly  on  foot  in  the 
ordinary  migrations  with  the  flocks ; 
which  must  be  carefully  distinguished 
from  a  caravan  journey,  or  a  predatory 
excursion  across  the  deserts.  The  very 
young  children  are  carried  on  the  backs 


or  in  the  arms  of  their  mothers,  who  in 
general  are  on  foot,  but  are  sometimes 
mounted,  with  their  infants,  on  the 
spare  or  lightly-laden  beasts.  The  sick 
and  very  aged  persons  are  similarly 
mounted  ;  and  the  children  old  enough 
to  take  some  care  of  themselves,  but 
not  to  go  on  foot,  or  perhaps  to  speak, 
are  either  carried  on  the  backs  of  the 
young  men  or  women,  or  set  upon  the 
lop  of  the  baggage  on  the  beasts  of 
burden,  and  left  there  to  shift  for 
themselves.  The  little  creatures  cling 
to  their  seats,  and  seldom  require  or 
receive  much  attention.  The  mid- 
dle-aged men,  well  armed  and  ready  for 
action,  march  steadily  along  by  the 
flanks  of  the  column,  controlling  and  di- 
recting its  general  progress  ;  w-hile  the 
younger  people  attend  to  the  details. 
The  chief  himself  brings  up  the  rear, 
accompanied  by  the  principal  persons  of 
the  party.  He  is  generally  on  horse- 
back, however  the  rest  may  be  circum- 
stanced. Sometimes,  when  the  tribe 
is  wealthy,  a  great  proportion  of  the 
people  may  be  mounted  in  some  way 
or  other;  and  the  men,  armed  with  lan- 
ces, ride  about  to  bring  up  the  march  of 
the  cattle  ;  but,  as  a  general  thing,  we 
may  say  that  the  mass  of  the  people 
perform  such  migrations  on  foot.  A 
day's  stage,  w'ith  numerous  flocks,  is 
necessarily  short,  and  the  pace  easy  ; 
and  must  not  be  confounded  with  a 
day's  journey  by  the  caravan.  It  would 
seem  as  if  most  of  Jacob's  people  went 
on  foot.  It  is  only  said  that  he  set  his 
wives  and  children  upon  camels  :  and 
in  chap.  33.  14,  where  the  phrase  which 
the  text  gives  is,  '  I  will  lead  on  softly, 
according  as  the  cattle  that  goeth  he/ore 
me,  and  the  children  are  able  to  endure,' 
— the  margin  more  literally  renders, 
'  According  to  the  foot  of  the  work,  ac- 
cording to  //te/oof  of  the  children.'  Pict. 

Bible. ^   Carried  away  all  his  cattle. 

Heb.  ;in3'^  yinhag,  led,  drove,OT  conduct' 

ed  atvay. IT  Cattle  of  his  getting.     Or, 

Heb.  I'^i^p  kinyano,  of  his  possessing. 


144 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


19  And  Laban  went    to   shear 
his  sheep :   and   Rachel  had  stol- 


19  And  Laban  went — and  Rachel  had 
stolen.  Rather,  '  For  Laban  had  gone — 
and  Rachel  stole,'  as  several  of  the  an- 
cient versions  read  it.  His  absence  gave 
Rachel  the  opportunity  of  possessing  her- 
self of  the  images.  It  is  impossible  to 
speak  with  confidence  of  the  motives  by 
which  Rachel  was  actuated  in  this  tran- 
saction. Among  the  many  solutions 
which  have  been  attempted  of  her  con- 
duct, the  following  may  be  specified. 
(1)  That  the  images  were  of  pre- 
cious metal,  and  Rachel  stole  them, 
to  compensate  for  the  loss  of  dowry 
sustained  through  Laban's  bargain 
with  Jacob.  (2)  That  she  thought 
that  by  taking  the  oracles,  she  should 
deprive  Laban  of  the  means  of  discover- 
ing the  flight  of  her  husband.  (3)  That 
she  expected  by  this  act  to  bring  pros- 
perity from  the  household  of  her  father 
to  her  husband.  (4)  Some  conclude 
that  she  hoped  to  cure  her  father  of  his 
idolatrous  propensities  by  depriving  him 
of  the  instruments ;  while  many,  on  the 
other  hand,  imagine  that  Rachel  and 
her  sister  were  infected  by  the  same 
superstitions  as  their  father,  and  wished 
to  continue  the  practice  of  them  in  the 
land  of  Canaan.  This  last  supposition 
is  not  very  easily  reconciled  with 
what  we  are  led  to  infer  respecting  the 
character  of  these  women  in  the  forego- 
ing narrative.  They  were  both,  on  the 
birth  of  their  children,  apparently  so 
full  of  devout  acknowledgments  to  the 
Most  High,  as  the  author  of  their  mer- 
cies, that  we  were  constrained  to  enter- 
tain a  hope  of  their  piety.  Nor  ought, 
perhaps,  the  clandestine  abduction  of 
the  images  to  forfeit  for  them  our  good 
opinion  on  the  whole  ;  although,  if  her 
object  was,  as  some  suppose,  by  a  pious 
theft,  to  remove  from  her  father  a 
prominent  occasion  of  sin,  it  is  not 
easy  to  see  why  she  should  not  have 


en  the  ^  images  that  loere  her  fa- 
ther's. 

« ch.  35.  2. 


cast  them  into  the  Euphrates  as  she 
crossed  it,  or  at  least  have  informed  Ja- 
cob, after  their  departure,  of  what  she 
had  done.  For  this  reason  her  conduct 
appears  questionable.  In  fact,  the  more 
we  ponder  the  story,  the  greater  are  our 
misgivings  as  to  the  purity  of  her  mo- 
tives. But  whatever  they  were,  it  is 
clear  that  these  images  afterwards 
proved  a  snare  to  Jacob's  family ;  for 
we  are  informed,  ch.  35.  1 — 3,  that  he 
could  not  go  up  to  Bethel  till  he  had 
cleansed  his  house  of  them.  The  prob- 
ability, we  think,  is,  that  the  family  of 
Laban,  though  possessed  of  some 
knowledge  of  the  true  God,  was  yet  ia 
a  measure  tinctured  with  some  remains 
of  the  idolatry  and  superstition  of  the  sur- 
rounding countries,  and  afforded  a  speci- 
men of  that  mixed  and  mongrel  worship 
which  is  elsewhere  expressed,  Zeph.  I. 
5,  by  'swearing  by  the  Lord  and  by 
Malcham,'  equivalent  to  aiming  to  serve 
God  and  mammon  at  the  same  time. 
The  human  heart  is  sadly  prone  to  idol- 
atry, and  even  when  in  possession  of 
some  knowledge  of  God  is  ever  mixing 
up  with  his  the  worship  of  other  strange 
gods.  We  see  this,  if  w^e  mistake  not, 
here  among  the  descendants  of  Nahor, 
the  near  relatives  of  Abraham  ;  we  see 
it  in  the  images  of  the  Romish  church  ; 
we  see  it  in  many  who  set  up  their  idols 
in  their  hearts,  if  not  in  their  houses, 
who  worship  the  creature  more  than 
the  Creator,  w-ho  make  gods  of  their 
riches,  their  pleasures,  their  lusts.  But 
the  irrevocable  commandment  of  the 
Almighty  is,  '  Thou  shalt  have  no  othei 

gods   but    me.' -IT  Teraphim.      Heb 

C^&l^  teraphiin.  Gr.  ct^coXa,  idols. 
Chal.  Arab.,  and  Syr.  '  Images.'  Jose- 
phus,  '  Types  of  gods.'  The  etymology, 
and  consequently  the  exact  signification 
of  the  word,  is  doubtful.  Of  the  various 
conjectures  respecting  its    origin,    the 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXr. 


145 


following  appear  to  rest  upon  the  most 
plausible  grounds :  (1.)  That  it  is  de- 
rived from  the  Syriac  '  Teraph,'  to  in- 
quire, from  their  being  consulted  and 
inquired  of  as  oracles,  Ezek.  21.  21 ; 
^ech.  10.  2.  (2.)  That  it  is  formed  by 
1  common  change  of  the  letters  T  and 
S  from  Seraphim,  the  same  as  Cher- 
ubim, from  which  the  original  hint  of 
them  is  supposed  to  be  taken ;  or,  (3.) 
That,  as  Jurieu  suggest.^,  it  comes  from 
Jj^S'l  rapha,  to  heal  or  cure,  whence,  by 
adding  formative  letters  Q'^D'^ri  tera- 
phim,  dii  sanatores,  gods  thai  can  cure  or 
heal.  This  is  supposed  to  be  confirmed 
by  the  fact  that  the  Teraphim  are  called 
in  the  Gr.  of  Judg.  17.  5,  Oepadtiv  tlier- 
aphein,  to  which,  it  is  conjectured,  we 
are  to  trace  the  origin  of  the  word 
depa-irevca  therapeuo,  to  heal,  from  these 
idols  being  consuked,  and  thus,  in  a 
sense,  worshipped,  by  their  votaries, 
with  a  view,  among  other  things,  to  the 
obtainment  of  health,  healing,  and  the 
general  prosperity  of  the  hous^'hold.s  to 
which  they  pertained.  Eat,  leaving  the 
question  of  the  etymology  of  the  term 
undecided,  we  remark  that  the  Tera- 
phim are  frequently  mentioned  in  the 
Old  Testament.  They  seem  to  have 
been  images— sometimes  very  small  and 
sometimes  large — apparently  in  the  hu- 
man figure,  or  at  least  with  a  human 
head  ;  and  the  Jewish  writers  say  that 
they  were  placed  in  niches,  with  lamps 
burning  before  them.  '  From  the  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  m  which  they  are 
mentioned,  it  would  seem  that  they 
were  not  idols  in  the  worst  sense  of  the 
word,  no  primary  worship  being  render- 
ed to  them.  They  were  certainly  used 
by  persons  who  had  professed  the  wor- 
ship of  the  true  God ;  hut  as  they 
proved  a  snare  to  take  away  the  heart 
from  Him,  and  to  divide  or  supersede 
that  exclusive  confidence  and  trust 
which  he  required,  we  find  them  de- 
nounced by  (he  prophets ;  and  they 
were  doubtless  included  in  the  general 


Moses.  No  doubt  they  often  became 
objects  of  positively  idolatrous  homage; 
but  in  their  general  use,  before  and  after 
the  deliverance  of  the  law,  they  seem 
to  have  been  popularly  considered  as 
not  being  incompatible  with  the  alle- 
giance due  to  Jehovah  ;  and  there  are 
instances  in  which  we  find  teraphim 
connected,  in  some  way  or  other,  with 
the  family  and  pubUc  worship  rendered 
to  Him.  So  far  as  this  matter  can  be 
understood,  it  seems  to  us  that  these 
images  were  considered  to  fix  a  protect- 
ing and  guiding  presence  to  the  places 
in  which  they  were  set — protecting, 
perhaps,  as  an  Oriental  talisman  is  con- 
sidered to  protect;  and  guiding  as  an 
oracle,  which  in  some  way  or  other  was 
considered  to  indicate  the  course  that 
ought  to  be  pursued  on  occasions  of 
doubt  and  difficulty.  Thus  the  Danite.s 
desired  the  Levite,  who  had  charge  of 
Micah's  teraphim,  to  ask  counsel  for 
them,  and  he  gave  them  a  response  as 
from  the  Lord  (Judges  18.  5,  6.)  The 
prophets  also  mention  them  as  oracles. 
Ezekiel  (chap.  21.  21.)  describes  the 
king  of  Babylon  as  using  divination — 
consulting  with  teraphim  ;  and  Zecha- 
riah  (chap.  10.  1.)  tells  the  Jews  that 
their  teraphim  '  have  spoken  vanity,  and 
the  diviners  have  seen  a  lie.'  Our 
translation  sometimes  retains  the  origin- 
al word,  and  at  other  times  renders  it 
'  images'  or  '  idols.'  The  Seventy  have 
generally  rendered  the  word  by  '  ora- 
cles' (SfjXcav  and  avocpdeyyonevoi)  ;  but 
in  Sam.  16.  13,  16,  they  have  K£voTa<pia, 
as  if  they  thought  that  the  teraphim 
there  meant  images  placed  as  sepulchral 
monuments.  Some,  however,  render 
this  Greek  word  by  '  vain  figures.'  Pict. 
Bible.  The  '  Teraphim'  may  be  defin- 
ed divining  images,  and  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  they  were  regarded  as  a 
kind  of  Penates,  Lares,  or  household 
gods,  as  Laban  himself  virtually  terran 
them,  v.  30.  They  appear  to  have 
been  employed  in  false  worship  for  a 
interdiction  of  images  by  the  law  of  j  purpose  similar  to  that  of  (he  Ephod  m 
VOL.  It.  13 


146 


GENESIS. 


[B,C.  r 


20  And  Jacob  stole  away  una- 
wares to  Laban  the  Syrian,  in  that 
he  told  him  not  that  he  fled. 

21  So  he   fled   with  all  that  he 


had ;  and  he  rc^e  up>  and  passed 
over  the  river,  and  "  set  his  face 
toward  the  mount  Gilead. 
<:  cb.  46.  28.  2  Kings  12.  17.  Luke  9.  51,  53. 


the  true.  Accordingly  the  prophet 
Hosea,  ch.  3.  4,  in  a  prediction  of  the 
future  desolate  condition  of  the  Jews, 
pays,  '  They  shall  be  withozit  an  image, 
and  without  an  ephod,  and  without  tera- 
phim,*  or  as  it  should  probably  be  render- 
ed, '  without  a-n  ephod,  even  teraphim  ;' 
the  word  'without'  not  occurring  in  the 
original ;  as  if  in  their  degenerate  state 
the  Ephod  were  in  God's  sight  no  bette? 
than  the  Teraphim.  The  drift  of  the 
passage  is  to  predict  that  they  should 
he  reduced  to  such  extremrties,  that  they 
should  neither  have  the  implements 
of  the  worship  of  the  true  God  nor  of 
idols.  For  a  fuller  account  of  the  Tera- 
phim, see  'Jurieu's  Critical  Hist,  of 
Doct.  and  Wor.  of  the  Church,'  vol.  ii. 
p.  77. 

20.  Jacob  stole  away  unawares  to  La- 
han.  Heb.  mb  £li^  n^^*^  yignob  elh  leb, 
stole  away  the  heart,  a  Hebraism  for  de- 
parting wzthoul  the  consent  or  privity  of 
Laban.  Or.  CKpvxpe  rov  Aa0av,  hid  (i.  e. 
covertly  eluded)  Laban.  Chal.  '  Jacob 
concealed  it  from  Laban.'  To  'steal 
the  heart,'  in  the  original  idiom,  is  to 
conduct  or  demean  one's  self  in  such  a 
way  as  to  create  a  false  impression 
as  to  a  matter  of  fact.  Thus  Absalom 
•  stole  the  hearts  of  the  men  of  Israel,' 
2  Sara.  15-  6,  by  so  framing  his  conduct 
as  to  produce  the  impression  of  his  being 
at  once  a  dutiful  son  and  a  loyal  subject, 
while  he  was  at  the  same  time  plotting 
the  overthrow  of  the  government  at  the 
hazard  of  his  father's  life.  So  Jacob 
'  stole  the  heart  of  Laban'  by  acting  as 
if  he  had  no  other  design  but  of  remain- 
ing with  him,  while  he  was,  in  fact, 
making  arrangements  for  a  clandestine 
departure.  In  hke  manner  we  find  in 
Homer,  II.  14.  217,  ^cXetttciv  voov,  to 
steal  the  mind,  i.  e.  to  mislead,  to  deceive, 


to  impose  upon. IT  Laban  the  Syrian. 

But  what  necessity  was  there  of  here 
mentioning  his  country  ?  Was  not  this 
already  sufficiently  known  ?  We  incline 
to  the  belief  that  there  is  in  the  original 
a  designed  play  upon  words,  which  af- 
fords the  only  clue  to  the  use  of  the  epi- 
thet in  this  place.  The  Heb.  for  Syrian 
is  "^IQ^IH  arammi,  Aravnte,  and  it  so  hap- 
pens that  the  Heb.  term  for  cunning, 
crafty,  wily,  is  'a'"|3>  aram,  differing  but 
little  in  its  letters,  and  still  less  in 
sound  ;  so  that  the  impct  would  be- 
that  Jacob  (the  supplanter)  had,  in 
thus  secretly  stealing  away,  outwitted 
hiB  scheming  kinsman,  whatever  may 
have  been  his  previous  stratagems  for 

detaining  him. ^  Li  that  he  told  him 

not.  Or,  impersonally, in  that  no  one  told 
him  ;  in  that  it  came  not  at  all  to  his  ears. 
21.  Passed  over  the  river.  The  river 
Euphrates,  lying  between  Mesopotamia 
and  Cancan ;  so  called  by  way  of  dis- 
tinction.  ^  Set  his  face.  That  is,  di- 
rected his  course  with  the  full  bent  of 
his  soul ;  going  forward  with  the  most 
determined  purpose.  Accordingly  it  is 
rendered  in  the  Gr.  ojp/iijac,  implying  an 
earnest  and  violent  running  or  rushing 
forward.  It  is  equivalent  to  the  expres- 
sion, Luke  9.  51,  'He  steadfastly  set  his 
face  to  go  to  Jerusalem ;'  so  also  Jer .  50. 5, 
They  shall  ask  the  way  to  Zion  vdth  their 
faces  thitherward;  i.  e.  fully  resolved  to 
go. ?  The  Mount  Gilead.  The  moun- 
tainous regions  of  Gilead  ;  '  mount'  be- 
ing used  as  a  collect,  sing,  for  'moun- 
tains.' The  range  is  so  trailed  here  pro- 
leptically,  as  the  name  was  first  given  by 
Jacob  himself  (v.  4,)  to  the  round  heap 
of  stones,  and  it  was  ultimately  extend- 
ed to  the  adjoining  mountains  and  dis- 
trict. Mount  Gilead  is  properly  a  chain 
of  mountains,  forming  part  of  thcexten- 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


147 


22  And  it  was  told  Laban  on  the 
third  day,  that  Jacob  was  fled. 

23  And  he  took  *  his  brethren 
with  him,  and  pursued  after  him 
seven  days' journey  :  and  they  over- 
took him  in  the  mount  Gilead. 

=«ch.  13.8. 


eive  ridge  which,  under  various  names 
extends  north  and  south,  and  forms  the 
eastern  boundary  of  Canaan,  towards 
Arabia  Petrea.  It  is  situated  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Jordan,  and  stretches 
from  Hermon,  one  of  the  highest  peaks 
of  Lebanon  or  Libanus,  on  the  north, 
to  Arabia  Petrea  on  the  south.  The 
northern  part  of  it,  known  by  the 
name  of  Bashan  was  celebrated  for  its 
stately  oaks  and  numerous  herds  of  cat- 
tle pastured  there,  to  which  there  are 
many  allusions  in  the  Scriptures.  The 
scenery  of  this  elevated  tract  is  describ- 
ed by  Mr,  Buckingham  as  exceedingly 
beautiful ;  its  plains  covered  with  a  fer- 
tile soil,  its  hills  clothed  with  forests, 
and  at  every  new  turn  presenting  the 
most  beautiful  landscapes  that  can  be 
imagined.  The  middle  part,  in  a  strict- 
er sense,  was  termed  Gilead ;  and  in 
the  southern  parts,  beyond  Jordan,  were 
the  mountains  of  Abarim.  The  most 
eminent  among  these  are  Pisgah  and 
Nebo,  which  form  a  continued  chain, 
and  command  a  view  of  the  whole  land 
of  Canaan.  From  Mount  Nebo  3Ioses 
surveyed  the  promised  land  before  he 
was  gathered  to  his  fathers.  This  flight 
of  Jacob  occurred  A.  M.  2266,  610  years 
after  the  flood,  in  the  158th  year  of 
Isaac's  age,  and  the  98th  of  Jacob's. 

22,  23.  It  was  told  Laban  on  the  third 
day.  He  heard  of  it  no  earlier  on  ac- 
count of  the  distance  that  intervened 
between  his  flocks  and  Jacob's,  as  we 
learn  from  comparing  ch.  30.  36,  -with 
eh,  31.  19.  But  no  sooner  does  he  hear 
of  his  son-in-law's  abrupt  departure, 
than  he  collects  a  sufficient  force  from 
among  his  kinsmen  and  adherents,  and 
sets  out  in  hot  pursuit  of  him.  It  is  easy 


24  And  God  y  came  to  Laban 
the  Syrian  in  a  dream  by  night,  and 
said  unto  him,  Take  heed  that  thou 
^  speak  not  to  Jacob  either  afood  or 
bad.  ^ 

y  ch.20.  3.    Job  33.  15.    Matt.  1.  20. 
»  ch.  24,  50. 


to  see  from  this  with  what  reception  a 
formal  request  or  proposal  to  be  dismiss- 
ed from  his  service  that  he  might  return 
to  Canaan,  would  have  met  at  the  hand 
of  Laban,  The  patriarch  was  no  doubt 
fully  satisfied  in  his  own  mind  that  he 
must  leave  his  employer  clandestinely 
if  he  left  him  at  all, 

24,  God  came  to  Lahan  in  a  dream  by 
night.  Not  that  there  was  any  personal 
manifestation  of  the  Deity  to  Laban,  but 
he  was  visited  by  a  supernatural  dream  ; 
a  dream  in  which  it  was  in  some  way 
mysteriously  impressed  upon  his  spirit 
that  he  must  offer  no  harm  to  Jacob, 
Such  communications  were  anciently 
made  to  men  independent  of  their  mo- 
ral character.  The  divine  influence, 
which  makes  know-n  the  will  of  God,  or 
the  coming  events  of  his  providence  is 
entirely  different  from  that  which  is  put 
forth  in  the  renewal  of  men's  characters 
and  making  them  heirs  of  eternal  Ufe. 
Accordingly,  we  find  such  men  as 
Abimelech,  Laban,  Balaam,  and  Nebu- 
chadnezzar made,  on  particular  occa- 
sions and  for  particular  purposes,  the  re- 
cipients of  divine  revelations.  But  the 
gift  of  prophecy  is  of  infinitely  less  va- 
lue than  the  saving  graces  of  the  Holy 

Spirit. IT  Speak  not  to  Jacob    either 

good  or  bad.  Heb.  5>^  15"  )2TOf2  mittob 
ad  raa,  from  good  to  bad.  The  sequel 
shows  that  this  could  not  have  been  in- 
tended, as  the  letter  of  the  text  would 
seem  to  indicate,  as  a  prohibition  against 
saying  any  thing  at  all  to  Jacob.  It  is 
probably  to  be  understood  in  a  restrict- 
ed sense,  that  is,  in  reference  to  the 
special  design  with  which  he  had  pur- 
sued his  kinsman.  He  was  not  to  at- 
tempt, either  by  enticing  words  or  by 


148 


GENESIS.  [B.  C.  r/<^. 


25  IF  Then  Laban  overtook  Ja- 
cob. Now  Jacob  had  pitched  his 
tent  in  the  mount :  and  Laban  with 
his  brethren  pitched  in  the  mount 
ofGilead. 

26  And  Laban  said  to  Jacob, 
What  hast  thou  done,  that  thou  hast 
stolen  away  unawares  to  me,  and 


rough  usage  or  threats,  to  prevail  upon 
Jacob  to  desist  from  his  present  journey, 
and  return  to  Syria.  Some,  however, 
j)ropose  to  adhere  to  the  hteral  rendering, 
and  to  interpret  it  as  a  w  arning  to  La- 
ban 7Wt  to  change  from  a  friendly  tone  of 
address  to  a  harsh  menacing  one ;  q.  d, 
do  not  begin  with  '  Peace  be  unto  thee,' 
and  then  proceed  to  injurious  language 
or  acts  of  violence.  Whether  this  be 
the  true  construction  or  not,  the  sense 
it  gives  is  rather  confirmed  by  seve- 
ral of  the  versions.  Gr.  jxr]  ttotc  AaA/jo-r/j 
^sra  laKofi  irovrjoa  lest  in  any  way  thou 
speak  evil  with  Jacob.  Vu!g.  Cave  ne 
quidquam  aspere  loquaris  contra  Jacob, 
take  heed  that  thou  speak  not  any  thing 
harshly  against  Jacob.  Coverd.  '  Take 
heed  that  thou  speak  not  to  Jacob  aught 
save  good.'  Germ.  Vers,  of  Luth. 
•  Watch  thyself  that  thou  speak  with 
Jacob  no  otherwise  than  friendly.' 

26.  VHiathast  thou  done  that,  &.C.  Thus 
evincing  the  truth  of  the  remark,  that 
those  whose  own  conduct  is  the  most  fla- 
grantly unjust  and  oppressive,  are  often 
the  most  ready  to  interrogate  sharply 

the  doings  of  others. H  Stolen  away 

unawares  to  me.  Heb.  ^!''2b  TiJ^  il:3n 
tignob  eth  lehabi,  stolen  away  my  heart. 
See  above,  on  v.  20. IT  As  captives  ta- 
ken with  the  sword,  Heb.  ^"-in  iTlT^S'ir^ 
kishbuyo^h  hareb,  as  captives  of  the  sword  ; 
i.  e.  as  captives  or  prisoners  taken  and 
carried  away  by  a  predatory  band.  But 
the  assertion  was  entirely  false,  as  they 
had  gone  voluntarily  with  Jacob,  and  as 
they  belonged  to  Jacob,  why  should! 
they  not  have  gone  with  him  ?  | 

27.  That  I  mi^ht  have  sent  thee  with  I 


"  carried  away  my  daughters,  as  cap- 
tives taken  with  the  sword  1 

27  Wherefore  didst  thou  flee 
away  secretly,  and  steal  away  from 
me,  and  didst  not  tell  me,  that  I 
mi^ht  have  sent  thee  away  with 
mirth,  and  with  songs,  with'tabret, 
and  with  harp  ? 

»  1  Sam.  30.  2. 


mirth,  &c.  '  The  Easterns  used  to  set 
out,  at  least  on  their  long  journeys, 
with  music.  When  the  prefetto  of 
Kgypt  was  preparing  for  his  journey,  he 
complained  of  his  being  incommoded  by 
the  songs  of  his  friends,  who  in  this 
manner  took  leave  of  theirrelations  and 
acquaintance.  These  valedictory  songs 
were  often  extemporary.  If  we  coasi- 
der  them,  as  they  probably  were,  used 
not  on  common  but  more  solemn  occa- 
sions, there  appears  peculiar  propriety 
in  the   complaint  of  Laban.'     Harmer. 

IF  With  tabret.     Pleb.  trjin  toph.  An 

instrument  of  music,  otherwise  termed 
a  timbrel.  It  is  supposed  to  have  resem- 
bled very  nearly  the  tambourine  of  mo- 
dern days.  A  skin  is  stretched  over  a 
rim  hke  the  end  of  a  drum  ;  around  the 
rim  are  hung  litde  bells,  and  the  player 
strikes  the  sskin  with  the  knuckles  of  one 
hand,  and  shakes  it  with  the  other.  It 
was  used,  in  ancient  times,  chiefly  by 
women.  'The  original  word  seems  to 
stand  generally  for  all  instruments  of  the 
drum  kind.  The  word  '  drum,'  howev- 
er, occurs  nowhere  in  our  tran.slation, 
the  Hebrew  word  being  always  render- 
ed either  'tabret'  or  'timbrel.'  The 
toph  seems  to  have  been  much  used  in 
civd  and  religious  rejoicings,  and  is  of- 
ten mentioned  as  being  beaten  by  wo- 
men. Thus,  after  the  passage  of  the 
Red  Sea,  Miriam,  the  sister  of  Moses, 
took  a  timbrel,  and  began  to  play  and 
dance  with  the  women  (Exod.  15.  20.) ; 
and  when  Jephtha  returned  to  his  home 
after  his  victory  over  the  Ammonites, 
his  daughter  came  forth  to  meet  tiim 
with   timbrels  and  dances   r Judges  11 


1 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXr. 


149 


23  And  hast  not  suffered  me  ^  to 
kiss  my  sons,  and  my  daufrhters  ? 
•^  thou  liast  now  done  foolishly  in  so 
doing. 

29  It  is  in  the  power  of  my  hand 

b  ver.  55.  Ruth  1.  9,  14.  1  Kings  JO.  20. 
Acts  20.  37.  <=  1  Sam.  13.  13.      2  Chion. 

16.9. 


34).  Our  weli-known  instrument,  the 
tambourine,  so  nearly  resembles  the 
Oriental  timbrel,  from  which  it  is  co- 
pied, as  to  render  any  particular  descrip- 
tion unnecessary.  This  instrument  con- 
tinues to  be  much  used  in  the  East,  and 
occupies  a  conspicuous  place  in  all  mu- 
sical entertainments.  It  invariably  ac- 
companies a  dance.  Dancing  and  the 
use  of  the  timbrel  are  almost  the  only 
accomplishments  which  a  lady  acquires. 
The  female  slaves  dance  to  its  sound 
before  their  mistress,  who  has  almost 
invariably  at  hand  in  her  apartment  a 
tambourine,  which  she  takes  up  and 
plays  many  times  in  the  course  of  a 
day.'     Pict.  Bible. 

23.  3Iy  sons  and  my  daughters.  By 
his  'sons,'  Laban  here  means  his  grand- 
sons, the  sons  of  his  daughters  and  of 
Jacob.  We  shall  find  many  instances 
in  which  the  term  'son'  is  applied  to 
grandsons.  Thus  Laban  himself  is  call- 
ed (chap.  29.  5,)  the  son  of  Nahor,  who 
was,  in  fact,  his  grandfather;  and  3Ie- 
phibosheth  is  in  the  same  way  called 
the  son  of  his  grandfather  Saul  (2  Sam. 
59.  24.).  Throughout  his  address  La- 
ban means  to  insinuate  that  Jacob  had 
no  cause  to  leave  him  on  account  of 
any  thing  he  had  done  ;  that  where  there 
was  so  much  secrecy,  there  must  be 
something  dishonorable ;  and  that  in 
pursuing  him  he  was  moved  only  by 
affection  for  his  children.  But  his  words 
are  obviously  full  of  hj-pocrisy  and  cant. 
However  he  may  talk  about  his  regard 
to  his  children  and  grand-children,  that 
which  lay  nearest  his  heart  was  the  sub- 
stance which  Jacob  had  taken  with  him, 
and  which  he  no  doubt  meant  in  some 
way  to  recover.     But  he  acts  the  part 


to  do  you  hurt :  but  the  ^  God  of 
your  father  spake  unto  me  •  yester- 
night, saying.  Take  thou  heed  that 
thou  speak  not  to  Jacob  either  good 
or  bad. 


ver.  53.     ch.  28.  13. 


ver.  24. 


of  thousands,  who,  when  galled  by  an 
evil  conscience,  endeavor  to  ease  them- 
selves of  its  reproaches  by  transferring 
the  blame  from  themselves  to  the  per- 
sorjs  they  have  wronged.  He  reproach- 
es Jacob  with  a  conduct  which  he  well 
knew  had  resulted  entirely  from  his 
own  harshness  and  severity  ;  and  with 
the  utmost  self-complaisance  talks  of 
the  liberal  and  generous  things  which 
he  intended  to  have  done,  after  the  call 
and  occasion  are  over,  and  when  his 
generosity  is  in  no  danger  of  being  put 
to  the  test. 

29.  It  is  in  the  power  of  my  hand,  &c. 
Or  perhaps  more  correcdy,  'It  was  in 
the  power  of  my  hand.'  The  reader  of 
the  original  will  notice  that  the  pronoun 
for  'you,'  is  here  in  the  plural  number, 
as  also  that  which  immediately  follows, 
'  the  God  oiyour  father' — S^'^DS^  abikem 
your  father,  implying  h\m  and  his  par- 
ty, instead  of  *^i::5<  ahika,  thy  father^ 
conveying  the  idea  of  a  single  individuaL 
This  cannot  well  be  expressed  in  English 
without  a  circumlocution. — The  pro- 
gress of  the  story  makes  it  evident  that 
truth  will  usually  in  the  end  make  itself 
to  appear,  whatever  may  have  been  the 
disguises  in  which  it  was  wrapped. 
Laban  here  virtually  acknowledges  the 
violent  purpose  with  which  he  had  un- 
dertaken the  pursuit ;  but  in  the  same 
breath  he  would  fain  make  a  merit  of 
abstaining  from  the  harm  which  he 
meditated.  As  his  company  was  no 
doubt  more  powerful  than  that  of  Ja- 
cob, he  would  impress  upon  hiiia  the 
idea  that  his  forbearance  was  the  effect 
of  generosity,  and  that  he  had,  in  fact, 
acted  very  rehgiously  in  paying  so 
much  deference  to  the  warning  voice 
13* 


150 


GENESIS. 


30  And  now,  though  thou  would- 
cst  needs  be  gone,  because  tliou  sore 
longedst  after  thy  father's  house ; 
yet  wherefore  hast  thou  ^  stolen  my 
gods  ? 

31  And  Jacob  answered  and  said 
to  Laban,  Because  I  was  afraid  : 
for  I  said,  Peradventure  thou  would- 

fver.  19.    Judg.  18.  24. 

of  Jacob's  God,  as  though  he  were  a 
Deity  different  from  the  God  of  his  own 
father,  and  one  whom  he  might  exercise 
his  pleasure  about  serving.  Tims  do 
men  sometimes  vainly  magnify  as  a 
virtue  that  which  is  imposed  upon  them 
through  sheer  necessity. 

30  Wherefore  hast  thou  stolen  my 
gods  ?  We  can  figure  to  ourselves  Ja- 
cob's surprise  at  hearing  this  charge. 
If  there  was  any  thing  about  Laban's 
house  more  odious  and  contemptible 
in  the  patriarch's  eyes  than  another,  it 
was  his  Teraphim.  Had  he  supposed 
such  an  abomination  to  have  been  mix- 
ed with  his  goods,  he  would,  no  doubt, 
have  looked  upon  it  as  corrupting  the 
whole.  Wliile,  therefore,  it  was  cutting 
to  his  feelings  to  be  accused  of  theft,  it 
was  doubly  so  to  be  accused  of  having 
stolen  taut  which  he  abhorred.  In 
these  circumstances  his  defence,  as 
might  be  expected  from  one  who  felt 
himself  wronged,  is,  with  the  exception 
of  the  first  charge,  manly  and  spirited, 
perhaps  to  a  degree  bordering  upon  un- 
due resentment. 

31.  Because  I  was  afraid.  This  was 
Jacob's  reply  to  the  first  part  of  Laban's 
address,  v.  26 — 23.  in  which  he  expos- 
tulates with  him  for  leaving  him  at  all. 
By  saying  nothing  to  justify  the  fear 
which  he  had  entertained,  and  dwelling 
wholly  on  the  fact,  he  leaves  Laban  to 
infer,  if  he  pleases,  that  his  conduct  in' 
fleeing  was  liable  to  some  exception  ;  i 
holding  it  sufficient  to  vindicate  himself  | 
from  the  charge  of  having  unJ'ctUnghj 
taken  his  departure.  As  to  the  question 
oi right  in  the  case,  that  he  leaves  unre- 


[B.  C.  1739. 

by  force    thy  daughters 


est  take 
from  me. 

32  With  whomsoever  thou  find- 
est  thy  gods,  e  ]et  him  not  hve  :  be- 
fore our  brethren  discern  thou  what 
is  thine  with  me,  and  take  it  to 
thee  :  for  Jacob  knew  not  that  Ra- 
chel had  stolen  them. 
6  ch.  44.  9. 


solved ;  herein,  says  Calvin,  affording  a 
hint  to  the  children  of  God,  not  to  be 
over-anxious  in  the  matter  of  repelling 
false  and  slanderous  aspersions  cast 
upon  their  character  or  conduct.  Having 
turned  aside  the  weight,  the  gravamen, 
of  a  calumnious  charge,  we  may  safely 
wave  an  argumentative  rebutting  of  the 
minor  items. 

32.  With  whomsoever  thou  findest  thy 
gods  let  him  not  live.  Here,  in  reply  to 
the  second  head  of  Laban's  charge, 
Jacob,  as  might  be  expected,  speaks  in 
language  expressive  of  the  strongest  in- 
dignation. Indeed,  we  do  not  know 
that  he  can  be  acquitted  of  the  charge 
of  giving  way  to  a  culpable  precipitancy 
of  speech.  Unless  he  had  been  as  well 
assured  of  the  innocence  of  all  about 
him  as  he  was  of  his  own,  we  see  not  how 
such  a  severe  imprecation  is  to  be  ex- 
cused. Good  men  are  often  too  confident 
of  the  goodness  of  those  connected  with 
them.  Withotit  deigning  even  to  disown 
the  charge,  he  at  once  pronounces  the 
doom  of  death  against  the  individual, 
with  whom,  upon  strict  search,  the  idols 
should  be  found.  At  least  such  is  the 
drift  of  his  reply,  according  to  the  con- 
struction put  upon  it  by  our  own  and 
several  other  versions.  But  the  origin- 
al aumits  of  a  some  A'hat  different  read- 
ing if  a  slight  change  be  made  in  the 
punctuation.  By  puttnig  the  pause  af- 
ter brethren,'  instead  of  after  '  live,' a 
mi.dhr  and,  we  think,  a  more  probable 
sen-'e  is  assigned  to  the  words, — '  Let 
him  not  live  before  his  brethren  ;'  i.  e. 
let  him  be  banished  from  the  presence 
of  his  brethren  ;  let  him  not  pitch  his  tent 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


15i 


33  And  Laban  went  into  Jacob's 
tent,  and  into  Leah's  tent,  and  into 
the  two  maid-servants'  tents ;  but 
he  found  them  not.     Then  went  he 


among  theirs ;  let  him  henceforth  bo  re- 
garded as  a  worthless  outlaw  from  their 
society.  Thus,  when  Abraham  prayed 
for  his  son  :  '  O  that  Ishmael  might  live 
before  thee ;'  the  import  of  the  petition 
doubtless  was,  that  he  might  live  in  the 
enjoyment  of  those  privileges  which 
pertained  to  the  people  who  walked  and 
worshipped  before  God;  who  were  fa- 
vored with  the  tokens  of  his  peculiar 
presence.  According  to  the  present 
translation,  not  only  does  the  punish- 
ment denounced  seem  wholly  dispro- 
portioned  to  the  crime,  but  it  would  ap- 
parently compel  us  to  beUeve  that  the 
power  of  life  and  death,  or  the  right  of 
inflicting  capital  punishment,  was  lodged 
in  the  hands  of  private  families,  which 
may  well  be  doubted.  On  the  whole, 
therefore,  as  the  original  will  allow  of 
either,  we  prefer  tlie  latter  mode  of  in- 
terpretation, especially  as  we  find  it 
confirmed  by  most  of  the  versions.  Gr. 
ov  ^rjorsTai  evavriov  tcjv  aSeXcpo^v  ry^twi', 
he  shall  not  live  before  our  brethren.  Syr., 
Sam.,  Arab,  the  same.  Vulg.  Necetur 
coram  fratribus  nostris,  let  him  he  slain 
before  our  brethren.  This,  however, 
shows  the  cor.ne^'iOTi  rather  than  the  exact 
sense  of  the  words.  The  same  may  be 
said  of  Coverdale's  version ;  '  Let  the 
same  die  here  before  our  brethren.' 

34.  Rachel  had  taken  the  images,  &c. 
'  Ladies  and  sick  persons  sometimes 
fide  in  a  sort  of  covered  chair  or  cradle 
thrown  across  tlie  back  of  the  camel, 
uke  panniers  one  on  each  side.  Pro- 
fessor Paxton,  in  his  excellent  'Illustra- 
tions of  Scripture,'  thinks  that  Rachel 
hid  her  father's  teraphim  in  such  a  cra- 
dle, in  which  she  had  ridden  during 
the  day.  But  it  is  said  that  she  also  sat 
upon  tliem  in  the  tent ;  and  these  cra- 
dles are  never  used  for  seats  except 


out  of  Leah's  tent,  and  entered  into 
Rachel's  tent. 

34  Now  Rachel  had  taken  the 
images,  and  put  them  in  the  cam- 


while  actually  riding,  and  so  singular  a 
circumstance  as  Rachel's  sitting  upon 
them  would  alone  have  sufficed  to  have 
attracted  Laban's  suspicion.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  common  pack-saddle  of 
the  camel,  as  we  have  already  mention- 
ed (note  to  chap.  25.  27),  is  peculiarly 
appropriated  to  the  purpose  of  a  seat,  or 
rather  of  a  cushion,  against  which  a 
person  seated  on  the  floor  may  lean. 
These  saddles,  which  are  made  of  wood, 
are  high,  and  the  concavity  usually 
filled  by  the  back  of  the  camel  would 
have  formed  an  excellent  hiding-place 
for  such  images  as  the  teraphim.  If 
this  does  not  seem  reasonable,  we  may 
take  the  alternative  of  supposing  that 
Rachel  hid  the  images  under  the  hesdr, 
which  consists  of  things  (carpets,  cloaKs, 
cloths,  &c.,)  heaped  upon  the  pack-sad- 
dle to  form  a  comfortable  seat  for  ladies, 
who  do  not  use  the  hamper  or  cradle. 
These  things  are  always  taken  off  at  the 
end  of  a  day's  journey,  and  being  laid 
on  the  ground,  serve  as  a  sort  of  mat- 
tress in  the  tent,  on  which  a  person  may 
sit  or  lie  down  while  he  reclines  against 
the  pack-saddle  itself.  Rachel  might 
easily  conceal  the  images  thus ;  and 
there  is  one  reason  which  perhaps 
makes  it  most  probable  that  she  did  so  ; 
and  that  is,  that  it  is  not  customary  to 
take  off  the  pack-saddle  at  the  end  of  a 
day's  journey,  but  always  to  remove 
the  hesdr  by  which  the  saddle  had  been 
covered.  Boothroyd  renders  the  text 
'  camel's  pillion.'  Pict.  Bible. ^  Search- 
ed. Heb.  "iT-J!^'^  yemash-shesh,  felt  by 
handling.  His  going  into  and  searching 
Jacobus  and  the  women's  tents,  after  his 
solemn  asseveration  of  his  innocence 
and  ignorance  in  respect  to  the  missing 
gods,  shows  how  little  confidence  he 
had  in  his  veracity. 


152 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


el's  furniture,  and  sat  upon  thenn. 
And  Laban  searched  all  the  tent, 
but  found  them  not. 

35  And  she  said  to  her  father, 
Let  it  not  displease  my  lord  that  I 
cannot  ^  rise  up  before  thee  ;  for  the 
custom  of  women  is  upon  me.    And 

J'  Exod.  20.  12.    I.8V.  19.  32. 


35.  Let  it  not  displease  my  lord,  &c. 
*■  This  apology  was  very  necessary  ac- 
cording to  existing  usages  and  feelings 
in  the  East,  v/hich  inculcate  the  great- 
est external  deference  on  the  part  of  the 
children  towards  their  parents.  This 
is  particularly  the  case  in  Persia,  and 
appears  always  to  have  been  so.  In 
QuintusCurtius,  Alexander  is  represent- 
ed as  saying  to  the  Queen-mother  of 
Persia,  '  Understanding  that  it  is  in  Per- 
sia considered  a  great  offence  for  a  son 
to  be  seated  in  the  presence  of  his  mo- 
ther, unless  by  her  permission,  I  have 
always  in  my  visits  to  you  remained 
standing  till  you  authorized  me  to  sit.' 
In  their  respective  '  Travels  in  Persia,' 
both  Sir  William  Ouseley  and  Mr.  Mo- 
-"5r  mention  that  at  an  entertainment 
given  to  the  English  ambassador  by  the 
Ameen-ad-Dowlah  (second  vizier),  all 
the  persons  of  distinction  at  Ispahan 
joined  them  at  dinner,  except  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  city,  Abdallah  Khan,  a  per- 
son scarcely  inferior  to  the  minister  in 
wealth  and  rank,  and  about  thirty 
years  of  age.  But  the  minister  was  his 
father ;  and  therefore,  instead  of  occu- 
pying his  proper  place  among  the  guests, 
he  stood  humbly  in  the  court-yard  with 
the  servants  ;  for  a  son  never  sits  before 
his  father  on  anything  like  a  public  oc- 
casion, whatever  be  his  dignity  or  pow- 
er. Even  the  king's  eldest  son  always 
stands  in  his  presence,  and  is  only  re- 
garded as  the  first  of  his  servants. 
Daughters  occupy  a  still  humbler  place. 
Strong  external  indications  of  respect 
are  also  shown  to  parents  among  the 
Bedouin  Arabs.  Boys  never  eat  out  of 
ttve  same  di.sh,  or  even  in  the  presence 


he  searched,,  hut  found  not  the  ira» 
ages. 

36  *![  And  Jacob  was  wroth,  and 
chode  with  Laban :  and  Jacob  an- 
sweredj  and  said  to  Laban,  What 
is  my  trespass?  what  is  my  sin 
that  thou  hast  so  hotly  pursued  after 
me? 


of  their  father.  Burckhardt  says  that  i* 
would  be  reckoned  scandalous  were 
any  one  to  say,  '  Look  at  that  boy  ;  he 
satisfied  his  appetite  in  the  presence  of 
his  father.'  The  youngest  male  chil- 
dren, not  more  than  four  or  five  years 
of  age,  are,  however,  often  invited  to 
eat  by  the  side  of  their  father.'  Pict. 
Bible.  Although  we  are  not  warranted 
in  saying  that  the  reason  here  alleged 
by  Rachel  was  fictitious,  yet  it  is  cer- 
tain that  our  confidence  in  her  sincerity 
will  be  weakened  just  in  proportion  as 
we  believe  her  to  have  been  influenced 
by  wrong  motives  in  abstracting  the 
Teraphim.  One  who  could  secretly 
cherish  a  vile  idolatry  would  no  doubt 
be  capable  of  prevarication. 

35.  Jacob  was  wroth,  and  cliode  with 
Laban.  Heb.  ^'I'l  yareb,  pleaded,  strove, 
or  disputed  with  ;  a  term  mostly  applied 
to  judicial  or  forensic  proceedings,  and 
implying  a  process  of  earnest  argumen- 
tative reasoning  in  proof  of  one's  inno 
cence.  During  the  search,  Jacob  was  no 
doubt  a  silent  spectator  ;  and  when  no- 
thing was  found  that  could  justify  the  hea- 
vy charges  preferred  against  him,  his  spi- 
rit was  deeply  stirred  within  him .  Prompt- 
ed by  a  just  resentment  at  the  unworthy 
reflections  cast  upon  him,  he  takes  a  re- 
view of  his  whole  conduct  towards  his 
father-in-law  for  twenty  years  past,  and 
proves  that  he  had  been  very  hardly 
dealt  with,  while   Laban  himself  had 

been  a  great  gainer  by  his  services. • 

^  What  is  my  trespass  ?  Heb.  ^■"X'D 
pishi ;  a  term  implying  guilt  of  a  higher 
degree  than  that  denoted  by  the  word 
'  sin.'  Thus  Job.  34.  37,  '  He  addeth 
rehelUcn  (S'"Ji5  pesha)  iinto  his  sin.'     It 


B.  C.  1739.1 


CHAPTER    XXXf. 


153 


37  Whereas  thou  hast  searched 
all  my  stuff;  what  hast  thou  found 
of  all  thy  household  stuff]  set  it 
here  before  my  brethren,  and  thy 
brethren,  that  they  may  judge  be- 
twixt us  both. 

33  This  twenty  years  have  I  been 
with  thee  ;  thy  ewes  and  thy  she- 


's for  the  most  part  used  in  this  sense  of 
rebellion  against  God  ;  hence  the  import 
of  Jacob's  question  would  seem  to  be, 
'  What  divine  or  human  law  have  I  vio- 
lated ?' 

37.  That  they  may  judge  betwixt  us. 
Heb.  liT^^T^  yokihu ;  not  the  word 
usually  rendered  judge,  but  a  term  sig- 
nifying to  discuss,  debate,  argue,  and  thus 
consequendy  to  come  to  a  decision  re- 
specting the  matter  in  question.  It  oc- 
curs in  the  following  passages,  Job  13. 
3,  '  Surely  I  woidd  speak  to  the  Al- 
mighty, and  I  desire  to  reason  with 
God.'  Job  32.  12, 'Behold,  there  was 
none  of  you  that  convinced  Job,  or  that 
answered  his  words.'  Is.  1.  18,  'Come 
now,  and  let  us  reason  together.' 

33.  Cast  their  young.  Miscarried  ; 
suffered  abortion. T  Not  eaten.  Ja- 
cob's fidelity  in  this  respect  will  appear 
more  striking  when  contrasted  with  the 
opposite  conduct  of  shepherds,  whose 
neglected  duties  and  abused  functions 
are  so  graphically  portrayed  by  the 
prophet,  Ezek.  34.  1 — 5.  '  Son  of  man, 
prophesy  against  the  shepherds  of  Is- 
rael, prophesy,  and  say  unto  them,  Thus 
tsaith  the  Lord  God  unto  the  .shepherds  ; 
wo  be  to  the  shepherds  of  Israel  that  do 
feed  themselves  !  should  not  the  shep- 
herds feed  the  flocks  ?  Ye  eat  the 
fat,  and  ye  clothe  you  with  the  wool, 
ye  kill  them  that  are  fed :  but  ye  feed 
not  the  flock.  The  diseased  have  ye 
not  strengthened,  neither  have  ye  heal- 
ed that  wliich  was  sick,  neither  have 
ye  bound  up  that  which  was  broken, 
neither  have  ye  brought  again  that 
which  wan  driven  away,  neither  have 


goats  have  not  cast  their  young, 
and  the  rams  of  thy  flock  have  I 
not  eaten. 

39  '  That  which  was  torn  of  beasts, 
I  brought  not  unto  tliee  ;  I  bare  the 
loss  of  it ;  of  ''^  my  liand  didst  thou 
require  it  whether  stolen  by  day,  or 
stolen  by  night. 

'  Exod.  2-2.  10,  &c.  ^  Exod.  2:.  12. 


ye  sought  that  which  was  lost ;  but  with 
force  and  with  cruelty  have  ye  ruled 
them.  And  they  were  scattered,  be- 
cause there  is  no  shepherd :  and  they 
became  meat  to  all  the  beasts  of  the 
field,  when  they  were  scattered.' 

39.  I  hare  the  loss  of  it.  Heb.  nrjIlS^ 
ahattanah,  I  expiated,  atoned,  or  satisfied 
for  it ;  i.  e.  I  paid  for  it,  as  the  Gr.  ex- 
pressly renders  it,  a-rrcrivvvov.  The 
shepherds  of  the  East  were  accountable 
for  the  flocks  under  their  charge.  Of 
this  fact,  the  following  extract,  cited 
by  Paxton  from  the  Gentoo  law,  fur- 
nishes a  remarkable  proof:  'Cattle 
shall  be  delivered  over  to  the  cow-herd 
in  the  morning;  the  cow-herd  shall 
tend  them  ttie  whole  day  with  grass  and 
water ;  and  in  the  evening  shall  re- 
deliver them  to  the  master,  in  the  same 
manner  as  they  were  intrusted  to  him  ; 
if,  by  the  fault  of  the  cow-herd,  any  of 
the  catde  be  lost  or  stolen,  that  cow- 
herd shall  make  it  good.  When  a  cow- 
herd has  led  cattle  to  any  distant  place 
to  feed,  if  any  die  of  some  distemper, 
notwithstanding  the  cow-herd  applied 
the  proper  remedy,  the  cow-herd  shall 
carry  the  head,  the  tail,  the  fore-foot,  or 
some  such  convincing  proof  taken  from 
that  animal's  body,  to  the  owner  of  the 
cattle  ;  having  done  this,  he  shall  be  no 
further  answerable ;  if  he  neglects  to 
act  thus,  he  shall  make  good  the  loss.' 
This  had  probably  been  an  established 
usage  in  the  East  from  the  earliest  pe- 
riods, but  the  milder  tenor  of  the  divino 
law  subsequendy  given  dispensed  with 
this  rigid  requisition.  See  Ex.  22. 10 — 
13 


154 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


40  Thus  I  was ;  in  the  day  the 
drought  consumed  me,  and  the  frost 
by  night :  and  my  sleep  departed 
from  mine  eyes. 

41  Thus  have  I  been  twenty 
years  in  thy  house  :  I  '  served  thee 
fourteen  years  for  thy  two  daugh- 
ters, and  six  years  for  thy  cattle  : 

I  ch.  29.  27,  28. 


40.  In  the  day  the  drought  consumed  me, 
&c.  '  Does  a  master  reprove  his  ser- 
vant for  being  idle,  he  will  ask,  'What 
can  I  do  ?  the  heat  eats  me  up  by  day, 
and  the  cold  eats  me  up  by  night ; 
how  can  T  gain  strength  ?  I  am  like  the 
trees  of  the  field :  the  sun  is  on  my 
head  by  day,  and  the  dew  by  night.' 
Roberts.  'Throughout  Western  Asia 
there  is  a  much  more  remarkable  differ- 
ence between  the  temperature  of  the 
day  and  night  than  is  generally  expe- 
rienced in  Europe.  The  time  when 
this  difference  is  the  strongest,  is  in  the 
months  of  September,  October,  Novem- 
ber, March,  April,  and  May.  In  the 
depth  of  winter,  the  increased  coldness 
of  the  day  and  the  diminished  coldness 
of  the  nights  in  the  midst  of  summer, 
render  the  difference  less  considerable, 
although  it  is  still  very  striking.  An 
idea  of  this  alternation  can  only  be  ima- 
gined by  supposing  a  night  of  our  win- 
ter temperature  following  a  day  warm- 
er than  any  that  our  summers  afford. 
In  the  summer  time  the  night  air 
is,  in  the  warmest  situations,  cooler 
than  that  of  our  summer  nights,  and 
in  other  situations  often  as  cool  as 
the  nights  in  our  early  spring.  The 
night-coolness  in  the  East  is,  however, 
felt  as  a  gratification  after  the  intense 
and  relaxing  heat  of  the  day,  as  its  bra- 
cing and  reviving  influence  strengthens 
the  frame  to  bear  the  daily  heat  which 
would  otherwise  be  scarcely  tolerable. 
But  when  the  nights  become  positively 
cold,  while  the  days  remain  extremely 
warm,  the  rapid  alternation  is  most  dis- 
tressing to  those  who  are  exposed  to  its 


and  ""  thou  hast  changed  my  wages 
ten  times. 

42  °  Except  the  God  of  my  fath- 
er, the  God  of  Abraham,  and  °  the 
Fear  of  Isaac  had  been  with  me, 
surely  thou  hadst  sent  me  away  now 
empty,     p  God  hath  seen  mine  af- 

"  ver.  7.         n  pg.  124.  1,  2.  o  ver.  53 

Isai.  8.  13.        p  ch.  29.  32.    Exod.  3.  7. 

full  influence  in  the  open  air.  Euro- 
pean travellers  feel  the  effects  of  thia 
alternation  very  sensibly  ;  the  face  be- 
comes  very  sore,  and  the  skin  peels  off 
the  eyes  also  suffer,  and  the  hands  and 
lips  are  chapped.  In  many  parts  ol 
Asia  very  severe  and  even  frosty  nights 
are,  even  in  winter,  succeeded  by  very 
warm  days;  and  it  may  be  said,  indeed, 
that  the  only  experience  of  what  we 
should  call  winter  weather  which  the 
inhabitants  obtain,  is  exclusively  du- 
ring the  night  time.'  Pict.  Bible.  Mr. 
Bruce,  the  Abyssinian  traveller,  lost 
all  his  camels  by  the  cold  in  one  night 
in  the  deserts  of  Senaar ;  and  Volney 
relates  an  affecting  story  of  a  hapless 
wanderer  who  was,  like  Jacob,  frozen 
by  the  north  wind  at  night,  and  burnt 
by  the  dreadful  heat  of  the  sun  by  day. 
Comp.  Jer.  36.  30. H  My  sleep  depart- 
ed from  mine  eyes.  This  implies  more 
than  that  when  he  lay  down  at  night, 
and  endeavored  to  compose  himself  to 
rest,  the  effort  was  vain,  as  often  hap- 
pens to  the  sick  and  the  distressed  ;  viz. 
that  by  prolonging  his  labors  into  the 
night  season,  he  voluntarily  deprived 
himself  of  that  repose  and  refreshment 
which  nature  requires. 

42.  Except  the  God  of  my  father,  &c. 
With  exemplary  humility,  and  a  devout 
sense  of  his  dependence  on  the  blessing 
of  heaven,  Jacob  here  refers  his  pros- 
perity to  its  true  source  ;  and  in  so  do- 
ing he  administers  a  keen  reproof  to 
Laban.  He  gives  him  plainly  to  under- 
stand that,  notwithstanding  all  his  spe- 
cious talk  about  his  regard  for  his  chil- 
dreri,  and  his  sending  him  away  with 


B  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


155 


fliction,  and  the  labour  of  my  hands, 
and  t  rebuked  thee  yesternight. 

43  IT  And  Laban  answered,  and 
said  unto  Jacob,  These  daughters 
are  my  daughters,  and  these  children 
are  my  children,  and  these  cattle  are 
my  cattle,  and  all  that  thou  seest  is 
mine  ;  and  what  can  I  do  this  day 
unto  these  my  daughters,  or  unto 

q  1  Chron,  12, 17.    Jude  9. 


songs,  with  tabret,  and  with  harp,  yet  it 
was  owing  to  a  special  interposition  of 
the  Almighty  that  he  was  not  stripped 
of  every  thing  he  had.  Laban  had 
TDade  a  merit  of  obeying  the  dream,  but 
»acob  was  not  to  be  imposed  upon  by 
such  a  shallow  pretence.  He  therefore 
construes  the  divine  visitation  into  an 
evidence  of  his  evil  design,  one  by 
which  God  intended  expressly  to  rebuke 
him,  and  thus  plead  the  cause  of  the  in- 
jured. As  to  the  twofold  title  which 
he  here  applies  to  the  Most  High, '  The 
God  of  Abraham  and  the  Fear  of  Isaac' — 
the  reason  assigned  for  it  by  Adam  Clarke 
strikes  us  as  extremely  plausible,  viz. 
that '  Abraham  was  long  since  dead,  and 
God  was  his  unalienable  portion  forever. 
Isaac  was  yet  alive  in  a  state  of  proba- 
tion, Uving  in  the /ear  of  God  ;  not  ex- 
empt from  the  danger  of  falling,  there- 
fore God  is  said  to  be  his  fear ;  not  on- 
ly the  object  of  his  religious  worship  in 
a  general  way,  but  that  holy  and  just 
God,  before  whom  he  was  working  out 
his  salvation  with  fear  and  trerabUng — 
fear,  lest  he  should  fall ;  and  trembUng, 
lest  he  should  offend.'   Thus,  Ps.  76. 12, 

*  Let  all  that  be  round  about  him  bring 
presents  unto  him  that  ought  to  be  fear- 
ed;' Heb.  'who  is  a  fear.'      Is.  8.  13, 

♦  Sanctify  the  Lord  of  hosts  himself,  and 
let  him  be  your  fear,  and  let  him  be 
your  dread.' 

43.  And  Laban  answered,  &c.  La- 
ban, whose  spirit  was  checked  before 
he  began,  was  now  confounded.  He 
quite  gives  up  the  cause,  and  wishes  to 
adjust  matters  in  the  best  way  he  can. 


their   children    which    they    have 
borne  1 

44  Now  therefore  come  thou, 
■■  let  us  make  a  covenant,  I  and 
thou ;  «  and  let  it  be  for  a  witness 
between  me  and  thee. 

45  And  Jacob  *  took  a  stone,  and 
set  it  up /or  a  pillar. 

r  ch,  26, 23.    •  Josh.  24.  27.      t  ch.  28.  18. 


He  cannot  help  prefacing  his  wish,  how- 
ever, by  another  sample  of  vain  boasting 
and  affected  generosity.  As  if  he  had 
said,  '  Yes,  God  hath  given  you  many 
things;  but  remember  they  were  all 
mine,  and  you  have  obtained  them  un- 
der me.  Let  us  have  no  more  disputes, 
however  ;  for  though  I  have  come  sc 
far,  and  possess  so  great  a  force,  ye* 
how  can  I  find  it  in  my  heart  to  hur" 
my  own  children  ?  Come,  therefore, 
and  let  us  make  a  covenant,  and  b« 
good  friends.'  It  will  be  observed  that 
he  attempts  no  defence  against  the 
charge  of  having  repeatedly  altered  the 
terras  of  contract  with  .Tacob,  nor  will 
conscience  allow  him  to  deny  his  se- 
cret purpose  of  sending  him  away  emp- 
ty. But  this  strange  mixture  of  ava- 
rice, cunning,  and  effrontery  is  not  with- 
out its  parallel  in  every  age  and  coun- 
try. 

44.  Let  us  make  a  covenant.  Heb. 
tl^*l^  nniSi  nikrethah  berith,  let  us  cut 
a  covenant.  As  it  was  usual  in  the  more 
solemn  ratification  of  covenants  for  the 
parties  to  slay  a  victim,  cut  it  in  twaiyi, 
and  pass  between  the  pieces,  the  verb 
ri15  karath,  to  cut,  has  been  appropria- 
ted as  a  proper  word  to  signify  the  mak- 
ing of  a  covenant,  even  in  cases  where 
no  blood  was  shed.  A  similar  mode  of 
expression  is  found  among  the  Greek 
classic  writers ;  reiiveiv  opKov  temnein 
orkon,  literally, '  to  cut  an  oath,'  is  used 
to  indicate  the  act  of  making  what  in 
Hebrew  is  termed  Ti'^^lS  berith,  or  cove- 
nant.    See  Gen  15.  18. 

45.  Jacc^  took  a  stone,  &c.      JacQD 


156 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


46  And  Jacob  said  unto  his 
brethren,  Gather  stones  ;  and  they 
took  stones,  and  niade  an  heap: 
and  they  did  eat  there  upon  the 
heap. 

47  And  Laban  called  it  Jegar- 
sahadutha :  but  Jacob  called  it  Ga- 
leed : 

48  And  Laban  said,  "  This  heap 
is  a  witness  between  me  and  thee 

n  Josh.  24.  27. 

makes  no  reply  to  Laban's  boasting,  but 
lets  it  pass  ;  and  though  he  had  felt  so 
keenly  and  spoken  so  warmly,  yet  he 
consents  to  a  covenant  of  peace.  His 
resentment  is  under  the  control  of  his 
moral  principle.  He  said  nothing  ;  but 
expressed  his  mind  by  actions.  Indeed, 
it  would  almost  seem  that  in  his  eager- 
ness for  reconciliation  he  is  beforehand 
with  Laban  in  the  erection  of  a  heap. 

46.  Made  a  heap.  Heb.  '^:>  gal,  pro- 
perly a  round  heap  ;  and  this  heap  was 
probably  made  for  the  double  purpose  of 
an  altar  and  a  table.  Jacob's  stone  or 
pillar  was  then  perhaps  set  upon  it  for 
a  memorial.  The  incident,  however,  of 
their  eating  together  upon  the  heap  is 
apparently  introduced  here  by  anticipa- 
tion, as  it  does  not  seem  to  have  occur- 
red till  after  they  had  ratified  the  cove- 
nant ment'o^.ed  below.  Comp.  vv.  53, 
54. 

47.  Called  it  Jegar-suhadutha.  Heb. 
J^SinniD  l^'^  y^gf^^  sahadutha  ;  a  pure- 
ly Syriac  phrase,  signifying  heap  of  wit- 
ness.  ^  Galeed.     Heb .  15>b3  galeed  ; 

compounded  of  ^3  5"'3?,  a  heap,  and  ^'$ 
ed,  witness,  testimony,  making  the  epi- 
thet perfectly  equivalent  to  that  bes- 
towed by  Laban.  From  this  circum- 
stance the  mountain  and  country  adja- 
cent were  called  '  Galaad'  or  '  Gilead.' 

49.  Mizpah.  There  were  several 
places  of  this  name  in  Palestine.  The 
word  taken  in  one  form  means  a  high 
place  affording  an  extensive  prospect ; 
and  in  another,  o  vxitch  jovjer  or  beacon, 


this  day.     Therefore  was  the  name 
of  it  called  Galeed : 

49  And  ""  Mizpah ;  for  he  said, 
The  Lord  watch  between  me  and 
thee,  when  we  are  absent  one  from 
another. 

50  If  thou  shalt  afflict  my  daugh- 
ters,  or  if  thou  shalt  take  other  wives 
besides  my  daughters  ;  no  man  is 
with  us  ;  see,  God  is  witness  be- 
twixt me  and  thee  ; 

X  Judg.  11.  29.    1  Sam.  7.  5. 


as  in  the  present  text ;  whence  we  may 
conclude  that  the  names  were  given  to 
towns  in  elevated  situations,  or  where 
watch-towers  existed,  or  where  com- 
memorative heaps  had  been  formed  to 
mark  the  site  of  some  important  occur- 
rence. A  town  built  near  the  scene  of 
this  transaction  between  Jacob  and  La- 
ban took  the  name  which  had  been 
given  to  the  heap  of  stones.  It  is  men- 
tioned in  Judges  11  and  12;  and  from  * 
the  29th  verse  of  the  latter  chapter,  it 
seems  to  have  been  called  '  Mizpeh  of 
Gilead,'  to  distinguish  it  from  other  towns 
of  the  same  name.  It  belonged  to  the 
half-tribe  of  Manasseh  beyond  Jordan, 
and  w-as  the  residence  of  Jephthah.  In 
after-times  the  Ammonites  obtained 
possession  of  it,  and  it  was  in  their  hands 
when  Judas  Maccabeus  utterly  destroy- 
ed it  with  fire. TT   When  we  are  ah' 

sent  one  from  another.  Heb.  iriGD  «^^- 
safher,  are  hidden.  The  Lord  take  cog- 
nizance of  our  conduct  when  we  can- 
not see  each  other.  The  language  im- 
plies his  firm  conviction  that  in  the  ab- 
sence of  human  witnesses  or  judges,  the 
Most  High  would  show  himself  a  stern 
avenger  of  wrong-doing,  whichever 
were  the  guilty  party;  and  we  may 
safely  afnrm  that  the  power  of  religion 
is  extremely  weak  in  our  minds,  if  the 
consideration  of  the  all-seeing  eye  of 
Jehovah  does  not  operate  more  strong- 
ly to  restrain  us  from  evil  than  the  pres- 
ence of  the  world  of  mortal  men. 

50.  No  man  is  with  us.      Some  have 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


157 


51  And  Laban  said  to  Jacob, 
Behold  this  heap,  and  behold  this 
pillar,  which  I  have  cast  betwixt 
me  and  thee  ; 

52  This  heap  &e  witness,  and  this 
pillar  he  witness,  that  [  will  not  pass 
over  this  heap  to  thee,  and  that 
thou    shalt    not    pass     over     this 


inferred  from  this,  that  in  making  the 
contract  Jacob  and  Laban  withdrew 
from  their  several  companies,  and  tran- 
sacted the  business  in  private,  taking 
God  alone  to  witness  it.  But  it  seetns 
a  more  natural  construction  to  under- 
stand this  of  each  other  after  they  had 
separated  ;  q.  d.  '  We  are  soon  to  part, 
and  shall  neither  of  us  have  any  third 
party  to  see  to  our  performance  of  our 
engagements.  We  are  to  be  mutually 
thrown  upon  our  honor  and  fidelity,  and 
shall  have  nothing  to  keep  us  firm  to 
our  stipulations  but  our  supreme  regard 
to  the  presence  of  a  just  and  holy  God.' 
The  sentiment  is  very  striking,  as  com- 
ing from  the  lips  of  one  who  was  doubt- 
less an  idolater ;  but  it  shows  that  some 
knowledge  of  the  true  God  was  exten- 
sively prevalent  at  that  early  period, 
though  in  Laban's  case  it  did  not  avail 
to  extinguish  the  relics  of  his  idolatrous 
propensities.  Like  thousands  of  others, 
he  'held  the  truth  in  unrighteous- 
ness.' 

51.  This  pillar  wliich  I  have  cast,  &c. 
Heb.  ^rr^^"^  yarithi.  fixed,  set  up,  placed. 
The  erection  of  the  pillar  is  indeed,  in  v. 
45,  ascribed  to  Jacob,  but  Laban  may 
perhaps  have  claimed  the  act  as  his  own 
from  his  having  first  suggested  it,  v. 
44.  At  least  we  know  of  no  other 
ground  on  which  the  assertion  could  be 
maintained. 

53.  The  God  of  Abraham,  &c.  judge  be- 
twixt us.  Notwithstanding  the  seem- 
ingly devout  and  orthodox  vein  in  which 
Laban  had  previously  addressed  Jacob, 
he  cannot  well  help  manifesting  his  at- 
tachment to  idolatry.  This  is  evident 
from  the  ambiguity  of  the  language  in 
VOL.  ir. 


heap  and  this  pillar  unto  me,  for 
harm. 

53  The  God  of  Abraham,  and 
the  God  of  Nahor,  the  God  of  their 
father,  y  judge  betwixt  us.  And 
Jacob  ^  svv'are  by  ^  the  Fear  of  his 
father  Isaac. 

y  ch.  16.  5.        z  ch.  21.23.        a  ver.  42. 

respect  to  the  being  whom  he  invoked. 
As  we  have  already  noticed,  in  speaking 
to  Jacob  of  Jehovah,  v.  29,  he  calls  him 
'  the  God  of  your  father,'  as  if  he  were 
not  also  his  God  ;  and  now,  in  swearing 
to  the  solemn  covenant  which  was 
made  between  them,  he  does  not  ap- 
pear to  have  invoked  Jehovah  as  the 
only  true  God.  He  does  indeed  make 
mention  of  the  'God  of  Abraham,'  yet 
it  is  in  connection  with  Nahor  and  their 
father,  that  is,  Terah  ;  and  we  well 
know  that  when  Abraham  was  with 
Nahor  and  Terah,  they  were  idolaters. 
This  is  clearly  intimated  Josh.  24.  2, 
'The  God  of  Abraham,  of  Nahor,  and 
of  Terah,'  therefore,  w-ere  words  capa- 
ble of  a  very  ill  construction.  It  is,  in 
fact,  little  else  than  swearing  by  the 
idols  of  his  Chaldean  ancestors,  and  a 
virtual  reproach  of  Jacob  for  having 
forsaken  the  religion  of  his  forefathers. 
Thus  strangely  do  men,  whose  minda 
are  darkened  by  superstition,  mingle  sa- 
cred things  with  profane,  and  adulterate 
the  truth  and  the  worship  of  Jehovah 
with  the  vain  figments  of  human  de- 
vice.  ^  Jacob  sware  by  the  Fear  of  his 

father  Isaac.  Jacob  seems  evidently 
aware  of  Laban's  design  in  thus  refer- 
ring to  their  early  ancestors,  and  there- 
fore, that  he  might  bear  an  unequivocal 
testimony  against  all  idolatry,  even  that 
of  Abraham  in  his  younger  years,  he 
would  swear  only  '  by  the  Fear  of  his 
father  Isaac,'  who  had  never  worship- 
ped any  other  than  the  true  God.  Thus 
studiously  will  the  pious  mind  ever  for- 
bear giving  countenance  to  aught  that 
dishonors  God,  or  that  would  establish 
a  fellowship  between  him  and  idols. 
14 


158 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


54  Then  Jacob  offered  sacrifice 
upon  the  mount,  and  called  his  bre- 
thren to  eat  bread :  and  they  did 
eat  bread,  and  tarried  all  night  in 
the  mount. 


54.  Offered  sacrifice.  Heb.  HDt  nnT"^ 
yizbah  zebah,  slew  a  slaughter.  Laban 
had  before,  v.  27.  28,  professed  his  re- 
gret that  he  had  not  an  opportunity  to 
enjoy  a  day  of  feasting  and  of  mirth  at 
parting  with  his  children.  Such  a  part- 
ing would  hardly  have  been  seemly,  even 
in  a  family  which  had  no  fear  of  God 
before  their  eyes,  and  Jacob  accordingly 
prepares  a  religious  feast  previously  to 
the  departure  of  his  father-in-law.  To 
this  he  invited  the  whole  company,  not 
only  his  own  party,  but  Laban's  also,  the 
effect  of  the  recent  happy  reconciliation 
having  been  to  make  him  regard  and 
address  those  as  'brethren'  vvhom  a  lit- 
tle before  he  could  not  but  look  upon 
as  his  determined  enemies.  So  season- 
ably and  kindly  had  God  interposed  to 
convert  a  threatening  storm  into  a  de- 
lightful calm.  '  When  a  man's  ways 
please  the  Lord,  even  his  enemies  shall 
be  at  peace  with  him.' 

55.  And  early  in  the  morning,  &c. 
'  Early  rising  is  a  universal  custom. 
Thus,  in  every  season  of  the  year,  the 
people  may  be  seen  at  sunrise,  strolling 
in  all  directions.  At  the  time  of  the 
heavy  dews,  they  bind  a  part  of  the 
robe  round  the  liead,  which  also  falls 
on  the  shoulders.  When  a  journey  has 
to  be  taken,  were  they  not  to  rise  early, 
they  would  be  unable  to  travel  far  be- 
fore the  sun  had  gained  its  meridian 
height.  They  therefore  start  a  Httle 
before  daylight,  and  rest  under  the  shade 
during  the  heat  of  the  day.  Here  also 
we  have  another  instance  of  the  inter- 
esting custom  of  blessing  those  who 
were  about  to  be  separated.  A  more 
pleasing  scene  than  that  of  a  father 
blessing  his  sons  and  daughters  can 
scarcely  be  conceived.    The  fervor  of 


55  And  early  in  the  morning 
Laban  rose  up,  and  kissed  his  sons 
and  his  daughters,  and  ^  blessed 
them :  and  Laban  departed,  and 
'=  returned  unto  his  place. 

•>  ch.  2y.  1.         c  ch.  18.  33.  &  30.  25. 


the  language,  the  expression  of  the 
countenance,  and  the  affection  of  their 
embraces,  all  excite  our  strongest  sym- 
pathy. '  My  child,  may  God  keep  thy 
hands  and  thy  feet !'  '  May  the  beasts 
of  the  forest  keep  far  from  thee  !'  '  May 
thy  wife  and  thy  children  be  preserved  !' 
'  May  riches  and  happiness  ever  be  thy 

portion  !'  Roberts. IT  Laban  departed, 

and  returned  unto  his  place.  That  is,  to 
Haran.  This  parting  proved  final.  We 
hear  no  more  of  Laban,  or  of  the  family 
of  Nahor.  They  might  for  several  ages 
retain  some  knowledge  of  Jehovah  ;  but 
mixing  with  it  the  superstitions  of  the 
country,  they  naturally  would,  as  there 
is  Httle  doubt  they  did,  sink  into  gross 
idolatry  and  be  lost  among  the  heathens. 
'Thus  you  will  often  see  a  man  who 
has  descended  from  religious  parents, 
but  whose  heart  is  entirely  taken  up 
with  the  world  :  he  keeps  up  the  forms 
of  godliness,  though  he  denies  the  pow- 
er; and  mixes  with  them  all  the  evil 
that  he  can  rake  up  from  the  examples 
of  his  forefathers,  with  considerable  ad- 
ditions of  his  own.  The  next  genera- 
ration  degenerates  still  more,  having 
less  of  the  form  of  religion  and  more 
conformity  to  the  world.  The  third 
throws  off  both  the  form  and  the  power, 
retaining  no  vestige  of  the  religion  of 
their  ancestors,  excepting  a  few  specu- 
lative notions,  learnt  from  a  few  old 
books  and  sayings,  which  have  no  other 
influence  upon  them  than  to  enable  them 
to  be  more  wicked  than  their  neighbors, 
by  sinning  against  somewhat  of  supe- 
rior light.  How  important  is  it  for  good 
men  to  act  in  character  in  their  families, 
inasmuch  as  every  evil  which  they 
practise  will  be  re-acted  and  increased 
by  their  carnal  posterity.'  Fuller. 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXX[f. 


159 


CHAP.  XXXH. 

AND  Jacob  went  on  hus  way,  and 
*tho  angels  of  God  met  liim. 
2  And  when  Jacob  saw  them,  he 

*  Pa.  01.  11.     Hebr.  1.  14. 

CFIAI'.  XXXII. 
1.  The  angels  of  God  met  him.  In 
•what  way  this  apparition  of  angels  was 
made  to  Jacob,  whether  in  vision  or  to 
his  outward  senses,  the  sacred  writer 
does  not  inform  us.  It  would,  perhaps, 
be  more  consonant  to  the  usual  analogy 
of  the  divine  dispensations  towards  the 
patriarchs,  to  suppose  the  former;  yet 
as  God  had  called  Abraham  and  his 
posterity  to  be  a  pecuhar  people,  a  peo- 
ple to  whom  special  privileges  and  pre- 
rogatives were  to  be  granted,  and  as 
they  then  had  no  Scriptures  contain- 
ing the  will  of  God,  it  is  perfectly  credi- 
ble that  he  should  communicate  with 
them  by  the  direct  ministry  of  angels, 
as  we  know  he  often  did.  Some  of  the 
Jewish  critics  indeed,  who  usually  show 
such  an  extravagant  taste  for  the  false 
marvellous,  are  here  as  much  inclined  to 
shrink  from  the  true.  They  contend 
that  these  angels  were  merely  human 
messengers,  who  were  somehow  provi- 
dentially directed  to  meet  him  there,  to 
inform  him  of  his  brother  Esau's  ap- 
proach. But  in  that  case  they  would 
hardly  have  been  called  '  the  angels  of 
God,'  nor  would  the  incident  have  af- 
forded sufficient  reason  for  giving  a  com- 
memorative name  to  the  place.  We 
can  see,  moreover,  that  on  the  present 
occasion  there  was  ample  cause,  if  ever, 
for  a  visible  manifestation  of  angelic 
agency.  In  returning  to  his  native  land, 
Jacob  had  to  pass  through  the  country 
of  Edom,  which  was  in  the  possession 
of  his  brother  Esau.  As  he  had  left 
Esau  deeply  exasperated  at  being  de- 
frauded of  his  birthright,  and  resolved 
to  take  his  Hfe,  he  could  not  but  feel 
an  intense  anxiety  in  the  thought  of  j 
passing  unarmed  through  the  territories 
of  a  powerful  and  hostile  brother.  God's 
hosts,  therefore,  now  became  visible  to 


said,  This  is  God's  ^  host :  and  he 
called  the  name  of  that  place  Ma- 
hanaiin. 

b  Josh.  5.  14.  Ps.  103.  21.  &  148.  2.  Luke 
2.  13. 

allay  the  fear  of  man's  hosts.  Having 
just  escapedone  hostof  enemies,  anoth- 
er is  coming  forth  to  meet  him.  At 
this  juncture  the  heavenly  messengers 
make  their  appearance,  teaching  him 
to  whom  he  owed  his  late  escape,  and 
that  he  who  had  delivered,  did  deliver, 
and  he  might  safely  trust  would  still  de- 
hver  him  ;  thus  making  good  the  pre- 
vious promise.  Gen.  23.  15,  'Behold,  I 
am  with  thee,  and  will  keep  thee  in  all 
places  whither  thou  goest,  and  will 
brmg  thee  again  into  this  land.'  It  does 
not  appear,  indeed,  that  they  were 
charged  with  any  verbal  communication, 
but  Jacob  would  have  no  difficulty  in 
inferring  the  object  of  their  mission,  viz. 
to  work  in  his  mind  an  assurance  of  the 
over-ruling  and  protecting  providence  of 
God.  Thus,  too,  when  the  vision  of 
the  fiery  chariots  was  vouchsafed  to 
Elisha's  servant,  it  was  left  to  his  own 
mind  to  draw  the  proper  conclusion 
from  such  a  cheering  spectacle. 

2.  Called  the  name  of  that  place  Mahan- 
aim.  Ueb.  ti'^DHlO  mahanaim,  a  dual 
term,  implying  two  hosts  or  encampments. 
It  would  seem  that  the  angels  were  di- 
vided into  bands,  encompassing  him,  as 
it  were,  behind  and  before ;  thus  cor- 
responding with  the  two  hosts  of  ad- 
versaries which  at  the  same  time,  and 
with  almost  the  same  violent  designs, 
were  arrayed  against  him  ;  the  one  ha- 
ving already  been  sent  back  without 
striking  a  blow,  and  the  other  soon  to 
be  dealt  with  in  the  same  manner. 
This,  however,  was  not  expressly  re- 
vealed to  Jacob,  but  merely  a  general 
encouragement  afforded  him,  that  he 
might  be  inspired  with  confidence  in  the 
use  of  appropriate  means  for  his  pres- 
ervation, a  course  which  the  divine  in- 
terpositions are  never  intended  to  su- 
persede.   It  was,  perhaps,  in  allusion  to 


160 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


3  And  Jacob  sent  messengers  be- 
fore him  to  Esau  his  brother, "  unto 
the  land  of  Seir,  -^  the  country  of 
Edom. 

<=  ch.  33.  14,  16.  d  ch.  35.  G,  7,  8.  Deut. 
2.  5.    JosJi.  24.  4. 


this  incident  that  the  Psalmist,  some 
ages  afterwards,  Ps.  37.  7.  was  prompt- 
ed to  say,  '  The  angel  of  the  Lord  (i.  e. 
the  angelry,  the  coUective  muhitude  of 
angels)  encnmpeth  round  about  them 
that  fear  him.'  The  Gr.  in  rendering 
these  two  verses,  makes  use  of  the  term 
,  irape/x^oXr}  parenibole,  camp — '  And  look- 
ing up  he  saw  the  camp  (paremhole)  of 
God  encamping  round  about  him.'  '  And 
Jacob  said  when  he  saw  them,  this  is 
God's  camp  (pareTnbole) ;  and  he  called 
the  name  of  that  place  camps  (parembo- 
lai).''  This  term  has  been  transferred 
from  the  Septuagint  usage  to  the  Apo- 
calypse, ch.  20.  9, '  They  compassed  the 
camp  [paremhole)  of  the  saints  about,  and 
(i.  e.  even)  the  beloved  city,'  the  camp 
and  the  city  being  one  and  the  same. 
Near  the  place  where  this  event  occur- 
red, and  probably  named  from  it,  after- 
wards stood  the  city  of  3Iahanaim,  Josh. 
21.  33,  inhabited  by  the  priests  of  the 
tribe  of  Levi.  It  was  situated  between 
Mount  Gilead  and  the  small  river  Jab- 
bok,  at  the  confines  of  the  tribe  of  Gad, 
and  the  half-tribe  of  Manasseh.  It 
seems  to  have  been  a  place  of  great 
strength,  and  was  therefore  selected  by 
Abner  as  the  royal  seat  of  Ishbosheth, 
son  of  Saul,  during  the  war  between 
him  and  David ;  and  it  was  probably 
for  the  same  reason  that  David  himself 
•withdrew  thither  during  the  rebellion  of 
his  own  son  Absalom.  We  know  no- 
thing of  the  subsequent  history  of  the 
town,  the  precise  situation  of  which  has 
not  been  ascertained. 

3.  Jacob  sent  messengers.  HebD^^j^^^^ 
makkim,  the  same  word  with  that  ren- 
dered '  angels'  in  the  first  verse.     See  I 
Gen.  16.  7.      The  verb  might  doubtless  j 
be  rendered  '  had  sent,'  i.  e.  sometime  i 


4  And  he  commanded  them,  say- 
ing, ^  Thus  shall  ye  .-;peak  unto  my 
lord  Esau;  Thy  servant  .facob  saith 
thus,  I  have  sojourned  with  Laban, 
and  stayed  there  until  now : 

e  Prov.  15.  1. 


before  this ;  for  it  is  quite  clear,  from 
comparing  v.  6  with  the  ensuing  narra- 
tive, that  the  messengers  returned 
wbile  Jacob  was  encamped  at  the  brook 
Jabbok,  where  the  angels  appeared  to 
him.  This  mission  was  obviously  a 
measure  of  wise  precaution.  Jacob  had 
as  yet  heard  nothing  of  his  brother 
Esau,  except  that  he  had  seUled  '  in  the 
land  of  Seir,  the  country  of  Edom  ;'  but 
knowing  what  had  formerly  taken 
place,  and  the  temper  of  the  man,  he  is 
apprehensive  of  consequences.  He 
therefore  resolves  on  sending  messen- 
gers before  him,  in  order  to  sound  him, 
and,  if  possible,  to  appease  his  anger. 

IT    Unto  the  land  of  Seir.     At  what 

time,  or  for  what  special  reason  Esau 
had  removed  to  tliis  region,  we  are  not 
informed.  It  is  highly  probable,  from 
Gen.  36.  6,  7,  that  the  gradual  enlarge- 
ment of  his  possessions,  and  the  domes- 
tic difficulties  occasioned  by  his  own 
and  the  unfilial  deportment  of  his  wives, 
had  rendered  his  longer  residence  with 
his  parents  impracticable.  But  howev- 
er this  may  have  been,  we  cannot  fail 
to  recognise  the  ordination  of  heaven  in 
his  thus  vacating  the  land  of  promise, 
and  making  room  for  its  destined  inher- 
itor. He  acted  in  the  affair  with  the 
most  absolute  freedom,  and  j-et  was 
bringing  to  pass  the  divine  counsels  at 
every  step. 

4.  Thus  shall  ye  speak  wito  my  lord 
Esau,  Sic.  We  may  observe,  in  these 
conciliatory  instructions  to  the  messen- 
gers, (1.)  That  he  declines  the  honor  of 
precedency  given  in  the  blessing,  call- 
ing Esau  Ids  lord.  Isaac  had  said  to 
him,  ch.  27.  29,  '  Be  lord  over  thy  bre- 
thren, and  let  thy  mother's  sons  bow 
down  to  thee.'     But  Jacob  either  tinder- 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


161 


5  And  ^  I  have  oxen,  and  asses, 
flocks,  and  men-  servants,  and  wo- 
men-servants :  and  I  have  sent  to 
tell  my  lord,  that  °  I  may  find  grace 
in  thy  sight. 

6  IT  And  the  messengers  return- 
ed to  Jacob,  saying,  We  came  to 
thy   brother   Esau,  and    also   ^he 

f  ch.  30.  43.    e  ch.  33.  8,  )5.    t  ch.  33.  1. 


stood  it  of  spiritual  ascendancy'-,  or,  if  of 
temporal,  as  referring  to  his  posterity,  ra- 
ther than  to  himself,  lie  therefore  wisely 
refrains  from  all  ground  of  offence  on 
that  head,  anJ,  without  any  derogation 
from  his  predicted  superiority,  assumes 
the  air  and  language  of  deference  to  his 
brother,  just  as  David  did  towards  Saul, 
1  Sam.  24.7 — 9,  from  purely  prudential 
considerations.  (2.).  lie  would  have  him 
know  that  he  was  not  come  to  claim 
the  double  portion^  nor  even  to  divide 
with  him  his  father's  inheritance;  for 
that  God  had  given  him  plenty  of  this 
world's  goods  without  il.  Now,  as  these 
were  things  wliich  had  so  greatly  pro- 
voked Esau,  a  relinquishment  of  them 
would  tend  more  than  any  thing  else  to 
conciliate  him. 

5.  I  have  oxen  and  assps,  &c.  We  are 
not  to  construe  this  as  language  prompt- 
ed by  a  spirit  of  vain  or  self-nomplaisant 
ostentation.  His  design  in  acquainting 
Esau  with  his  present  prosperous  cir- 
cumstances, was  perhaps  to  intimate  to 
him  that  he  was  disinterested  hi  seek- 
ing reconciliation,  inasmuch  as  he  had 
now  become  independent,  and  there- 
fore could  be  under  no  necessity  of  suing 
for  his  friendship. 

6.  We  came  to  thy  brother  Esau,  &c. 
It  cannot  be  doubted,  we  think,  that  the 
messengers  had  an  interview  with  Esau, 
but  as  they  make  no  report  to  Jacob  of 
his  answer  to  their  message,  it  is  proba- 
ble that  he  maintained  a  guarded  re- 
serve as  to  the  expression  of  his  real 
sentiments,  and  merely  informed  them 
that  he  should  go  for'.h  to  meet  the  ad- 
vancing company  wiih  a  band  of  four 


Cometh  to  meet  thee,  and  four  hun- 
dred men  with  him. 

7  Then  Jacob  was  greatly  afraid, 
and  '  distressed  :  and  he  divided  the 
people  that  was  with  him,  and  the 
flocks,  and  herds,  and  the  camels 
into  two  bands : 


hundred  men,  without  giving  them  to 
understand  whether  his  intentions  were 
hostile  or  pacific.  Perhaps  he  was  not 
fully  resolved  in  his  own  mind  what  re- 
ception to  give  his  brother.  Had  his 
purposes  been  unequivocally  those  of 
an  enemy,  it  is  not  likely  that  he  would 
have  acquainted  Jacob  beforehand  with 
his  intended  movements,  but  would 
have  come  upon  him  unawares.  The 
space  of  twenty  years  would  naturally 
tend  to  cool  down  the  most  violent  ha- 
tred, especially  towards  an  absent  ob- 
ject, and  it  is  not  improbable  that 
the  message  of  Jacob  now  found  in 
Esaii  but  the  feeble  relics  of  an  ancient 
grudge,  which,  though  revived  perhaps 
for  a  moment,  on  the  intelligence  of 
Jacob's  approach,  was  speedily  extin- 
guished by  the  exhibition  of  •brother's 
kindness. 

7.  Greatly  afraid  and  distressed.  Ileb. 
"i^^:'!  yetzer,  straitened.  This  term  with 
us  is  sometimes  lightly  applied  to  the 
state  of  mind  produced  by  ordinary 
troubles ;  but  in  the  Scriptures  it  de- 
notes a  sore  strait,  from  which  there 
seems  to  be  no  way  of  escape.  This 
distress  would  probably  be  heightened 
by  the  recollection  of  his  sin,  which  had 
first  excited  the  resentment  of  Esau. 
But  throughout  the  whole  we  must  re- 
cognise the  secret  working  of  the  Most 
High.  He  designed,  by  suffering  his 
servant  to  be  pressed  for  a  time  with 
this  e.xtreme  perplexity,  to  quicken  his 
fervency  in  prayer.  Conscious  security 
begets  in  the  best  of  men  a  woful  re- 
missness in  this  respect.  In  order, 
therefore,  to  prevent  the  torpidity  which 

14=^ 


162 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


8  And  said,  If  Esau  come  to  the 
one  company,  and  smite  it,  then  the 
other  company  which  is  left  shall 
escape. 

9  IT  5^  And  Jacob  said,  '  O  God 

k  Ps.  50.  15.  1  ch.  28.  13. 

is  apt  to  come  over  the  life  of  our  faith, 
God  is  placed  oftentimes  to  suffer  us  to 
be  harrassed  with  fears  for  which  there 
is  no  real  occasion.  Our  earnest  pray- 
ers may  have  secured  the  desired  deli- 
verance, yet  the  visible  display  is  delay- 
ed to  the  last  moment,  that  our  graces 
may  receive  their  fullest  exercise.  In 
the  mean  time  we  are  taught  by  this 
incident  that  the  constancy  of  the  chil- 
dren of  God  is  never  so  firm  but  that 
some  carnal  misgivings  will  betray 
themselves  ;  and  that  they  who  imagine 
themselves  possessed  of  a  confidence 
void  of  all  distrust,  are  probably  stran- 
gers to  a  true  faith ;  for  God  does  not 
promise  his  present  aid  in  order  wholly 
to  free  us  from  the  dominion  of  fear,  but 
rather  that  fear  may  not  prevail  and 
drive  us  to  desperation.  Still,  our  fears 
often    gain   an    ascendancy   for  which 

there   is  no  good  reason. IT  And  he 

divided,  &e.  Although  the  patriarch 
was  extremely  perplexed,  and  knew  not 
what  to  think  of  his  brother's  intentions, 
yet  he  determines  to  prepare  himself  for 
the  worst.  Though  assured,  on  the 
whole,  of  the  divine  protection,  he  will 
neglect  no  means  necessary  for  his  own 
preservation.  First,  he  divides  all  his 
people  with  the  flocks  and  herds  into 
two  parts,  that  if  Esau  should  come 
and  smite  the  one,  the  other  might  flee 
and  escape.  Secondly,  he  betakes  him- 
self to  earnest  prayer  to  God.  And 
lastly,  he  prepares  a  large  present  of 
cattle,  which  he  sends  forward  in  sepa- 
rate droves  to  his  brother. ^  Into  two 

bmids.  Heb.  mrn"^  "^I'j'o  lishne  malm- 
noth,  into  two  camps,  or  encampments  ;  the 
same  word  as  that  employed  v.  2.  '  This 
plan  seems  not  to  have  been  first 
invented  by  Jacob  ;  but  it  may  bo  con  I 


of  my  father  Abraham,  and  God  of 
my  father  Isaac,  the  Lord  ">  which 
saidst  unto  me.  Return  unto  thy 
country,  and  to  thy  kindred,  and  I 
will  deal  well  with  thee. 
n»  eh.  31.  3,  13. 

jectured  that  large  caravans  used  at  that 
time  to  take  this  precaution  against  hostile 
attacks.  Sir  H.  Blount  relates  in  his 
Travels,  that  he  travelled  with  a  cara- 
van which  had  divided  itself  in  like 
manner  into  two  troops  ;  one  of  which 
that  went  before,  being  attacked  by 
robbers,  had  an  action  with  them,  and 
were  plundered,  whereas  the  other  es- 
caped uninjured.'  Rosenmuller. 

8.  And  said.     That  is,  thought,  con- 
cluded with  himself    See  Note  on  Gen. 

20.  1 1 . IT  Shall  escape.  Heb .  n:2 ^^ 5  b 

liphletah,  [shall  be)  for  an  escaping.  Gr. 
ets  TO  ao)§£aQai,  for  a  being  preserved 
alive. 

9.  And  Jacob  said,  &c.  As  this  is  one 
of  the  most  striking  of  the  scriptural 
examples  of  an  eminently  devout  and 
successful  prayer,  it  claims  a  very  par 
ticular  notice.  Observe,  (1.)  It  is  not 
merely  commending  himself  to  the  di- 
vine protection.  He  pleads  the  pro- 
mises. He  approaches  God  as  the  God 
of  his  father,  and  as  such  a  God  in  cove- 
nant. This  was  laying  hold  of  the  di- 
vine faithfulness.  It  was  the  prayer  of 
faith  ;  and  though  we  may  not  have  ex- 
actly the  same  plea  in  our  approaches 
to  God,  yet  we  have  one  that  is  more 
endearing  and  more  prevalent.  The 
God  and  father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
is  a  character  which  excites  more 
hope  and  in  which  more  great  and 
precious  promises  have  been  made, 
than  in  any  ether.  (2.)  He  addresses 
him  as  his  own  God,  pleading  what  he 
had  promised  to  hi7n,  as  well  as  to  his 
fathers.  '  Who  saidst  unto  me.  Return,' 
&c.  Jehovah  has  never  made  promises 
to  us  in  the  same  extraordinary  way 
that  he  did  to  Jacob  ;  but,  whatever  he 
has   prom,isod  to    believers   in   genera! 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


163 


10  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  least 
of  all  the  "  mercies,  and  of  all  the 
truth,  which  thou  hast  shewed  un- 
to thy  servant :  for  with  °  my  staff 
I  passed  over  this  Jordan,  and  now 
I  am  become  two  bands. 

n  ch.  24.  27.        0  Job  8. 7. 

may  be  pleaded  by  every  one  of  thera 
in  particular,  especially  wben  encoun- 
tering opposition  in  the  path  of  duty. 
(3.)  Another  remarkable  feature  in  this 
prayer,  is  Ihe  deep  spirit  of  self-ahasement 
which  breathes  through  it.  While  he 
celebrates  the  great  mercy  and  truth 
of  God  towards  him,  he  aci^nowledges 
himself  unworthy  of  the  least  instance  of 
either.  The  original  is,  if  possible,  still 
more  emphatic ;  '  I  am  less  than  all  the 
mercies,'  &c.,  as  if  he  not  only  disclaim- 
ed the  worthiness  of  merit,  but  also 
.that  of  meetness.  In  view  of  his  own 
sinful  conduct  on  a  former  occasion,  he 
is  amazed  at  the  returns  of  mercy  and 
truth  which  he  had  met  with  from  a 
gracious  God.  By  sin  he  had  reduced 
himself  in  a  manner  to  nothing;  but 
God's  goodness  had  made  him  great. 
So,  do  we  desire  to  succeed  in  our  ap- 
proaches to  God,  we  must  be  moved  by 
the  same  spirit  of  humility  ;  prostrat- 
ing ourselves  in  the  dust  before  him, 
and  esteeming  every,  even  the  small- 
est favor,  as  an  unmerited  boon  of 
heaven.  (4.)  Finally,  having  in  this 
devout  and  humble  manner  prefaced 
his  petition,  he  now  presents  it ;  '  Deli- 
ver me,  I  pray  thee,  from  the  hand  of  my 
brother,'  &c.  This  was  doubtless  the 
petition  of  a  kind  husband  and  a  tender 
father.  But  it  was  not  as  such  only 
that  it  was  presented.  It  was  mainly 
in  the  character  of  a  believer  in  the 
promises,  and  one  deeply  concerned  for 
the  divine  glory,  that  it  was  offered. 
It  was  as  though  he  had  said,  '  If  my 
life,  and  that  of  the  mother  vvith  the 
children  be  cut  off",  how  are  thy  pro- 
raises  to  be  fulfilled  ?'  It  is  natural  for 
us,  as  husbands  and  parents,  to  be  im  - 


Up  Deliver  me,  I  pray  thee,  from 
the  hand  of  my  brother,  from  the 
hand  of  Esau  :  for  I  fear  him,  lest 
he  will  come  and  smite  me,  and 
1  the  mother  vvith  the  children. 


Ps.  59. 


q  Hos.  10.  14. 


portunate  with  God  for  the  well-being 
of  those  who  are  so  nearly  related  to 
us ;  but  the  way  to  obtain  mercy  for 
them  is  to  seek  it  in  subordination  to 
the  divine  glory. 

10.  The  truth  which  thou  hast  shov)ed. 
Heb.  ti^'^y  I'l^iA  n?jHn  haemeth  asher 
asitha,  the  triUh  which  thou  hast  done; 
from  which  it  appears  that  truth,  in  the 
scriptural  sense  of  the  term,  denotes 
something  which  may  be  done  or  acted, 
as  well  as  spoken.  Thus,  John  3.  21, 
'  He  that  doeth  truth  cometh  to  the  light.' 
See  also  1  John  1.  6,  3Iic.  7.  20.  '  Do- 
ing truth,'  is  fulfilling  in  act  whatever 
is  promi.sed  or  commanded  in  word. 
Thus  understood,  it   may   be   affirmed 

either  of  God   or   man. IT    With  my 

staff,  &c.  That  is,  having  nothing  but 
a  staff  when  I  passed  over  this  Jordan, 

1  am  now  become  so  prosperous  as  to 
be  able  to  divide  my  people,  and  my 
flock  and  herds,  into  these  two  large  and 
imposing  bands.  Chal.  'By  myself 
alone,  I  passed  over  this  Jordan  ' 

11.  Smite  me,  and  Ihe  mother  with  the 
children.  Literally,  '  smite  me,  even  the 
motlier  with  the  children  ;*  thus  iden- 
tifying himself  with  the  company  of 
which  he  was  the  leader  and  head.    So 

2  Sam.  17.  12.  '  And  of  him,  and  of  all 
the  men  that  are  with  him,  there  shall 
not  be  left  so  much  as  one  ;'  i.  e.  of  him, 
even  of  all  the  men  that  are  with  him  ; 
spoken  of  as  one  body.  Thus,  loo,  Gen. 
14.  15,  'And  he  divided  him.self;'  i.  e. 
his  party.  The  phrase  '  to  smite,  or 
slay,  the  mother  with  the  children,'  is 
probably  a  Jewish  idiom  for  leaving  no- 
thing  remaining.  Calvin  suggests  that  the 
e.xpression  is  taken  from  a  bird-catch- 
er's seizing  and    carrying    away    the 


164 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


12  And  «■  thou  saidst,  I  will  sure- 
ly do  thee  good,  and  make  thy  seed 
as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  which  can- 
not be  numbered  for  multitude. 

18  IT  And  he  lodged  there  that 
same  night,  and  took  of  that  which 

r  ch.  28,  13,  14,  15. 

mother-bird  and  all  her  young,  thus 
spoiling  the  whole  nest.  But  as  the 
hteral  rendering  is  '  the  mother  upon  the 
children,'  it  is  perhaps  rather  founded 
upon  what  sometimes  happens  in  the 
sacking  of  a  city,  when  a  devoted  moth- 
er rushes  between  her  child  and  the  im- 
plement of  death  about  to  be  plunged 
into  its  heart,  and  is  thus  massacred  with 
or  upon  her  offspring.  Thus,  Hos.  10. 
14,  '  The  mother  was  dashed  to  pieces 
upon  her  children.'  As  Jacob's  life  was 
now,  as  it  were,  multiplied  in  the  per- 
sons of  so  many,  dear  to  him  as  his  own 
soul,  his  apprehension  increases  in  pro- 
portion. 

12.  Thou  saidst,  I  will  surely  do  thee 
good.  We  do  not  find  these  precise 
words  in  any  of  the  previous  promises, 
but  it  is  clear  that  they  are  Jacob's  in- 
terpretation of  the  assurance  contained 
ch.  23.  15,  '  Behold,  I  am  with  thee,  and 
will  keep  thee  in  all  places  whither 
thou  goest.'  We  may  learn,  therefore, 
from  this  how  much  is  meant  when  God 
is  said  to  he  with  any  one.  It  is  virtual- 
ly a  promise  to  do  him  good,  to  bless 
him,  to  crown  him  with  prosperity. 

13.  Lodged  there  that  night.  Jacob 
and  his  company  seem  now  to  have 
been  north  of  the  small  river  Jabbok. 
near  to  the  place  where  it  falls  into  the 
Jordan.  Here  he  is  said  to  have  lodg- 
ed that  night.  Afterwards,  v.  22,  we 
read  of  his  'rising  up,'  and  sending  his 
company  '  over  the  ford.'  Probably  it 
was  during  one  single  night  that  the 
whole  of  what  follows  in  this  chapter  oc- 
curred. In  the  order  of  the  narrative, 
hi.s  first  step  is  to  try  the  effect  of  a 

present. "^  Took  of  that  which   came 

to  his  hand   This  is  generally  understood 


came  to  his  hand  '  a   present  for 
Esau  his  brother  ; 

14  Two  hundred  she-goats  and 
twenty  he-goats,  two  hundred  ewes 
and  twenty  rams, 

15  Thirty  milch  camels  with  their 

«  ch.  43.11.    Prov.  18.  16. 


to  mean  that  he  took  of  that  which,  at 
the  time,  came  most  readily  to  hand ;  but 
the  usage  of  the  original  makes  it  doubt- 
ful whether  the  true  sense  of  it  be  not, 
that  he  took  of  that  which  had  come  into 
his  hand,  which  he  possessed,  which  hehad 
previously  acquired. 

14.  Two  hundred  she-goats,  &c.  The 
sum  total  of  the  cattle  selected  for  this 
purpose  was  five  hundred  and  fifty  ;  a 
most  magnificent  present  for  one  in  his 
circumstances.  It  was  a  striking  proof 
of  his  high  estimation  of  the  covenant 
promise,  that  he  was  willing,  for  its  sake, 
to  forego  so  large  a  part  of  his  posses- 
sions. We  know  how  tenaciously,  for 
the  most  part,  men  cleave  to  those  ac- 
quisitions which  have  cost  them  much 
labor  and  care.  Yet  Jacob  here  volun- 
tarily subjects  himself  to  so  immense  a 
loss,  that  he  may  purchase  a  secure  re- 
turn to  the  land  of  his  inheritance. 
Had  he  been  so  disposed,  he  could  ea- 
sily have  retired  to  some  quiet  nook, 
where  he  could  have  enjoyed  his  sub- 
stance unimpaired.  But  so  highly  does 
he  prize  the  promised  blessing,  that  he 
is  ready,  if  needs  be,  to  impoverish  him- 
self for  the  present  that  he  may  be  un- 
speakably enriched  in  his  latter  end. 
'  Heaven,  he  knew,  would  pay  for  all. 
Get  but  a  patriarch's  eye  to  see  heaven 
afar  off,  and  we  shall  be  soon  ready  to 
buy  it  at  any  rate.  The  pearl  of  price 
cannot  be  a  dear  bargain,  though  we 
part  w'ith  all  to  purchase  it.'     Trapp. 

15.  Thirty  milch  camels.  That  is,  ca- 
mels of  the  most  valuable  sort.  'The 
Bedouins  ride  the  male  camel  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  female,  and  the  former  is 
also  capable  of  carrying  heavier  bur- 
dens, and  yet  the  female  is  much  more 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


B.  C.  1739.] 


colts,  forty  kine  and  ten  bulls,  twen- 
ty she-asses  and  ten  foals. 

16  And  he  delivered  them  into 
the  hand  of  his  servants,  every 
drove  by  themselves ;  and  said  un- 
to his  servants,  Pass  over  before 
me,  and  put  a  space  betwixt  drove 
and  drove. 

17  And  he  commanded  the  fore- 
most, sayinir,  When  Esau  my  bro- 
ther njeeteth  thee,  and  asketh  thee, 
savinsr.  Whose  arUhou  1  and  whith- 


165 


valuable,  on  account  of  her  milk,  which 
forms  a  prominent  article  in  the  diet  of 
the  Arabs.  They  drink  it  either  fresh 
or  sour.  They  are  fond  of  sour  milk, 
and  it  seems  that  the  milk  of  the  camel 
turns  sour  sooner  than  that  of  most  oth- 
er animals.  Butter  and  cheese  are 
very  seldom  made  of  this  milk.  It  is 
remarkable  that  some  of  the  tribes  re- 
fuse to  sell  milk  to  the  towns-people, 
the  epithet '  milk-seller'  being  regarded 
as  a  term  of  great  opprobrium.  It  is 
also  observable,  that  the  Arabs  not  only 
drink  the  camels'  milk  themselves,  but 
give  great  quantities  of  it  to  their  horses. 
Foals  also  are  weaned  from  their  dams 
in  thirty  days,  and  for  the  next  hundred 
days  are  fed  exclusively  on  camels' 
milk  ;  and  during  the  ensuing  hundred, 
they  receive  a  bucket  of  milk  every 
evening  along  with  their  barley.  I'urck- 
hardt  saj'^s  that  when  the  Bedouins  take 
colts  of  two  or  three  years  old  to  sell 
in  Syria,  they  recommend  their  animals 
by  protesting  (of  course  falsely)  that 
since  they  were  weaned  they  have  had 
no  other  food  than  camels'  milk.'  Pict. 
Bible. 

16.  Every  drove  hy  themselves.  The 
droves  were  arranged  in  this  manner, 
separated  by  pretty  wide  intervals,  that 
Esau's  enmity,  if  he  cherished  any, 
might  be  gradually  abated  as  one  mark 
of  kindness  after  another  met  him,  and 
also  to  afford  a  better  opportunity  for 
those  in  the  rear  to  escape,  if  those  in 
the  van  should  be  attacked.      Every 


er  goest  thou  1  and  whose  are  these 
before  thee  ] 

18  Then  thou  shalt  say.  They  he 
thy  servant  Jacob's  :  it  is  a  present 
sent  unto  my  lord  Esau  :  and  be- 
hold also  he  is  behind  us. 

19  And  so  commanded  he  the 
second,  and  the  third,  and  all  that 
followed  the  droves,  saying,  On  this 
manner  shall  ye  speak  unto  Esau, 
when  ve  find  him. 


servant  presenting  his  drove  with  the 
same  words  would  strike  Esau  whh 
amazement.  It  would  seem  as  if  all 
the  riches  of  the  East  were  coming  in 
upon  him  ;  and  every  one  concluding 
by  announcing  his  master  as  coming  be- 
hind them,  would  work  upon  his  gene- 
rosity. He  expected,  it  is  likely,  a  host 
of  armed  men,  and  felt  resolved  to  fight 
it  out ;  but  instead  of  an  enemy,  here  is 
a  present  worthy  of  a  prince,  and  the 
owner  coming  after  it  with  all  the  con- 
fidence of  a  friend  and  the  kindness  of 

a  brother. IT  Put  a  space  betvnxt  drove 

and  drove.  Heb.  ni^  revah,  breath,  i.  e. 
space  or  room  that  shall  give  freedom 
to  the  breath,  breathing-space. 

19.  On  this  manner  shall  ye  speak,  &,c. 
'I  almost  think  I  hear  Jacob  telUng 
his  servants  what  they  were  to  say  to 
Esau.  He  would  repeat  it  many  times 
over,  and  then  ask,  '  What  did  I  say  ?' 
until  he  had  completely  schooled  them 
into  the  story.  They  would  be  most  at- 
tentive ;  and  at  every  interval,  some  of 
the  most  officious  would  be  repeating 
the  tale.  The  head  servant,  however, 
would  be  especially  charged  with,  the 
delivery  of  the  message.  When  they 
went  into  the  presence  of  Esau,  they 
would  be  very  particular  in  placing 
much  stress  on  Jacob's  saying,  '  the 
present  is  sent  unto  my  lord!'  and  this 
would  touch  his  feelings.  Servants 
who  see  the  earnestness  of  their  master, 
imitate  him  in  this  when  they  stand  be- 
fore the  person  to  whom  they  are  sent 


166 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739 


20  And  say  ye  moreover.  Be- 
hold, thy  servant  Jacob  is  behind  us. 
For  he  said,  I  will  '  appease  him 
with  the  present  that  goeth  before 
me,  and  afterward  I  will  see  his 
face ;  peradventure  he  will  accept 
of  me. 

21  So  went  the  present  over  be- 

t  Prov.  21.  14. 


ITiey  repeat  a  number  of  little  things 
respecting  him  ;  his  great  sorrow  for  his 
offence,  his  weeping,  his  throwing  him- 
self into  the  dust,  and  his  fearful  expres- 
sions. Should  the  occasion,  however, 
be  of  a  pleasing  nature,  they  mention 
his  great  joy,  and  his  great  anxiety  for 
an  interview.  The  dependants  of 
Esau,  also,  would  hear  the  story,  and 
every  now  and  then  be  making  excla- 
mations at  the  humiUty  of  Jacob,  and 
the  vaUie  of  his  present.  They  would 
also  put  their  hands  together  in  a  sup- 
plicating posture,  for  Esau  to  attend  to 
the  request  He,  feeling  himself  thus 
acknowledged  as  lord,  seeing  the  ser- 
vants of  his  brother  before  him,  and 
knowing  that  all  his  people  had  witness- 
ed the  scene,  would  consider  himself 
greatly  honored.  In  this  way  many  a 
culprit  in  the  East  gains  a  pardon,  when 
nothing  else  could  purchase  it.  Should 
the  offender  be  too  poor  to  send  a  pres- 
ent, he  simply  despatches  his  wife  and 
children  to  plead  for  him  ;  and  they  sel- 
dom plead  in  vain.'     Roberts. 

20.  Behold,  thy  servant  Jacob  is  behind 
us.  He  was  particular  to  have  this  fact 
distinctly  announced,  lest  Esau  should 
suppose  he  intended  himself  to  escape. 
IT  For  he  said.  That  is,  said  to  him- 
self.  IT   /  will  appease  him.      Heb. 

t'lDS  n^5-5^  dkapperah  panav,  I xmll  cc 
ver  (i.  e.  pacify)  his  face ;  from  '^i^'o  ha- 
phar,  to  cover,  the  term  usually  employ- 
ed under  the  law  to  signify  '  making 
atonement.'  Gr.  e^i\a(70[xai  tov  rpoao- 
TTov  avTov,  I  will  propitiate  his  counten- 
ance. Chal.  '  I  will  assuage  his  anger.' 
IT  Accept  of  me.      Heb.  ^^S  ^',2^^ 


fore  mm ;  and  himself  lodged  that 
night  in  the  company. 

22  And  he  rose  up  that  night, 
and  took  his  two  wives,  and  his  two 
women-servants,  and  his  eleven 
sons,  "  and  passed  over  the  ford  Jab- 
bok. 

n  Deut.  3.  16. 


yissa  pani,  will  lift  up  my  face.  See  the 
import  of  this  idiom  explained,  Gen.  \% 
21.  Thus,  Prov.  21.  14,  •  A  gift  in  se 
cret  pacifeth  anger. ^ 

21.  Lodged  that  night.  Not  the  whole 
of  the  night,  but  only  a  part  of  it,  as 
will  soon  appear. 

22.  And  he  rose  up  and  passed  over  the 
ford.  Having  sent  off  the  present,  he 
seems  to  have  tried  to  get  a  little  rest; 
but  whatever  sleep  might  fall  to  the  lol 
of  the  women  and  children,  or  rest  to 
the  beasts  of  burden,  there  was  but 
litde  of  either  for  him.  Unable  to  close 
his  eyes,  he  '  rose  up'  and  having  first 
crossed  the  ford  to  ascertain  the  safety 
of  the  passage  for  the  rest  of  the  com- 
pany, he  returned  to  the  northern  side, 
and  took  his  whole  family  and  all  that 
he  had,  and  sent  them  over  the  stream. 
His  party  having  all  safely  passed  the 
ford,  he  himself  staid  behind  ;  and  in 
this  incident  we  see  another  proof  of 
the  prevalence  of  his  faith  ;  for,  had  he 
been  governed  by  the  usual  maxims  of 
worldly  prudence,  he  would  at  this  crit- 
ical junction  have  remained  with  the 
host.  For,  how  did  he  know  but  Esau's 
band  might  suddenly  set  upon  them 
when  they  thought  themselves  most 
secure  ?  But,  purposing  to  devote  the 
rest  of  the  night  to  fervent  prayer,  he  is 
not  afraid  to  confide  his  company  to  the 
protection  of  that  God,  whose  face  and 
favor  he  desired  to  seek,  assured  that 
the  most  effectual  defence  he  could  af- 
ford them  would  be  to  engage  omnipo- 
tence in  their  behalf.  It  is  very  seldom 
that  our  worldly  affairs  suffer  from  the 
time    spent    in    prayer. ^  Jabbok 


B,  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


167 


23  And  he  took  them,  and  sent 
them  over  the  brook,  and  sent  over 
that  he  had. 


This  is  the  name  of  a  brook  or  small 
river  rising  near  Rabbah,  the  chief  city 
of  the  Ammonites,  and  emptying  into 
tlie  Jordan  on  its  eastern  side  not  far 
below  the  lake  of  Tiberias.  As  the 
original  is  '  Yabbok,'  and  closely  related 
in  its  etymology  to  '  Abak,'  wrestled,  it 
is  supposed  to  have  derived  its  name 
from  Jacob's  there  wrestling  with  the 
angel.  Mr.  Buckingham  says  that 
where  lie  crossed  the  river  it  was  ten 
yards  wide,  and  that  the  stream  being 
deeper  than  the  Jordan,  and  quite  as 
rapid,  was  forded  with  difficulty.  The 
natives  call  the  river  '  Nahr-el-Zerkah,' 
or  river  of  Zerkah,  from  a  neighboring 
village  of  that  name. 

24.  A7id  Jacob  ivas  left  alone,  and 
there  xvreslled,  &c.  Heb.  pS5^"i  yeabek  ; 
a  term  occurring  only  here,  and  appa- 
rently derived  from  p^H  ob^K  dust,  and 
applied  to  wrestling,  from  the  dust  that 
was  excited  by  the  action  of  the  com- 
batants. In  the  Grecian  games,  more- 
over, it  was  common  for  the  wrestlers 
to  raise  as  much  dust  as  possible,  both 
for  the  purpose  of  blinding  each  others' 
eyes,  and  for  grasping  more  firmly  the 
naked  body,  which,  in  order  to  make  it 
supple  for  the  occasion,  was  copiously 
besmeared  with  oil. — In  the  words  be- 
fore us  we  come  upon  the  narrative  of 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  myste- 
rious incidents  recorded  in  the  sacred 
page.  In  considering  it  with  some  min- 
uteness, the  first  and  most  obvious  in- 
quiry has  respect  to  the  Person  with 
whom  Jacob  wresded,  and  the  second 
to  the  nature  and  object  of  the  Wrestling 
itself.  (1.)  As  to  the  person,  it  will  be 
noticed  that  in  the  passage  before  us  he 
is  termed  a  man ;  but  in  Hos.  12.  4, 
where  the  incident  is  somewhat  more 
fully  described,  the  prophet  says  of  Ja- 
cob that '  he  had  power  over  the  angel, 


24  IT  And  Jacob  was  left  alone , 
and  there  *  wrestled  a  man  with 
him,  until  the  breaking  of  the  day. 

»  Hos.  12.  3,  4.    Eph.  6.  12. 


and  prevailed.'  This  makes  it  clear 
it  was  not  a  human  antagonist  with 
whom  Jacob  was  now  called  to  enter 
the  lists.  But  we  have  a  farther  clue  to 
his  identity  in  the  sequel  of  the  present 
narrative.  In  giving  the  reason  for 
calling  the  name  of  the  place  Peniel,  v. 
30,  he  says,  '  for  I  have  seen  God  face 
to  face.'  Here  then  it  is  obvious  that 
he  who  is  at  one  time  called  'a  man,'  is 
at  another  called  '  the  angel,'  and  again 
designated  by  the  august  tide  of  '  God  ;' 
leaving  us  to  the  inevitable  inference 
that  the  mysterious  wrestler  was  no 
other  than  the  divine  personage  so  fre- 
quendy  brought  before  us  under  the  ap- 
pellation of  '  the  Angel' — '  the  Angel  of 
the  Lord'— 'the  Angel  of  the  Cove- 
nant,' &c. ;  that  is,  in  other  words,  the 
Son  of  God  appearing  m  that  nature 
which  he  afterwards  assumed  in  accom- 
plishing the  work  of  our  redemption. 
Could  there  be  the  least  remaining 
doubt  on  the  subject  it  is  dispelled  by  the 
farther  statement  of  Hosea  in  the  pas- 
sage above  cited,  v.  4,  5,  '  He  found  him 
in  Bethel,  and  there  he  spake  with  us ; 
even  the  Lord  of  Hosts ;  the  Lord  is  his 
memorial ;'  i.  e.  the  name  by  which  he  is 
perpetually  to  be  remembered  in  con- 
nection with  this  event.  (2.)  As  to  the 
true  nature  and  scope  of  this  transaction, 
although  it  has  been  much  doubted 
among  commentators  whether  it  were 
a  real  event  or  a  vision  only,  yet  the 
words  of  the  text  seem  spontaneously  to 
yield  the  sense  of  a  literal  personal  en- 
counter. Left  alone  in  the  silence  of  the 
night,  and  in  the  open  field,  with  his 
mind  deeply  exercised  with  the  perils 
that  surrounded  him,  the  patriarch  sud- 
denly feels  himself  laid  hold  of  by  some 
unknown  assailant.  It  is  not  unlikely 
that  at  the  first  onset  he  might  appre- 
hend him  to  be  one  of  Esau's  four  hun- 


168 


GENESIS. 


[B.C.  1739 


dred  men,  for  he  comes  upon  him  not 
as  a  friend,  but  as  a  foe.  Whoever  he 
may  be,  he  at  once  begins  to  struggle 
with  Jacob,  and  apparently  aims,  by  a 
violent  assault,  to  throw  him  to  the 
ground.  He,  on  the  other  hand,  defends 
himself  to  the  utmost  of  his  power.  He 
grasps  his  antagonist,  and  exerting  all 
his  strength,  seems  determined  not  to 
suffer  himself  to  be  thrown.  How  long 
the  conflict  continued  before  he  discov- 
ered the  true  character  of  his  opponent, 
is  uncertain;  but  we  are  informed  that 
it  was  not  '  until  the  breaking  of  the 
day'  that  the  wrestling  ceased,  nor  even 
then  did  the  victory  declare  itself  for 
the  divine  antagonist.  '  He  saw  that  he 
prevailed  not  against  him.'  Such,  with 
the  added  particulars  soon  to  be  detail- 
ed, was  the  nature  of  this  mysterious 
encounter,  in  which,  from  the  mode  of 
narration,  we  can  scarcely  fail  to  recog- 
nise a  real  occurrence,  a  true  and  literal 
act  of  wrestling ;  in  a  word,  as  actual  a 
contest  as  ever  took  place  among  the 
athlete  of  the  Olympic  or  Isthmian 
games.  This  interpretation  is  confirmed 
by  what  is  said  of  the  effect  of  the  en- 
gagement upon  Jacob's  person.  The 
hollow  of  his  thigh  was  touched,  and  a 
permanent  dislocation  of  the  hip  joint 
ensued,  which,  for  aught  that  appears, 
attended  him  through  hfe.  It  is  hardly 
probable  that  a  visionary  conflict  would 
thus  have  resulted  in  an  abiding  bodily 
injury.  But  while  we  thus  understand 
the  narrative  of  a  real  transaction,  we 
are  not  thereby  precluded  from  assign- 
ing to  it  a  spiritual,  figurative,  or  symhol- 
xcal  import  of  the  highest  moment,  both 
to  Jacob  and  his  believing  seed  in  all 
ages.  Indeed,  it  is  not  possible  to  con- 
ceive how  such  a  pecuhar  mode  of 
manifestation  could  be  worthy  of  the 
Deity,  were  it  not  intended  to  shadow 
out  some  great  instructive  moral  truth 
or  lesson.  We  have  only  to  revert  to 
the  circumstances  in  which  the  transac- 
tion occurred  to  see  that  such  a  purpose 
was  undoubtedly  designed  by  it.    Jacob 


was  now  agitated  and  distressed  in  view 
of  the  uncertain  issue  of  a  meeting  with 
his  brother.  In  his  perplexity  he  had 
recourse  to  the  throne  of  grace  ;  he  cast 
himself  entirely  by  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion upon  the  protection  of  heaven.  In 
order  to  calm  the  disquietude  of  his 
spirit,  and  arm  him  with  all  needed  con- 
fidence, God  is  pleased  to  inform  him  hy 
a  significant  action  of  the  favorable  issue 
of  the  affair.  As  he  was  permitted  to 
prevail  over  the  Angel,  so  he  should  pre- 
vail over  L'sau.  Viewing  the  transac- 
tion as  having  a  special  reference  to 
Esau,  we  see  not  why  the  Angel  may 
not  be  considered  in  this  respect  as  sus- 
taining the  person  of  Esau.  This  is  the 
opinion  of  several  Jewish  commentators, 
and  thus  understood,  the  symbolical  strife 
has  a  pertinency  which  is  by  no  means 
so  obvious  on  any  other  construction. 
It  is  well  known  that  nothing  was  more 
common  in  God's  mode  of  intercourse 
with  the  patriarchs  and  prophets  than  to 
impart  information  to  them  by  means  of 
action  as  well  as  words  ;  and  as  Jacob's 
predicted  ascendancy  over  his  brother 
was  to  be  obtained  through  a  series  of 
struggles  well  represented  by  wrestling  ; 
as  he  did,  in  fact,  receive  his  name  from 
an  act  appropriate  to  a  wrestler,  viz. 
that  of  supplanting  or  tripping  up  the 
heels ;  we  know  not  by  what  emblem- 
atic procedure  the  grand  fact  of  his 
prevalence  over  Esau  could  be  more 
suitably  set  forth  than  that  of  the  jnys- 
tical  athletic  strife  here  described,  though 
its  more  immediate  and  special  refer 
ence  is  to  his  triumph  over  Esau's  re- 
sentment on  the  present  occasion.  Nor 
is  it,  we  conceive,  a  sufficient  objection 
to  this,  that  it  makes  the  divine  person- 
age, while  evidently  favoring  Jacob,  to 
appear  at  the  same  time  as  the  represent- 
ative of  an  enemy ;  for  we  find,  in  the 
commencement  of  the  chapter,  that  the 
good  angels  who  appeared  to  Jacob  for 
his  encouragement  represented  at  the 
same  time  two  hostile  bands.  Besides, 
we  find,  if  we  mistake  not,  a  striking 


B.  C.  1739.1 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 


169 


confirmation  of  this  view  of  the  subject 
in  the  parallel  passage  of  Hosea  before  al- 
tuded  to ; '  He  took  his  brother  by  the  heel 
m  the  womb,  and  by  his  strength  he  had 
power  with  God :  yea,  he  had  power  over 
the  Angel,  and  prevailed  :  he  wept,  and 
made  suppUcation  unto  him.'  We  here 
Bee  the  ascendancy  of  Jacob  traced  back 
to  its  very  commencement  at  the  birth 
of  the  two  brothers,  and  thence  carried 
forward  to  the  time  now  mentioned, 
when  he  prevailed  over  Esau  in  the 
person  of  the  representative  angel,  as 
a  pledge  of  his  prevailing  over  him  in  his 
own  person,  as  we  learn  that  he  shortly 
after  did.  This  is  indeed  called  '  having 
power  with  God,'  because  it  was  by  the 
special  favor  and  blessing  of  God  that  he 
was  enabled  to  come  off  conqueror  over 
the  exasperated  feelings  of  his  brother. 
It  was,  in  fact,  a  twofold  prevalence,  the 
one  the  type  and  earnest  of  the  other. 
'He  wept  and  made  supplication;'  he 
threw  himself,  in  all  the  fervency  of  the 
most  importunate  prayer,  upon  the  mer- 
cy of  God,  and  God  heard  him  and 
granted  his  request.  This  was  prevail- 
.ng  over  infinitely  superior  power,  and 
his  prevalence  in  this  case  was  at  the 
same  time  an  image  of  his  prevailing 
over  Esau ;  and  we  have  only  to  con- 
sult the  details  of  the  ensuing  narrative 
to  see  how  strikingly  all  the  circum- 
stances of  the  shadow  correspond  with 
those  of  the  substance.  As  he  humbled 
himself  in  deep  abasement  of  soul,  and 
implored  the  favor  of  the  Angel,  so  he 
bowed  himself  seven  times  to  the 
ground,  and  by  expressions  and  postures 
of  the  profoundest  reverence,  sought  to 
conciUate  his  brother.  As  the  symbol- 
ical Angel,  though  infinitely  stronger 
than  Jacob,  suffered  himself  to  be  over- 
come, holding  his  power  in  abeyance  ; 
so  Esau,  though  coming  against  him 
with  four  hundred  men,  a  force  no  doubt 
vastly  superior  to  that  of  the  patriarch, 
was  in  like  manner  wrought  upon,  soft- 
ened, and  subdued  by  the  melting  im- 
portunities of  his  brother,  who  would  i 
VOL.  If. 


not  part  from  him  any  more  than  from 
the  Angel  without  the  exchange  of  a 
blessing,  and  who  seems,  in  fact,  almost 
in  express  words  to  identify  Esau  with 
the  divine  wrestling  Angel,  when  he 
says,  ch.  33.  10, '  Receive  my  present  at 
my  hand  ;  for  therefore  have  I  seen  thy 
/ace,  as  though  I  had  seen  the  face  of 
God,  and  thou  wast  pleased  with  me  ;'  im- 
plying, that  in  the  mystical  strife  which 
had  taken  place  he  had  seen  his  face  or 
person  in  that  of  his  angelic  adversary  ; 
and  as  he  then  appeared  pleased,  i.  e. 
pacified,  or  conciliated  towards  him,  so 
he  hoped  he  would  be  now,  and  thus 
turn  all  the  shadowy  incidents  into  a  de- 
lightful reality.  But  while  we  consider 
the  above  as  the  legitimate  and  leading 
scope  of  the  transaction  here  recorded, 
we  do  not  hesitate  at  the  same  time  to  re- 
cognise another  subordinate  drift  of 
infinite  wisdom  in  ordering  its  occur- 
rence. We  believe  it  was  designed,  as 
it  has  generally  been  understood,  to 
teach  the  importance  and  the  efficacy 
of  earnest,  fervent,  agonizing  prayer, 
particularly  in  circumstances  of  afflic- 
tion and  distress.  It  is,  indeed,  regard- 
ed by  some  as  doubtful  whether  the 
'  weeping  and  suppUcation'  of  which 
Hosea  speaks,  took  place  at  the  same 
time  witli  the  wrestling,  or  whether  he 
refers  to  the  humble  and  importunate 
prayer  made  some  hours  previous,  and 
contained,  v,  9 — 12.  But  as  he  undoubt- 
edly recognised  the  true  character  of 
his  divine  antagonist  before  they  part- 
ed, and  as  he  refused  to  let  him  go 
until  he  had  received  a  blessing  at  his 
hand,  this  is  evidently  to  be  considered 
as  implying  the  essence  of  a  prayer,  and 
that,  no  doubt,  of  the  most  fervent  de 
scription.  In  order,  therefore,  to  gain 
an  adequate  view  of  the  true  nature  of 
this  mysterious  strife,  we  must  look  upon 
it  as  shadowing  forth  that  secret  inward 
struggle  of  the  soul,  which  forms  the 
very  Ufe  of  all  earnest  and  prevalent 
prayer  with  God.  In  the  athletic  exer- 
cise of  wresthng,  the  highest  eflfort  of 
15 


170 


GEN'ErSTS^. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


25  And  when  hs  saw  that  he  pre- 
vailed not  against  him,  he  touched 
the  hollow  of  his  thigh  :    and  y  the 

y  Matt.  26.  41,    2  Cor.  12.  7. 


corporeal  prowess  is  required.  Every 
nerve  and  muscle  of  every  limb  is  call- 
ed into  play,  and  pnt  to  its  utmost  ten- 
sion. The  whole  energy  of  the  frame 
is  concentrated  in  the  act,  and  the  least 
relaxation  perils  the  issu«  of  the  con- 
flict. So  also  in  prayer,  Ali  the  pow- 
ers of  ottr  minds,  and  all  the  strong- 
est feelings  of  our  hearts  are  to  be  en- 
listed in  this  duty.  Our  earnestness 
and  zeal  should  be  wrought  up  to  the 
highest  pitch  of  intensity.  Precepts, 
promises,  arguments, —  whatever  can 
constitute  pleas  of  the  most  cogent  and 
prevailing  nature,  should  bet)roHght  for- 
ward. We  should  'stir  ourselves  up  to 
take  hold  on  God'.'  And  oftentimes 
weeping  and  supplication,  in  imitation 
of  Jacob,  yea,  strong  crying  and  tears, 
in  imitation  of  the  Saviour,  should  be 
resorted  to.  Then  it  is  that  we  know 
something  of  the  effectual  fervent  pray- 
er of  the  righteous,  which  availeth  much. 
Then  it  is  that  we  feel  the  deep  internal 
movings  of  the  Spirit,  'which  maketh 
intercession  for  us  with  groanings  which 
cannot  be  uttered.'  But  this  view  of 
the  subject  will  be  more  fully  developed 
as  we  proceed. 

25.  And  when  he  saw,  &c.  That  is, 
when  the  Angel  saw.  Gr.  and  Chal. 
•  When  he  saw  that  he  could  do  nothing 
agamst  him.'  The  fact  stated  is  indeed 
wonderful — Omnipotence  unable  to  van- 
quish the  '  worm  Jacob  !'  But  in  order 
to  understand  it,  we  must  penetrate  be- 
yond the  veil  of  the  physical  encounter, 
and  direct  our  view  to  the  hidden  spir- 
ituality that  is  couched  within.  The 
strength  by  which  Jacob  sustained  the 
contest  with  an  almighty  opponent  v/as 
not  the  strength  of  bones  and  sinews, 
nor  was  the  non-prevalence  of  the  An- 
gel any  thing  else  than  the  inability  to 
withstand  the  power  of  an  unwaverii^g 


hollow  of  Jacobus  thigh  was  out  of 
joint,  as  he  wrestled  with  him. 


faith  pleading  his  own  promises.      He 
may  be  said,  therefore,  not  to  have  pre- 
vailed, just  as  a  benevolent  man,  who 
is  beset  by  a  needy  beggar,  prteously 
telling  his  tale  of  woe,  and  clinging  to- 
the  skirts  of  his  garment,  may  be  said 
'  not  to  prevail'  to  cast  him  off,  though 
possessed     of    far     superior     physical 
strength,  because  he  yields  to  the  kind- 
ly impulses  of  bis  nature.    Yet  we  must 
not  forget  that  it  was  all  along  by  the 
secret  ministration  of  God's  Spirit  that 
Jacob  was  enabled  to  put  forth  the  mo- 
ral power  which  he  did  in  the  presenS 
conflict.      The   strength  by  which  he 
prevailed  was  as  truly  God's  strength,^ 
as  that  by  which  God  himself  in  out- 
w'ard  show  contended  against  him.     In- 
deed, we  must  consider  God  in  this  tran- 
saction as  acting  in  the  double  capacity 
of  an  adversary  and  an  assistttnt,  evincing 
in  the  second  character  greater  strength 
than  in  the  first ;  fighting,  as  it  were^ 
against  him  with  his  left  hand,  and /or 
him  with  his  right ;  putting  far  greater 
force  into  the  defence  than  into  the  as- 
sault, and,  as  Calvin  says, '  being  str  ' 
ger  than  himself  by  yielding  the  vie' 
to  faith.'    Such  a  mode  of  represents' 
appears  strange  and  paradoxical  to' 
who  is  inexperienced  in  the  warfare 
the  spirit,  who  has  never  passed  thro-  ' 
the  siftings  and  trials  to  which  God' 
ten  subjects  his  children.      But  the' 
ry  teaches  a  familiar  doctrine  to  tV 
who  haTC  waded  in  the  deep  wate^ 
affliction    and  temptation.      They 
never  at  a  loss  to  understand,  or  ' 
ward  to   acknowledge,  the    sou'' 
which  they  are  indebted  for  the  st 
that  enables  them  to  overcome  i-r 
arduous  struggles  in  which  the  ■' 
ty  himself  seems  to  come  fort'' 

tie  array  against  them . ^  P      ^j^g^ 

the  hollow  nf  hJ$  thigh,  &c.   '^^^  ^^^  , 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXX[f. 


171 


hurt,  injured.     See  note  on  Gen.  20.  6- 
What  is  here  termed  the  '  hollow  of  the 
thigh,'  is  undoubtedly  the  socket  of  the 
hip-joint,  though  it  is  not  easy  to  deter 
mine  the  precise  natureof  the  injury  in 
flicted.     From  its  being  said,  v.  32,  that 
the  children  of  Israel  ate   not  of  the  si- 
new which  shrank,  it  would  seem  that 
one  part   especially   affected    was  the 
tendinous  ligament  connecting  the  thigh- 
bone with  the  hip-joint.      But  if  so,  it 
was  probably  owing  to  a  dislocation  of 
the  thigh-bone.      This  would  naturally 
be  attended  with  such  a  violent  wrench- 
ing of  the   muscles  and  sinews  in  the 
neighborhood,  that  even  after  the  bone 
was  replaced,  it  might  cause  a  perma- 
nently halting  or  hmping  gait.    Yet  it  is 
highly  probable  that  the  effect,  in  Ja- 
cob's case,  was  produced  without  pain, 
and  was  designed  to  impress  him  with 
a  profound  sense  of  the  divine  condes- 
cension, from  the  fact  that  one  who  had 
thus  shown  himself  possessed  of  infinite 
power,  should  deign  to  be  prevailed  over 
by  a  worm  of  the  dust.     As  Paul,  in  the 
abundance  of  his  revelations,  2  Cor.  12. 
7,  received  a  'thorn  in  the  flesh,'   to 
humble  him,  or  to  prevent  undue  exalta- 
tion, so  in  the  present  case  Jacob  receiv- 
^  similar  token,  which  it  was  fitting 
'ould  carry  with  him  to  his  grave, 
-his   incident   cannot    be    rightly 
d,  except  in  connexion  with  the 
ual  bearing  of  the  whole  transac- 
;  in  which  fight   we    shall    dwell 
it  somewhat  more  at  length.     The 
is  is  well  known,  is  the  foundation, 
speak,  of  the  edifice  of  the  body, 
'ocated,  the  body  falls  down.    A 
ation  of  the  hip  is  an  extremely 
ise,  only  practicable  to  astonish- 
•ength,    especially  in  the   posi- 
■'•  ••      lich  a  person   must  assume   in 
^^'■'       g  with  another.    But  this  effect 
ight  upon  Jacob  in  the  midst  of 
nnter,   and  the     consequence 
^.       ourse  be  that  he  could  wres- 
.  ^"      ?r.      All  that  remained  for 
ii^g    ""^^hold  fast  to  his  opponent  by 


his  arms,  to  cling  to  him  with  all  his 
might,  so  that  his  antagonist  could  not 
remove  from  the  place  without  dragging 
him  along  with  him.  Indeed,  Jacob 
could  now  neither  stand  nor  go  ;  and 
the  wrestling  angel,  who  had  thus  de- 
prived him  of  his  strength,  left  him  no 
alternative  but  to  hang  upon  his  neck, 
if  he  wished  to  be  preserved  from  fall- 
ing. And  this  he  appears  to  have  done, 
retaining  his  grasp  with  unflinching  te- 
nacity, as  if  resolved  that  nothing  should 
separate  him  from  one  who  had  it  in 
his  power  to  bless  him  as  no  other  being 
in  the  universe  could.  But  passing  from 
the  letter  to  the  spirit,  and  interpreting 
what  is  here  said  of  wrestling  of  the  in- 
ward conflicts  of  the  soul,  we  remark, 
that  no  purpose  is  more  settled  in  the 
counsels  of  heaven,  than  to  beat  down 
the  vain  self-confidence,  which  in  one 
form  or  other  is  so  prone  to  intrude  it- 
self into  the  devoutest  doings  of  even 
the  best  of  men.  Some  secret  reliance 
upon  their  own  strength,  or  uprightness, 
or  understanding,  mingles  with  the 
workings  of  their  hearts,  and  prevents 
that  entire  renunciation  of  themselves 
which  is  essential  to  their  being  filled 
with  the  fulness  of  God.  But  when  the 
Most  High  begins  to  wrestle  with  a 
soul,  that  is,  to  carry  on  more  effectual- 
ly the  work  of  grace,  he  struggles  with 
him  in  such  a  manner  as  to  abase  eve- 
ry high  thing  that  exalts  itself  within 
him,  and  bring  him  to  the  lowest  depths 
of  self-abasement  and  self-annihilation. 
He  will  leave  him  nothing  to  plead  but 
his  pure  gratuitous  mercy  in  Christ. 
He  will  cause  him,  by  his  hidden  influ- 
ences in  his  heart,  to  feel  that  he  has 
no  alternative  remaining  but  to  embrace 
with  the  arms  of  faith  the  Son  of  God, 
and  thus,  as  a  crippled  conqueror,  to  pre- 
vail. He  thus  learns  to  believe  from 
the  heart  the  declaration  that '  it  is  not 
of  him  that  willeth,  nor  of  him  that  run- 
neth, but  of  God  that  showeth  mercy.' 
He  is  thus  led  into  those  mysterious  pro- 
cesses of  the  inward  life  which  may 


172 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


26  And  ^  he  said,  Let  me  go,  for 
the  day  breaketh  :  and  he   said,  ^  I 

''Luke  24.  28.  a  Hos.  12.  4. 


justly  be- called  a  continual  riddle,  which 
cannot  be  solved  without  personal  ex- 
perience. In  a  word,  we  may  see,  in 
this  incident  of  the  mystical  conflict, 
how  completely  the  Lord  designs  to 
strip  the  sinner  of  every  relic  of  self-con- 
fidence, that  he  may  cast  himself, 
weak,  weary,  lame,  halting,  and  help- 
less, into  the  arms  of  the  all-sufficient 
Saviour. 

2C).  And  he  said,  Let  me  go,  &c.  The 
Angel  evidently  proved  his  infinite  su- 
periority to  Jacob  by  depriving  him  of 
all  power  to  continue  the  combat;  and 
yet  he  enhances  the  wonders  of  the 
scene  by  saying  to  the  patriarch,  '  Let 
me  go,'  and  thus  virtually  declaring  him- 
self to  be  vanquished.  How  astonishing 
the  procedure  !  As  long  as  Jacob  pos- 
sesses strength,  he  is  overcome,  and 
conquers  at  the  moment  it  forsakes  him  ! 
But  thus  says  the  Aposde,  '  when  T  am 
weak,  then  am  I  strong.*  The  Angel's 
words  were  obviously  designed  as  a 
farther  trial  of  the  patriarch's  faith.  As 
men  usually  at  early  dawn,  instead  of 
spending  the  time  in  prayer,  are  enjoy- 
ing their  repose,  or  deem  it  their  duty 
to  enter  upon  the  business  of  the  day, 
Jacob's  divine  antagonist  would  try 
whether  he  would  yield  to  natural  in- 
clination and  desist,  or  would  hold  out  a 
little  longer  in  his  supplicatitms.  Thus 
our  Saviour  seemed  by  his  words  to  dis- 
courage the  addresses  of  the  Syro-Phe- 
nician  woman.  Matt.  15.  22 — 28,  when 
in  reality  his  object  was  to  quicken  and 
animate  her  to  still  greater  fervency  in 
her  intercessions,  '  Let  me  go,'  says 
the  wrestHng  angel.  What  life  and  cour- 
age must  this  have  imparted  to  Jacob  ! 
For  what  did  the  words  imply  ?  That 
the  Son  of  God  was  in  his  power,  and 
that  he  would  not  depart  unless  Jacob 
gave  his  consent  to  it.  This  was  an  ad- 
vantage too  precious  to  be  neglected. 
Accordingly  he  makes  no  account  of 


will  not  Jet  thee  go,  except  thou 
bless  me. 


the  reason  which  the  Angel  urged  for 
his  request,  'For  the  day  breaketh.' 
'  Let  it  break,'  might  Jacob  have  replied, 
'  What  is  that  to  me  ?  I  have  a  thousand 
reasons  why  I  will  not  let  thee  go  ;  and 
even  the  breaking  of  the  day  is  one  of 
them.  A  perilous  day  is  approaching. 
I  am  afraid  of  my  brother  Esau.  I 
stand  in  special  need  of  thy  blessing. 
Thou  dost  well  to  remind  me  of  it,  that 

I  may  cleave  to  thee  the  closer.' 

^  T  will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou  bless 
me.  The  highest  heroism  of  faith  shines 
forth  in  these  words.  He  declares  him* 
self  determined  to  retain  his  pertinacious 
hold  upon  the  author  of  blessing.  But 
could  He  not  easily  have  shaken  him 
oflJ'?  Could  He  not  have  dislocated  or 
paralysed  his  arms,  and  thus  have  freed 
himself  from  his  death-like  embrace  ? 
Doubtless  his  physical  power  was  com- 
petent to  this,  but  his  omnipotence  was 
limited  in  its  operation  by  his  promise 
to  his  servant  '  to  do  him  good.'  He 
had  bound  himself  to  bless  him,  and  his 
great  power  could  only  be  exercised 
towards  him  in  accordance  with  this  en- 
gagement. Nor  did  he  really  desire  that 
Jacob  should  free  him  from  the  obliga- 
tion to  do  him  good.  He  rather  aimed 
to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  how  firm, 
by  his  grace,  are  the  hearts  of  his  chil- 
dren, even  when  many  waters  of  afflic- 
tion go  over  them,  and  how  the  seed  of 
God  remains  in  them.  It  Avas  the  same 
kind  of  pleasure  that  he  experienced 
when  Job  exclaimed,  '  Though  he  slay 
me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him.'  He  him- 
self is  the  author  of  this  constancy,  and 
hence  it  is  that  it  is  so  pleasing  in  hi'6 
sight;  for  he  takes  pleasure  in  all  hiss* 
works.  And  what  pleasure  does  it  still 
afford  him,  when  the  Christian  does  not 
suffer  himself  to  be  dismayed  by  af^  /r 
tions  and  temptations,  but  even  ^nci 
cleaves  to  his  word  and  his  grace  ,  when 
every  thing  seems  to  go  agairist  hira? 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


173 


27  And  he  said  unto  him,  What 
is  thy  name  ?     And  he  said,  Jacob. 

28,  And  he  said,  ^Thy  name 
shall  be  called  no  more  Jacob,  but 

b  ch.  ch.  35.  10.    2  Kings  17.  34. 


27.  And  he  said  unto  him,  What  is  thy 
name?  This  question  respecting  Ja- 
cob's name  is  asked  by  the  Angel,  not, 
of  course,  because  he  was  previously 
ignorant  of  it,  but  that  from  the  answer 
he  might  take  occasion  to  change  it,  as  he 
immediately  did.  But  not  only  so.  He 
put  the  question  in  order  to  instruct  Ja- 
cob respecting  the  signification  of  his 
present  name,  and  to  lead  him  to  reflect 
upon  the  occasion  of  its  being  given 
him.  This  was  at  his  birth,  when  he 
held  his  twin  brother  Esau  by  the  heel. 
His  birth  reminded  him  of  the  divine 
prediction,  '  that  the  elder  should  serve 
the  younger.'  He  might  have  forgot- 
ten it,  but  the  Lord  had  not.  He  de- 
signs, therefore,  that  the  patriarch  shall 
derive  encouragement  from  this  name. 
It  means  supplanter,  and  was,  of  course, 
well  adapted  to  inspire  him  with  confi- 
dence that  Esau  should  not  overcome 
him.  This  will  account  for  such  an 
apparently  irrelevant  mode  of  replying 
to  his  petition.  Jacob,  no  doubt,  thought 
with  himself,  'Why  this  question?  J 
ask  for  a  blessing,  and  he  inquires  my 
name.  I  should  have  preferred  an  im- 
mediate fulfilment  of  the  desires  of  my 
heart.'  But  God  often  takes  what  ap- 
pears to  us  a  circuitous  method  of  an- 
swering our  requests  ;  though  the  result 
shows  that  it  is  the  wisest  and  best. 
Upon  the  mention  of  his  name,  it  is  high- 
ly probable  that  a  new  light  shone  upon 
it,  rendering  its  import  clear  and  consol- 
ing to  his  mind.  It  reminded  him  not 
only  of  his  predicted  ascendancy  over 
Esau,  but  also  of  all  the  rich  blessings 
and  prerogatives  of  the  covenant  estab- 
lished with  his  fathers.  And  what 
would  more  tend  to  cheer  and  encourage 
him  on  this  occasion  than  such  refresh- 
ing   recollections  ?      Yet    the    ensuing 


Israel:  for  as  a  prince  hast  thou 
"  power  with  God,  and  "^  with  men, 
and  hast  prevailed. 

<:  IIos.  12.  3,  4.         J  ch.  25.  31.  &  27.  33. 


words  disclose  a  still  deeper  drift  in  the 
question. 

28.  Thy  name  shall  be  called  no  more 
Jacob,  but  Israel. '  Israel'  signifies '  prince- 
ly prevailer  with  God,'  one  of  its  com- 
ponent members  signifying  the  same  as 
the  name  of  '  Sarah,'  princess.  The 
proper  names  occurring  in  the  sacred 
volume  are  frequently  used  to  designate 
the  character  rather  than  the  common  ap- 
pellation of  those  to  whom  they  are 
applied.  Thus  it  was  predicted  of 
Christ,  that '  his  name  should  be  called 
Wonderful,  Immanuel,'  &c.,  Is.  9.  6,  and 
7.  14,  of  which  tlie  true  interpretation 
is,  that  his  nature  should  be  wonderful, 
should  be  Immanuel,  &c.  So  also  our 
Lord  says  to  his  disciples,  John  15.  15, 
'  Henceforth  I  call  you  not  servants,  but 
I  have  called  you  friends,'  i.e.  I  declare 
you  to  be  friends.  Yet  we  find  that  in 
point  of  mere  nominal  appellation  they 
were  subsequently  called  'friends,' as 
John  18.  36.  So  in  the  present  case,  it 
is  not  so  much  intended  that  Jacob's  or- 
dinary and  familiar  title  should  be  su- 
perseded, as  is  evident  from  the  subse- 
quent history,  as  that  he  should  now  be 
declared  to  be  possessed  of  a  neio  char- 
acter by  the  significant  designation  as- 
signed him.  Arab. '  Thy  name  shall  not 
always  be  called  Jacob  only,  but  Israel 
likewise.'  Hitherto  his  name  Jacob  had 
merely  denoted  his  being  a  supplanter 
of  his  brother,  but  now  he  had  moreover 
shown  himself  a  prevailer  with  God,  in 
token  of  which  it  was  proper  that  the 
name  '  Israel'  should  be  given  him,  as 
an  honorable  testimonial  of  the  fact  in 
all  ages.  It  is  to  be  observed,  also,  that 
Jacob's  posterity,  to. whom  the  same 
name  is  applied,  are  so  denominated 
principally  upon  the  ground  of  their 
being   supposed   to   be   a  praying  and 

15* 


174 


29  And  Jacob  asked  him,  and 
said,  Tell  me,  I  prav  Ihee,  thy 
name  :  and  he  said,  ^  Wherefore  is 

eJudg.13. 18. 

prevailing  seed,  especially  liis  spiritual 
seed,  Gal.  6.  10,  which  embraces  the 
Gentiles,   who   are   affiliated  by   faith. 

IT  As  a  prince  hast  thou  power  with 

God.  Heb.  tliTJ  sarilha,  i.  e.  thou 
hast  acted  the  prince  ;  thou  liast  carried 
thyself  prince-like.  The  same  word 
occurs,  Hos.  12.  4, '  He  had  power  with 
God.'  Heb.  '^"IJ">1  vayasar,  he  was  a 
prince  with  God-  In  allusion  to  this 
transaction,  the  Most  High  says  by  the 
Prophet,  Is.  45.  19, '  I  said  not  to  the  seed 
of  Jacob  seek  ye  me  in  vain.'  The  seed 
ofJacobis  specified  rather  than  the  seed 
of  Abraham,  from  this  eminent  instance 
of  Jacob's  praying  and  prevailing  in  a 
season  of  extremity,  and  thus  carrying 
an  implication  that  his  'seed'  would  in- 
herit their  father's  spirit  in  this  respect. 
As  far,  therefore,  as  Christians  consti- 
tute the  true  Israel  of  God,  they  should 
doubtless  deem  themselves  bound  to 
be  distinguished  for  their  perseverance 

and    prevalence    in    prayer. IT  A7id 

with  man.  Doubdess  with  a  more  special 
reference  to  his  prevailing  with  Esau  in 
their  coming  niterview,  of  which,  as 
remarked  above,  his  prevailing  with  the 
Angel  was  a  designed  earnest  and 
pledge. 

29.  Tell  me,  T pray  thee,  thy  name.  It 
cannot  be  doubted,  from  the  drift  of  the 
narrative,  that  Jacob  was  aware  that 
his  antagonist  was  a  truly  divine  per- 
sonage. Jt  was  not,  therefore,  for  fur- 
ther satisfaction  on  this  head  that  he 
made  the  present  inquiry.  Two  reasons 
may  be  suggested  as  having,  perhaps, 
prompted  the  question.  (1.)  He  may 
have  been  desirous  of  knowing  how  the 
Lord  ought  properly  to  be  called.  He 
was  usually  called  '  Elohim'  God,  and 
this  title  .Jacob  himself  had  recognised 
at  Bethel,  and  God  also  ht\d  subsequent- 
ly confirmed  it  by   saying.  'I  am  the 


GENESIS.  [B.  C.  1739. 


it  ihat  thou  dost  ask  after  my  name  1 
x\nd  he  blessed  him  there. 


God  of  Bethel.'  But  when  he  appeared 
to  Abraham,  Gen.  17.  1,  and  renewed 
the  covenant  with  him,  he  denominated 
himself  '  El  Shaddai'  God  allsiifficient, 
and  at  other  tunes,  he  was  called  sim- 
ply '  El,'  the  strong  One.  But  these  ap- 
pellations no  longer  satisfied  the  patri- 
arch after  his  recent  experience.  He 
seems  to  have  thought  it  possible  that 
some  other  title  liaving  a  special  com- 
memorative reference  to  this  event 
might  be  proper,  and  accordingly 
wishes  to  know  what  it  was.  But  (2.", 
The  import  of  the  quesdon  undoubtedly 
extends  beyond  the  mere  name.  He  wish 
ed  to  have  a  fuller  development  m  words 
of  that  divine  nature  or  character  which 
had  displayed  itself  so  wonderfully  in 
act.  It  is  as  if  he  had  said,  '  Lord,  how 
shall  I  call  thee  ?  I  know  not  what  to 
think,  much  less  to  say.  Such  con- 
descension as  thou  hast  shown  me,  who 
am  but  dust,  is  more  than  my  heart 
could  have  dared  to  anticipate.  I  know 
and  confess  that  thou  hast  previously 
appeared  wonderful  and  gracious  to 
Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  me  also.  But 
what  is  all  this  compared  to  what  thou 
hast  now  done  to  me  ?  Thou  disguises! 
thyself  in  human  flesh  and  blood  ;  thou 
feignest  thyself  to  be  my  opponent,  in 
order  to  do  me  good  I  Thou  even  wres- 
dest  with  me  !  Thou  grieve  st  me  only 
to  console  me  !  Thou  breakest  down 
all  my  strength,  in  order  to  declare  that 
thou  art  in  my  power.  Thou  givest  mo 
a  new  name,  which  represents  me  as 
the  conqueror,  and  thee  as  the  conquer- 
ed ;  which  renders  that  which  is  impos- 
sible, real.  This  is  toj  wonderful  for 
me  ;  I  cannot  attain  unto  it.  Tell  me, 
what  is  thy  name  ?'  This  we  may 
conceive  to  have  been  the  drift  of  his 
inquiry,  and  under  the  comparatively 
dark  dispensation  of  that  early  period, 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


175 


30  And  Jacob  called  the  name  of 
the  place  Peniel :  for  ^  I  have  «een 

rch.  16.  IS.    Exofi.  24.  11.&33.20.   Dent. 
3.24. 

when  the  full  gospel  revelations  were 
•3iot  yet  made,  it  was  a  natural  inquiry. 
In  hke  manner,  and  from  a  similar  im- 
pulse, Manoah,  the  father  of  Samson,  be- 
sought the  Angel  who  '  did  wondronsly' 
before  him,  to  tell  hira  his  name,  i.  e.  to 
•disclose  fully  his  character ;  which  he 
ostensibly  declined  and  yet  really  grant- 
ed. See  Note  on  Josh.  13.  18.  Moses 
also,  Ex.  3.  13,  14,  entreated  him  to  tell 
his  nanee,  in  order  that  if  the  children 
ehould  inquire  as  te  the  name  of  the 
God  who  had  sent  him,  he  naight  l>e 
able  to  give  them  an  anewer.  To  which 
the  Lord  replied  by  giving  him  an  inti- 
mation of  his  nature;  '  I  am  that  I  am.' 
The  answer  to  Jacob  is  now  to  be  con- 
sidered.— — IT  Wherefore  is  it  that  thou 
dost  ask  after  my  name  7  And  he  blessed 
him  there.  As  far  as  the  letter  of  Jacob's 
inquiry  is  concerned,  the  Lord  refused 
to  answer  it ;  and  yet  we  cannot  doubt 
that  the  patriarch  was  favored  with 
what  was  equivalent  to  a  direct  and  full 
reply.  The  truth  is,  the  interrogation 
Kself  of  the  Angel  implies  that  he  had 
Rmple  grounds  for  drawing  the  proper 
inference  himself  as  to  the  character  of 
the  Being  with  whom  he  had  to  do.  It 
was  as  much  as  if  he  had  said,  'Canst 
thou,  after  such  a  manifestation,  be  ig- 
norant who  I  am?'  But  it  is  highly 
probable,  that  in  addition  to  this  there 
was  something  in  the  blessing  now  im- 
parted which  virtually  answered  his 
question.  Before,  when  Jacob  implored 
a  blessing,  he  asked  the  patriarch's 
name.  Now,  on  the  other  hand,  when 
Jacob  asked  his  name,  he  answers  by 
giving  liira  a  blessing.  This  he  was 
doubtless  made  to  experience  internally. 
His  mind  was  sweetly  tranquillized. 
His  former  fear  departed  from  his  soul, 
as  did  the  shades  of  night  at  that  very 
time  before  the  breaking  of  tlie  day.    A 


God  face  to  face,  and  ray  life  is  pre- 
served. 

Judg.  6.  22.  &  13.  22.    Isai.  6.  5. 


heavenly  peace  descended  upon  his 
spirit,  such  as  God  alone  could  create. 
The  wild  animals,  whose  roar  maybave 
preriously  grated  upon  his  ear,  had  re- 
tired into  their  caves,  and  the  birds  of 
heaven  were  chanting  their  morning 
hymn.  His  painful  forebodings  had 
dissolved  into  confident  hope.  The 
thought  of  threatening  Esau  and  his 
hosts  disturbs  him  now  no  more.  He 
may  come  with  his  four  hundred  or 
four  thousand  men,  if  he  please  ;  what  is 
that  to  him  ?  He  knows  in  whom  he 
has  believed.  His  heart  is  strengthened 
by  the  secret  succors  of  the  God  of  all 
grace,  which  are  far  more  effectual 
than  v/ords  or  more  hteral  promises. 
And  what  could  he  desire  beyond  this 
ineffable  inward  calm  and  confidence, 
to  assure  him  of  the  nature  and  attri- 
butes of  Hira  with  whom  he  had  con- 
tended? His  question  was  answered 
in  the  state  of  his  soul. 

30.  And  Jacob  called  the  name  of  the 
place  Peniel.  Heb.  bit'^^S  peniel,  i.  e. 
face  of  God ;  called  also '  Penuel,'  v.  31, 
a  word  of  precisely  the  same  import. 
Gr.  stJof  Qeov,  the  form  or  aspect  of  God, 
The  Lord  had  blessed  Jacob,  therefore  he 
let  him  go.  He  inwardly  felt  that  though 
the  Lord  might  visibly  disappear  from 
hira,  yet  he  remained  with  hira  and  in 
him.  Such,  also,  was  the  case  of  the 
disciples  at  the  ascension  of  Jesus.  He 
departed  from  them  bodily,  but  spirit- 
ually and  essentially  he  remained  with 
them,  and  in  fact  continues  with  us  to 
the  end  of  the  world.  Of  this  we  are 
conscious  from  his  Spirit  which  he  hath 
given  us,  and  from  the  consequent  peace, 
joy,  and  power  which  we  are  made  to 
experience.  The  whole  affair  deserved 
a  memorial.  Jacob  instituted  this  by 
giving  a  new  and  suitable  name  to  the 
place  where  such  a  remarkable  event 


176 


GENESIS. 


[{i.e.  iim. 


had  occurred.  Bnt  God  himself  ap- 
pointed a  much  more  durable  one  by 
causing  it  to  be  recorded  by  his  servant 
Moses,  and  to  be  called  to  mind  by  the 
prophet  Hosea.  The  patriarch  in  this 
acted  according  to  the  instinctive  prompt- 
ings of  a  pious  mind.  The  world 
abounds  with  memorable  places.  The 
natural  man  finds  those  the  most  inter- 
esting where  nature  manifests  herself  in 
peculiar  splendor  and  majesty  ;  where 
lofty  mountains  yield  delightful  pros- 
pects, and  smiling  plains  exhibit  the 
blessings  of  heaven  ;  where  majestic 
rivers  roll  along,  or  the  wide  ocean  ex- 
pands itself  before  the  eye,  which  seeks 
in  vain  its  limit.  The  man  of  letters  and 
taste  lingers  with  pleasure  on  the  mon- 
uments of  ancient  and  modern  art,  ad- 
miring the  magnificence  of  palaces  and 
the  productions  of  painters  and  sculp- 
tors. The  historian  loses  himself  in  re- 
flection when  visiting  the  scenes  of 
former  important  events,  the  sites  of 
powerful  cities,  and  the  fields  where 
great  battles  have  been  fought.  The 
Christian  also  has  his  memorable  pla- 
ces. Bethlehem,  Capernaum,  Jerusa- 
lem, Calvary,  and  the  Mount  of  Ohves 
are  among  them.  Tiiough  prone  to  de- 
generate into  superstition,  yet  the  feel- 
ing which  prompts  the  pilgrim  foot  to 
wander  over  these  venerable  spots 
springs  from  a  sacred  source.  These 
places  are  Peniels  to  believers,  revela- 
tions of  the  glory  of  God  ;  since  their 
faith  and  love  draw  nutriment  from  the 
recollection  of  what  there  took  place. 
And  has  not  every  Christian  beside  his 
particular  Peniels,  in  which  God  reveal- 
ed himself  to  him  in  an  especial  manner 
— his  closet,  the  sanctuary,  a  book,  a 
sermon,  a  company,  a  solitary  hour, 
which  continue  consecrated  in  his  grate- 
ful memory  ?  He  surely  can  enter  into 
the  feelings  of  Jacob  on  this  occasion. 
— As  to  the  locality  itself,  it  may  bo  re- 
marked, that  a  city  called  Penuel  was 
afterward  built  in  this  place,  the  tower 
of  which  was  demolished  by  Gideon,  be- 


cause the  inhabitants  refused  him  bread 
when  in  pursuit  of  the  kings,  Jiidg.  8. 
17,  though  subsequently  re-edified  by 
Jeroboam,  1  Kings  12.  25.  It  belonged 
to  the  tribe  of  Gad,  was  situated  on  or 
near  the  Jordan,  Judg.  8.  4,  8,  and  was 
40  miles  distant  from  Jerusalem,  in  a 

north-eastern  direction. IT  I  have  seen 

God  face  to  face.  Chal.  '  I  have  seen  the 
Angel  of  God  face  to  face.'  Here  we 
find  a  complete  explanation  who  it  was 
that  wrestled  with  Jacob,  dislocated  his 
thigh,  gave  him  a  new  name,  and  bles- 
sed him.  It  was  no  created  Angel,  but 
that  divine  person,  the  '  Sent  of  God,' 
the  Messiah  that  was  to  be,  who  in  the 
fulness  of  time  was  really  manifested  in 
flesh  and  blood.  If  we  ask  by  what  it 
was  that  Jacob  perceived  with  such  cer- 
tainty that  it  was  a  divine  person  with 
whom  he  had  to  do,  we  answer,  he  was 
assured  of  it  in  the  same  mysterious 
manner  as  the  weeping  Magdalen  at  the 
sepulchre  was  assured  by  the  single 
word  '  3Iary  I'  that  it  was  not  the  gar- 
dener, but  Jesus  himself,  who  was  com- 
muning with  her ;  and  as  the  disciples 
on  the  Sea  of  Tiberias  were  so  per- 
fectly convinced  that  it  was  the  Lord 
that  none  of  them  needed  to  ask  him, 
'Who  art  thou  ?'  The  Christian's  con- 
viction is  something  peculiar.  It  is  a 
consciousness  that  it  is  really  so;  a  cer 
tain  confidence,  which  does  not,  and 
cannot  doubt ;  whilst,  on  the  contrary, 
a  mere  human  belief  thinks  it  may  be 
so,  or  may  be  otherwise.  Jacob's  words, 
however,  are  not  to  be  understood  as 
contravening  our  Lord's  declaration  that 
'no  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time.' 
This  refers  to  his  essence,  which  is  in- 
trinsically invisible.  This  Jacob  did  not 
see,  but  only  the  human  form  assumed 
for  the  occasion.  But  there  is  an  inward 
spiritual  seeing  of  God,  far  superior  to 
the  vision  of  sense  ;  and  this  we  sup- 
pose was  the  privilege  of  Jacob  at 
this  time.  Distinguished  light  had  ari- 
sen upon  him  by  means  of  this  conflict, 
such  as  he  had  never  possessed  before. 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


177 


31  And  as  he  passed  over  Pe- 
nue],  the  sun  rose  upon  him,  and  he 
halted  upon  his  thigh. 

32  Therefore  the  children  of  Is- 
rael eat  not   of  the   sinew   which 


He  became  much  more  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  God  than  previously ; 
even  as  when  we  see  the  face  of  some 
one  whom  we  had  only  known  before 
from  report.  It  cannot  be  doubted,  there- 
fore, that  this  event  constituted  a  new 

era  in  Jacob's   spiritual  existence. 

ir  My  life  is  preserved.  These  words, 
contain,  perhaps,  an  allusion  to  the 
prevalent  opinion  that  no  man  could  see 
God  and  live.  But  this  is  not  all.  He 
was  delivered.  His  former  state  was  a 
perilous  and  oppressive  one — without 
were  fightings,  and  fears  within.  Esau, 
with  his  four  hundred  men,  terrified 
him.  His  faith  was  weak,  his  courage 
small ;  joy  had  departed  from  him,  and 
clouds  of  sorrow  darkened  his  soul, 
which  vented  themselves  in  tears.  That 
night  had  been  the  most  painful  and 
distressing  one  he  had  ever  spent ;  he 
saw  nothing  but  death  before  him.  It 
seemed  as  if  God  himself  had  delivered 
him  over  to  the  power  of  his  enemies, 
in  commanding  him  to  return  out  of 
Mesopotamia.  But  now  a  pleasing  re- 
verse had  taken  place,  and  he  was  as- 
sured of  safety.  His  confidence  in  God 
was  quickened,  and  his  whole  soul  com- 
manded into  a  conscious  security,  in 
which  he  could  look  boldly  around  him. 
\l\xx  if  we  would  enter  into  the  full  mean- 
ing of  his  words,  we  must  understand 
them  as  equivalent  to  the  declaration, 
'  I  am  preserved,  and  shall  be  preserv- 
ed.' The  Lord  had  said  to  him,  'Thou 
hast  had  power  ;'  or,  perhaps  more  cor- 
rectly, '  Thou  wilt  be  enabled  to  pre- 
vail.' Here  then  is  the  echo  of  faith, 
'  I  am  and  shall  be  preserved.  Although 
new  tribulations  may  befal  me,  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  God,  yet  I  shall  be 
preserved,  and  he  will  at  length  deliver 
me  from  all  evil,  and  bring  me  to  his 


shrank,  which  is  upon  the  hollow  of 
the  thiw-h,  unto  this  day ;  because 
he  touched  the  hollow  of  Jacob's 
thi^h  in  the  sinew  that  shrank. 


glorious  kingdom.  Of  this  I  am  assured, 
for  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed.' 
His  subsequent  history  showed  that  his 
confidence  was  well  founded. 

31.  As  he  passed  over  Penuel,  the  sun 
rose  upon  him,  &c.  This  splendid  spec- 
tacle in  nature  was  also  an  image  of 
what  had  passed  in  the  soul  of  the  pa- 
triarch. The  night  had  disappeared 
A  lovely  morning  dawned.  It  rose 
upon  him.  The  Sun  of  Righteousness 
the  Day-spring  from  on  high,  had  cheer 
ed  his  inward  spirit  with  its  inextin- 
guishable beams.  Yet  he  halted  upon 
his  thigh.  A  memento  of  humility  was 
impressed  upon  his  person.  Every  step 
reminded  him  of  the  great  mercy  of  the 
Lord,  and  yet  of  his  own  nothingness. 
Every  step  at  once  exalted  and  humbled 
him.  And  when  others  heard  his  new 
name,  and  saw  his  lameness,  they  also 
would  be  reminded  that  the  Most  High 
condescends  more  graciously  to  his  peo- 
ple than  they  could  ever  venture  to 
hope.  Our  own  experience  in  the  di- 
vine life  must  be  very  small  if  we  are 
not  often  taught  the  same  lesson. 

32.  Eat  not  of  the  sinew  which  shrank 
Or,  Heb.  fi'UD  nasheh,  which  was  remov- 
ed, or  whichforgot  its  place.  Gr.  '  The 
sinew  that  was  benumbed,  or  waxed 
feeble.'  We  have  already  remarked 
that  this  was  the  sinew  that  fastened 
the  thigh-bone  in  its  socket,  including, 
probably,  the  muscles  in  tlie  immediate 
neighborhood.  The  abstaining  from 
this  part  of  the  flesh  of  slain  animals,  it 
seems  from  this,  was  a  very  ancient 
custom,  and  we  read  a  good  deal  of  it  in 
the  Hebrew  canons  ;  but  as  no  mention 
is  made  of  it  in  the  law  of  Moses,  it  is 
very  doubtful  whether  it  rested  upon 
divine  authority.  Yet  it  may  have  re- 
ceived the    divine  sanction,  as  being 


178 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739 


prompted  by  pious  reverence,  and  not 
by  motives  of  mere  superstition.  At 
present  the  Jews  do  not  know  what  si- 
new this  was,  nor  even  which  thigh  it 
was  in  ;  and  the  etTect  of  this  uncertain- 
ty is,  that  they  judge  it  necessary  to  ab- 
stain from  both  the  hind-quarters,  lest 
they  should  inadvertently  eat  the  inter- 
dicted sinew.  They  sell  those  parts  to 
Christians. 

Remarks.  We  are  taught  by  the 
preceding  narrative,  (1)  That  great  trials 
often  befal  the  people  of  God  when  vi  the 
waif  of  commajided  duty.  God  had  com- 
manded Jacob  to  enter  upon  this  jour- 
ney, and  had  promised  to  be  with  him  ; 
yet  what  '  fightings  without  and  fears 
within'  Came  upon  him  while  going  for- 
ward in  the  way  of  duty.  True,  indeed, 
the  gathering  clouds,  which  seemed  to 
threaten  a  furious  storm,  were  all  gra- 
ciously dispelled,  and  succeeded  by  a 
delightful  sunshine  and  calm  ;  yet  for  the 
time  being  he  was  brought  into  sore  dis- 
tress, and  prompted  to  say,  as  he  did  on 
a  subsequent  occasion, '  All  these  things 
are  against  me.'  So  we  are  not  to  in- 
fer that  because  we  are  walking  in  the 
path  which  our  Heavenly  Father  points 
out  to  us,  we  may  therefore  promise 
ourselves  exemption  from  afflictive  tri- 
als. Indeed,  it  is  not  unusual  for  God 
to  assume  most  of  the  character  of  an 
enemy  towards  his  children  when  they 
are  already  reduced  to  the  greatest  ex- 
tremities and  dangers.  It  was  at  such 
a  crisis  that  the  Most  High  appeared  to 
Jacob  as  an  antagonist,  and  wrestled 
with  him  as  if  with  the  most  hostile  in- 
tentions. And  when  did  the  Saviour 
himself  more  bitterly  mourn  the  hidings 
of  his  Father's  countenance,  than  at  the 
very  time  when  delivered  into  the  hands 
of  his  enemies,  and  made  to  feel  the 
pangs  of  crucifixion  ?  Let  it  not  be 
thought  strange,  then,  that  our  severest 
outward  sufferings  should  be  aggravated 
by  a  sense  of  the  divine  desertion,  even 
though  we  may  be  unconscious  of  hav- 
ing wandered  from  God,  or  of  haying 


particularhi  offended  him.  We  may  be 
broken  with  breach  upon  breach  ;  one 
wave  of  trouble  after  another  may  roll 
over  us ;  yet  let  us  not  sink  in  dis- 
couragement or  despair.  Let  us  learn 
from  the  cope  of  Jacob  that  the  most 
signal  mercy  may  be  intended  for  us, 
even  when  every  thing  around  us  wears 
the  darkest  aspect. 

(2.)  The  surest  leai/  of  prevailing  with 
7nan  is  to  prevail  with  God.  It  was  thus 
that  Jacob  obtained  the  pledge  of  pre- 
vailing with  his  brother.  Notwithstand 
ing  the  formidable  aTray  in  which  Esau 
came  against  him,  yet,  having  like  a 
prince  prevailed  with  God,  he  thereby 
virtually  disarmed  and  vanquished  his 
menacing  adversary.  This  is,  in  fact, 
the  grand  secret  of  like  success  in  all 
cases.  What  is  all  human  power  ?  It 
is  entirely  at  the  disposal  of  God,  and  at 
our  own,  so  fiar  as  by  prayer  we  enlist 
omnipotence  in  our  behalf.  We  look 
abroad,  and  behold  the  dangers  that 
threaten  ourselves  or  the  church  of 
God  ;  the  enemy  coming  in  like  a  flood, 
and  our  hearts  perhaps  filled  and  failing 
with  trepidation.  Let  us  betake  our- 
selves to  our  closets,  and  wrestle  in  fer- 
vent prayer  with  Goil,  who  has  the 
spirits  of  all  flesh  under  his  control.  Let 
us  have  truly  the  faith  and  fervency  of 
wrestling  Jacobs,  and  we  may  come  forth 
and  conclude  the  work  is  done.  These 
earnest  agonizing  supplications,  coupled 
with  a  uniformly  meek  and  blameless 
deportment,  will  assuredly  give  us  the 
mastery  in  the  end  over  all  opposition, 
and  crown  us  with  the  honors  o( prevail' 
ing  Israels. 

(3.)  Prevailing  atlast  wiU  recompense  all 
our  striving.  Jacob  continued  long  in 
wrestling,  even  xmtil  the  dawn  of 
day,  and  perhaps  was  at  times  prompted 
to  give  over  the  contest.  But  how  rich- 
ly did  the  mercy  repay  his  perseve 
ranee  !  lie  then  saw  what  he  would 
have  lost  had  he  not  vigorously  held 
out  to  the  end.  So  with  us.  The  bles- 
sing obtained  will  pay  for  all  our  toil. 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHAPTER  XXXLII. 


179 


CHAP.   XXXin.  :  their  children  foremost,  and  Leah 

AND  Jacob  lifted  up  his  eyes, ;  and  her  children  after,  and  Rachel 
and  looked,  and  behold,  *  Esau  |  and  Joseph  hindennost. 
came,  and  with  him  four  hundred  |     3  And    he    passed   over    before 
men.     And  he  divided  the  children  i  them,   and   ^  bowed  himself  to  the 


unto  Leah,  and  unto  Rachel,  and 
unto  the  two  handmaids. 

2  And  he  put  the  handmaids  and 
a  ch.  32.  G. 


CHAP.  XXXIII. 
The  chapter  before  us  describes  the 
meeting  between  the  brothers,  in  refer- 
ence  to  which  the  events  related  in  the 
preceding  chapter  tended  to  create  a 
deep  anxiety.  But  as  we  there  saw  how 
Jacob  had  power  with  God,  we  here 
discern  how  he  had  power  with  man, 
according  to  the  promise,  ch,  32.  28. 
He  who  by  a  touch  di.sjointed  Jacob's 
thigh,  could,  by  a  word,  have  scattered 
Esau's  host^.  But  we  are  called  to 
witness  a  more  signal  interposition  of 
lieaven.  He  who  has  the  hearts  of  ail 
men  in  his  hand,  and  turns  them  as  the 
rivers  of  water  are  turned,  accompanies 
and  blesses,  by  his  secret,  softening 
influences,  the  conciliatory  measures 
of  Jacob,  and  fills  the  alienated  heart  of 
Esau  with  kind  and  brotherly  feelings. 
How  different  a  result  from  that  which 
we  at  first  anticipated !  They  meet, 
ihey  converse,  they  love  as  brethren  ! 
We  can  only  express  our  admiration  at 
the  wonderful  power  and  goodness 
which  thus  wrought  effectually  in  the 
heart  of  an  angry  man,  converting  his 
long-harbored  hatred  towards  Jacob  into 
the  most  sincere  and  tender  affection. 
Instead  of  an  angry  and  hostile  encoun- 
ter we  behold  a  contention  of  kindness  ! 
All  revengeful  sentiments,  all  cruel  pur- 
poses melted  away  in  the  endearments 
of  fraternal  love  I  Let  the  proud  and 
the  vindictive  contemplate  this  delight- 
ful scene,  and  say  whether  it  be  possible 
for  any  gratification  of  private  resent- 
ment, any  triumph  of  maUcious  passion, 
to  yield  such  pure  satisfaction,  such  hal- 


ground  seven  times,  until  he  came 
near  to  his  brother. 

b  ch.  18.  2.  &  42.  6.  &c  43.  26. 


lowed  joy,  as  that  which  fiUed  the  bo- 
soms of  these  now  reconciled  brethren. 
1.  And  Jacob  lifted  up  his  eyes,  &c. 
With  what  emotions  he  had  before 
looked  forward  to  the  interview,  we 
learn  from  the  preceding  chapter,  v.  7, 
where  we  are  told  that  even  at  the  bare 
mention  of  Esau's  threatened  visit  he 
was  'greatly  afraid  and  distressed.' 
But  now,  as  the  historian  relates,  '  he 
looked,  and  behold,  Esau  came,  and 
with  him  four  hundred  men,'  but  not  a 
word  of  his  fear.  Pie  was  now  suffi- 
ciendy  strong  in  faith  to  say  with  the 
Psalmist,  'Though  an  host  should  en- 
camp against  me,  yet  will  I  not  be 
afraid.'  He  no  longer  trembled  at  the 
issue,  and  yet  we  find  that  he  omitted 
none  of  those  wise  precautions  which, 
before  receiving  the  tokens  of  the  di- 
vine blessing,  he  had  determined  to 
adopt.  With  the  most  wary  poHcy  he 
carries  all  his  measures  into  effect. 
f  Handmaids.  Chal.  'Concubines,'  as 
one  of  them  is  called  Gen.  35.  22. 

I  2.  Rachel  and  Joseph  hindermost.  As 
these  were  the  most  dear  to  him,  he 

:  stationed  them  at  the  point  of  apparently 

'  the  least  danger.  Or  it  may  be  that  he 
purposed  to  reserve  his  choicest  trea- 
sure  to  the  last,  and  exhibit  his  beautiful 
Rachel  and  his  favorite  Joseph,  after 
Esau  had  seen  all  the  rest,  in  order  to 
make  the    deeper    impression    on   his 

i  mind. 

j  3.  Bowed  himself  to  the  ground  seven 
times ;  i.  e.  many  times  ;  a  definite  num- 
ber for  an  indefinite.  See  note  on  Gen. 
31.  7.    Thus,  1  Sam.  2.  5, '  The  barren 


180 


GENESIS. 


[B.C.  17.39. 


4  •'  And  Esau  ran  to  meet  him, 
and  embraced  him,  ^  and  fell  on  his 
neck,  and  kissed  him:  and  they 
wept. 

5  And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and 

c  ch.  32.  28.  ^  ch.  45.  14,  15. 


hath  borne  seven ;'  i.  e.  many.  Prov.  26. 
27,  '  Believe  him  not,  for  there  are  seven 
abominations  in  his  heart ;'  i.  e.  a  great 
many.  Ps.  119. 164, '  Seven  times  a  day 
do  I  praise  thee ;'  i.  e.  many  times.  '  This 
seems  to  mean  that  Jacob,  on  approach- 
ing his  brother,  stopped  at  intervals 
and  bowed,  and  then  advanced  and 
bowed  again,  until  the  seventh  bow 
brought  him  near  to  his  brother.  This 
was  a  mark  of  profound  respect ;  nor 
need  we  suppose  there  was  any  simula- 
tion of  humiUty  in  it,  for  it  was,  and  is, 
customary  for  elder  brothers  to  be  treat- 
ed by  the  younger  with  great  respect 
in  the  East.  A  similar  method  of  indi- 
cating respect  is  still  used  in  approach- 
ing the  king  of  Persia,  and  has  been 
thus  described  by  Colonel  Johnson  : — 
'We  saw  the  Idng  seated  upon  his 
throne,  in  an  upper  room,  open  and  sup- 
ported by  pillars.  When  we  came  to 
the  end  of  the  walk  turning  toward  and 
fronting  the  king,  we  made  two  low 
bows,  as  did  also  the  minister,  whose 
motions  we  observed  and  repeated  ;  then 
advancing  to  the  first  cross-walk,  we 
made  another  bow  ;  proceeding  thence 
until  we  arrived  within  about  fifty  yards 
of  the  building,  we  again  halted  and 
made  two  bows.  Here  we  took  oflfand 
left  our  slippers,  and  walked  in  the  cloth 
boots  to  another  turning,  and  bowed 
again.  We  now  came  to  a  small  door, 
from  which  a  flight  of  steps  led  up  to 
the  open  room.  These  were  covered 
•with  blue  glazed  tiles.  At  the  head  of 
the  stairs  was  the  door  of  the  king's 
sitting-room,  on  advancing  to  which, 
fronting  the  king,  we  made  two  bows, 
rather  low,  and  severally  entered  the 
room,  keeping  close  to  the  w^ill  on  the 
left.    When  we  had  taken  our  stations 


saw  the  women  and  the  children, 
and  said,  Who  are  those  with  thee? 
And  he  said,  The  children  « which 
God  hath  graciously  given  thy  ser- 
vant. 

e  ch.  48.  9.    Ps.  127.  3.    Isai.  8.  18. 

here,  we  each  made  a  very  low  bow, 
and  ranged  ourselves  standing.'  (Jour- 
ney from  India  to  England,  p.  166.) 
Here  there  were  six  pauses  and  nine 
bows :  the  number  of  both  diminishes 
with  the  increase  of  rank  in  the  person 
admitted  to  an  audience.'  Pict.  Bible. 

4.  FtU  on  his  neck,  and  kissed  him,  &c. 
How  remarkable  the  issue  of  this  long- 
anticipated  trouble  !  What  a  dehghtful 
termination  to  all  Jacob's  anxieties  and 
fears  !  And  how  much  in  it  to  instruct, 
to  encourage,  and  to  estabhsh  the  Chris- 
tian !  Who  of  this  class  cannot  sympa- 
thize in  Jacob's  apprehensions  and  in  Ja- 
cob's dehverance  ?  Have  we  never 
beheld  at  a  distance  some  calamity  or 
trial,  the  approach  of  which  was  so  ap- 
palling that  we  scarce  dared  to  realize  it, 
and  yet  so  certain  that  we  knew  it  to 
be  inevitable  ?  And  have  not  our  faith- 
less hearts  almost  persuaded  us  that  it 
was  in  vain  even  to  pray  against  it; 
that  it  was  '  hoping  against  hope'  to  ex- 
pect deliverance  ?  And  yet  how  often 
has  the  event  been  mercifully  overruled, 
and  the  cloud,  apparently  black  with 
overwhelming  tempest,  made  to  burst 
in  blessings  on  our  heads  !  If  so,  why 
should  not  the  review  of  the  past  fortify 
us  against  all  gloomy  forebodings  of  the 
future  ? 

5.  Who  are  these  with  thee  1  Heb. 
Tb  nbii  '^/2  fni  elleh  lak,  who  are  tliese  to 
thee  7   i.   e.   in   what  relation   do   they 

stand  to  thee  ? ^  And  he  said,  The 

children,  &c.  As  Esau's  question  had 
respect  not  to  the  children  only,  but  to 
the  women  also,  it  is  but  fair  to  include 
bolh  in  the  import  of  Jacob's  answer. 
As  in  Gen.  29.  3,  '  flocks'  does  by  impli- 
cation include  'shepherds,' so  here,  in 
like  manner,  'children'  virtuallyincludes 


B.  C.  1739.1 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 


181 


6  Then  the  handmaidens  came 
near,  they  and  their  children,  and 
they  bowed  themselves. 

7  And  Leah  also  with  her  chil- 
dren came  near,  and  bowed  them- 
selves ;  and  after  came  Joseph  near 
and  Rachel,  and  they  bowed  them- 
selves. 

'  women,'  or  '  wives.'  We  cannot  fail  to 
notice  in  this  reply  Jacob's  habitual  re- 
cognition of  the  hand  of  God  in  the  or- 
dinary concerns  of  life.  He  acknow- 
ledges that  God  had  not  only  given,  but 
graciously  given,  him  all  the  children 
which  now  stood  before  his  brother.  It 
is  one  of  the  signal  effects  of  a  truly  de- 
vout spirit  to  discern  the  present  direct 
operation  of  divine  power  and  goodness, 
where  the  mass  of  men  discover  only 
the  working  of  the  established  laws  of 
nature. 

6.  The  hand-maidens  came  near — and 
lowed  themselves.  One  cannot  help  ob- 
serving how  strikingly  the  deportment 
of  Jacob's  family  was  in  unison  with  his 
own.  Thus  Esau  would  perceive  that 
all  his  brother's  people,  as  well  as  him- 
self, were  ready  to  do  him  reverence. 
Had  any  of  them  failed  in  this  respect, 
it  might  have  counteracted  all  the  good 
effects  of  his  own  ingratiating  conduct. 
How  happy  is  it  when  the  example  of 
the  head  of  a  family  is  w-orthy  to  be 
followed,  and  is  followed  I  Had  Esau 
been  possessed  of  Jacob's  spirit,  he 
could  hardly  have  refrained  from  say- 
ing, when  the  companies  thus  present- 
ed themselves,  'The  Lord  be  gracious 
unto  you,  ray  children  !'  But  Esau  ap- 
pears to  have  been  less  susceptible  to 
those  more  refined  emotions,  those  cour- 
tesies of  the  Spirit ;  and  we  may  rejoice 
that  his  reception  of  them  was  as  kind 
as  it  was.  We  often  have  occasion  to 
be  thankful  for  civiUties,  where  we  find 
nothing  like  religion. 

7.  And  after  came  Joseph  near  and  Ra- 
chel. In  the  former  clause  Leah  is 
mentioned  before  her  children,  but  here 

VOL.  II. 


8  And  he  said.  What  meanest 
thou  by  <■  all  this  drove  which  I  met  1 
And  he  said,  These  are  ^  to  find 
grace  in  the  sight  of  my  lord. 

9  And  Esau  said,  1  have  enough, 
my  brother;  keep  that  thou  hast 
unto  thyself. 

fch.  32.  IG.  gch.  32.  5. 


Joseph  is  named  before  Rachel,  to  indi- 
cate the  high  place  which  he  held  in  his 
father's  affections. 

8.  What  meanest  thou  by  all  this  drove, 
&c.  Heb.  )r\^V\  n:n:on  ^5  "^b  "^"^  mileUa 
kol  hammahaneh  hazzeh,  what  (is)  all  this 
camp  to  thee? — alluding  to  the  drove 
which  had  been  sent  on  before,  and 
which,  with  its  drivers,  seemed  like 
the  entire  encampment  of  a  nomade  fa- 
mily.  The  answer  is,  '  To  find  grace 
in  the  sight  of  my  lord.'  This  would 
express  how  high  a  value  he  set  upon 
his  favor,  and  how  much  he  desired  to 
be  reconciled  to  him.  Of  course  nothing 
would  more  directly  tend  to  conciliate 
him.  The  title,  '  my  lord,'  with  which 
he  salutes  him,  and  which  he  studiously 
repeats  in  the  following  conversation, 
was  no  doubt  more  efficacious  than  the 
present  itself,  in  winning  his  heart.  It 
would  go  to  satisfy  him  that  his  object 
was  not  to  claim  that  kind  of  pre-emi- 
nence upon  which  he  himself  appears 
to  have  set  so  high  a  price,  as  it  teaches 
us  the  propriety  of  conceding  all  that  we 
can  to  others  for  the  sake  of  making  or 
preserving  peace,  and  smoothing  the  in- 
tercourse of  life.  The  Christian's  in- 
heritance will  leave  him  riches  enough, 
and  his  prerogatives  honor  enough,  af- 
ter all  the  abatements  that  his  generosi- 
ty prompts  him  to  make. 

9.  Keep  that  thou  hast  unto  thyself. 
Heb.  'lb  'I  — i^  'lb  '^n''  y<^hi  leka  asher 
lak,  let  that  he  to  thee  which  is  thine.  Chal. 
'  Much  good  may  it  do  thee,  that  which 
is  thine.'  No  doubt  a  high  spirit  of  in- 
dependence breathed  through  this  an- 
swer of  Esau.  Whatever  effect  Ja- 
cob's present  had    had   upon  him,  he 

If) 


1«2 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739 


10  And  Jacob  said,  Nay,  I  pray 
thee,  if  now  I  have  found  grace  in 
thy  sight,  then  receive  my  present 
at  my  hand  :  for  therefore  I  ^  have 
seen  thy  face,  as  though  I  had  seen 
the  face  of  God,  and  thou  wast 
pleased  with  me. 

11  Take,  I  pray  thee,  ^  my  bles- 
sing that  is  brought  to  thee  ;  because 
God  hath  dealt  graciously  with  me, 

b  ch.  43.  3.  2  Sam.  3.  13.  &  14.  24, 2-^,  32. 
Matt.  18.  10.  '  Judg.  1. 15.  1  Sam.  25.  27. 
&  30.  26.    2  Kings,  5.  15. 


would  not  be  thought  to  be  influenced 
by  any  motive  of  that  kind  in  his  treat- 
ment of  the  donor ;  especially  as  he  pro- 
fesses to  have  enough  of  his  own.  His 
possessions  were  to  be  earthly  and  tem- 
poral, and  with  them  his  spirit  corres- 
ponded. 

10.  Jacob  said,  Nay,  I  pray  tliee,  Sec. 
Notwithstanding  his  refusal,  Jacob  con- 
tinues to  urge  his  present  upon  him,  not 
as  if  he  thought  he  needed  it,  but  as  a 
token  of  his  good  will,  and  of  his  desire 
to  be  reconciled.  He  did  not,  indeed, 
make  use  of  this  terra,  nor  of  any  other 
that  might  lead  to  the  recollection  of 
their  former  variance.  He  did  not  say 
that  he  should  consider  the  acceptance 
of  his  present  as  a  proof  that  he  was 
cordially  reconciled  to  him ;  but  what 
he  did  say,  though  more  delicately  ex- 
pressed, was  to  the  same  effect ;  and  his 
anxiety  on  this  head  will  be  at  once  ex- 
plained by  a  reference  to  Eastern  cus- 
toms. '  Not  to  receive  a  present,  is  at 
once  to  show  that  the  thing  desired  will 
not  be  granted.  Hence,  nothing  can  be 
more  repulsive,  nothing  more  distress- 
ing, than  to  return  the  gifts  to  the  giver. 
Jacob  evidently  labored  under  this  im- 
pression, and  therefore  pressed  his  broth- 
er to  receive  the  gifts,  if  he  had  f^und 
favor  in  his  sight.'  Roberts IT  There- 
fore have  I  seen  thy  face.,  &c.  We  have 
already  given,  ch.  32.  24,  what  we  con- 
ceive to  be  the  true  import  of  these 
words,  and  to  that  explanation  we  refer 
the  reader.    We  can  understand  it  only 


and  because  I  have  enough :  ^  and 
he  urged  him,  and  he  took  ii. 

12  And  he  said,  Let  us  take  our 
journey,  and  let  us  go,  and  I  will  go 
before  thee. 

13  And  he  said  unto  him,  My 
lord  knoweth  that  the  children  are 
tender,  and  the  flocks  and  herds 
with  young  are  with  me,  and  if  men 
should  over-drive  them  one  day,  all 
the  flock  will  die. 

^  2  Kings  5.  23. 


in  allusion  to  the  mystical  encountet 
with  the  Angel,  whose  face  or  person 
he  beheld  as  the  representative  of  Esau, 
and  in  whose  propitiousness  towards  him 
he  read  a  pledge  of  Esau's  own  favora- 
ble regard.  What  other  sense  can  be 
assigned  to  the  expression,  '  Thou  wast 
pleased  with  me,'  than  that  he  was 
pleased  in  the  person  who  represent- 
ed him  ?  Yet  it  is  not  necessary  to  sup- 
pose that  Jacob's  language  was  intelli- 
gible in  its  full  extent  to  Esan. 

11.  Take  my  blessing.  That  is,  my 
gift ;  which  will  be  a  .source  of  blessing 
to  thee.  From  this  the  usage  became 
common,  of  denominating  a  gift,  or  an 
act  of  liberality,  'a  blessing.'  Thus,  1 
Sam.  25.  27,  '  And  now  this  blessiiig^ 
which  thine  handmaid  hath  brought;' 
i.  e.  this  gift.  2  Kings  5.  15,  '  Now, 
therefore,  I  pray  thee,»take  a  blessing 
of  thy  servant '  2  Cor.  9-  5, '  That  they 
would  go  before  unto  you,  and  make  up 
beforehand  your  bounty.'  Gr.  '  Your 
blessing.^ IT  I  have  enough.  The  ex- 
pression is  rendered  in  our  version  in 
the  same  way  with  that  of  Esau,  v.  9, 
but  they  differ  in  the  original.  Esau 
says  2"|  "1^  "jn  yesh  li  rah,  Ihavemuch; 
but  Jacob  ^^  lb  'il^'^  ?/<^sh  U  hoi,  I  have 
all.  '  Jacob  had  all,  because  he  had  the 
God  of  all.'     Trapp. 

12,  13.  Let  us  take  our  journey,  &o 
Esau  here  proposes  to  accompany  his 
b'-other  through  the  country,  not  only  in 
token  of  his  cordial  reconciliation,  but  al- 
so as  a  kind  of  escort  or  guard  to  him  and 


B.C.  1739. 


CHAPTER  XXXtit. 


133 


his  family.  The  proposal  was  doubtless 
very  friendly  and  very  honorable,  but 
Jacob  very  wisely  declines  it.  We  say 
wiseli/^  for,  notwithstanding  their  present 
amity,  they  were  so  essentially  differ- 
ent in  their  spirit,  habits,  manners,  and 
occupations,  that  in  all  probability  little 
happiness  would  have  accrued  from 
their  intimate  association.  Esau,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  a  man  of  the  world,  Ja- 
cob a  man  of  God.  Still  they  were  [ 
brothers,  and  children  of  the  same  pa-  j 
rents  ;  it  was  unquestionably  their  duty  j 
to  know,  and  to  love,  and  to  be  kindly  I 
affeotioned  one  towards  another ;  but  j 
they  were  not  called  upon  to  live  in  ihej 
closest  bonds  of  intimacy,  to  travel  in 
the  same  road,  or  to  intermingle  in  the 
same  company.  Jacob  was  therefore 
discreet  in  resolutely  declining  the  offer 
of  Esau.  He  would  do  better  to  pursue 
his  journey  alone,  refusing  even  the  re- ! 
tinue  whh  which  Esau  would  have 
honored  him,  and  which  would  have  ill 
assorted  with  the  plain  and  simple  man- 
ners of  the  patriarch.  They  might 
properly  embrace  for  a  few  moments, 
or  act  aflfectionately  for  a  passing  hour  ; 
but  if  they  had  attempted  to  sojourn  to- 
gether, the  enmity  so  early  planted  be- 
tween the  seed  of  the  woman  and  the 
seed  of  the  serpent,  would  in  all  likeli- 
hood have  broken  forth.  Esau  would 
once  more  have  hated  Jacob,  or  the 
spiritually-minded  man  of  God  have 
been  drawn  from  his  allegiance  by  his 
more  worldly-minded  brother.  The 
Scriptures  are  full  of  examples  where 
the  want  of  such  prudence  as  Jacob 
now  manifested  has  produced  these  un- 
happy effects ;  and  not  the  Scriptures 
only,  but  the  world  also,  teems  with  il- 
lustrations of  the  same  kind.  Christians 
are  indeed  commanded,  in  virtue  of 
their  holy  calling,  to  '  seek  peace  and 
ensue  it ;'  '  as  much  as  heth  in  them 
to  Uve  peaceably  with  all  men  ;'  but  they 
are  not  commanded  to  unite  companies, 
to  contract  intimacies,  to  league  them- 
selves closely  with  any,  but  such  '  as 


are  of  the  household  of  faith.'  Daily 
experience  demonstrates,  by  the  broken 
friendships,  the  unhappy  intimacies,  and 
the  miserable  marriages  which  abound, 
the  truth  of  the  sacred  maxim,  that  '  two 
cannot  walk  together  except  they  be 
agreed.'  Scarcely  any  thing  is  more 
dangerous  or  entangling  to  Christians, 
especially  to  youthful  Christians,  than 
close  alliances  with  those  who  cannot 
fully  appreciate  the  motives  from  which 
thej'-  act ;  who  can  but  little  sympathize 
in  their  hopes  and  joys,  their  troubles 
and  fears.  From  an  amiable  desire  of 
conciHating  the  good-will,  or  perhaps  of 
being  useful  to  those  with  whom  they 
associate,  they  are  apt  to  begin  by  giving 
up  what  they  consider  the  non-essentials 
of  religion  ;  but  as  they  advance  they  find 
that  one  concession  makes  way  for  anoth- 
er, till,  partaking  with  them  first  in  what  is 
indifferent,  or  perhaps  in  itself  innocent, 
tliey  are  gradually  led  on  to  things  that 
are  inexpedient,  and  finally  to  that  which 
is  absolutely  sinful.  Let  us  watch,  then, 
with  ceaseless  vigilance,  against  all  un- 
due compliances  of  this  nature,  and, 
while  kind  and  courteous  to  all,  remem- 
ber that  we  are  a  chosen  generation,  a 
peculiar  people,  a  holy  priesthood,  or- 
dained to  shine  as  lights  in  the  world, 
and  to  benefit  it  rather  by  forsaking  its 

dominant  course  than  following  it. 

IT  My  lord  knoweth  that  the  children  are 
tender.  There  is  no  reason  to  doubl 
that  the  motive  here  alleged  by  Jacob 
for  declining  his  brother's  invitation 
was  a  true  and  real  one,  and  as  such  it 
was  strikingly  expressive  of  his  gentle- 
ness as  a  shepherd  and  his  tenderness 
as  a  father.  Yet  it  is  not  to  be  ques- 
tioned that  other  considerations,  which 
he  did  not  see  fit  to  mention,  were  prev 
alent  in  his  own  mind  against  it.  We 
are  not  required,  in  accounting  to  the 
world  for  our  declining  their  overtures, 
to  state  all  the  reasons  which  govern 
our  decisions.  It  is  enough  if  we  can 
state  those  wliich  will  satisfy  their  judg- 
ment without  offending  their  self-lovo. 


184 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


14  Lot  iny  lord,  I  pray  thee,  pass 
over  before  his  servant :  and  I  will 
lead  on  softly,  according  as  the 
cattle  that  goeth  before  me  and  the 
children  be  able  to  endure  ;  until  I 
come  unto  my  lord  ^  unto  Seir. 

15  And  Esau  said,  Let  me  now 

1  ch.  32.  3. 

IF  With  young.    The  original  rilb>> 

cHoth,  signifies  both  those  which  are 
'  great  with  young,'  as  Ps.  71.71,  and 
those  which  actually  have  young,  as  1 
Sam.  6. 7,  where  the  phrase  '  milch  kine,' 
is  the  same  as  that  here  rendered  '  with 

yotmg.'   Chal. '  Giving  suck.' IT  Are 

with  me.  Heb.  ^ibs?  alai,  (are)  upon  me  ; 
i.  e.  are  devolved  upon  ray  care  ;  their 

welfare    rests    with    me. IT  If  men 

should  over-drive,  them,  &c.  '  Their 
flocks,'  says  Chardin,  speaking  of  those 
who  now  live  in  the  East  after  the  pa- 
triarchal manner,  '  feed  down  the  places 
of  their  encampments  so  quick,  by  the 
great  numbers  which  they  have,  that 
they  are  obliged  to  remove  them  too  of- 
ten, which  IS  very  destructive  to  their 
flocks,  on  account  of  the  young  ones, 
which  have  not  strength  enough  to  fol- 
low.' 

14.  I  will  lead  on  softly.  Heb. 
^t25tb  nbnsni^  ethnahalah  leifti,  I  luill 
gently  lead — softly;  a  very  emphatic 
phrase  as  appHed  to  the  office  of  a  shep- 
herd, and  apparently  alluded  to  in  the 
parallel  expression  of  the  prophet,  Is.  40. 
11,  speaking  of  Christ  as  the  great 
Bishop  and  Shepherd  of  souls ;  '  He 
shall  feed  his  flock  like  a  shepherd  ;  he 
shall  gather  the  lambs  with  his  arm, 
and  carry  them  in  his  bosom,  and  shall 
gently  lead  C^TXl'^  yennehal)  those   that 

are  with  young.' IT  According  as  the 

cattle  and  the  children  be  able  to  endure. 
Heb.  '  According  to  the  foot  of  the 
work — and  according  to  the  foot  of  the 
children.'  That  is,  according  to  the 
pace  of  the  cattle  and  children,  or  ac- 
cording to  the  rate  at  which  they  were 


leave  with  thee  some  of  the  folk 
that  are  with  me  :  And  he  said, 
What  needeth  it  1  ™  Let  me  find 
grace  in  the  sight  of  my  lord. 

16  IT  So  Esau  returned  that  day 
on  his  way  unto  Seir. 

°>  ch.  34.  11.  &  47.  25.    Rutli.  2. 13. 


naturally  able  to  go  without  being  un- 
duly pushed.  Gr.  'According  to  the 
leisure  of  the  progress .'  Cattle  are  here 
by  a  figure  of  speech  called  '  work'  be- 
cause they  were  the  objects  Gfv>ori,  be- 
cause Jacob's  labor  was  bestowed  in 
feeding  and  tending  them.  See  Note  on 
ch.  31.  17,  18,  where  the  eastern  mode 

of   travelUng    is    fully    described. • 

IF  Until  I  come,  &c.  From  which  it 
would  seem  that  he  then  had  the  idea 
of  visiting  Esau  at  his  residence  in 
Mount  Seir ;  but  we  do  not  learn  from 
his  subsequent  history  that  he  ever  ac- 
tually fulfilled  this  intention.  He  may 
have  been  providentially  prevented,  as 
Paul  was  from  taking  his  proposed  jour- 
ney into  Spain,  Rom.  15.  34.  Yet  the 
silence  of  the  sacred  writer  is  not  proof 
positive  that  the  visit  was  never  made. 
We  have  no  express  account  of  his 
visiting  his  father  Isaac  for  several  years 
after  his  return  to  Canaan,  and  yet  we 
cannot  but  admit  a  strong  presumption 
that  he  did,  especially  as  we  find  Debo- 
rah, Rebekah's  nurse,  in  Jacob's  family 
at  the  time  of  her  death,  whither  she  had 
doubtless  been  transferred  from  Isaac's, 
15i  Letme  now  leave  with  thee,  &c.  Heb, 
n3*2i<  atzigah,  I  will  place,  station,  set. 
Esau's  first  proposal  being  dechned,  he 
next  offers  to  leave  a  part  of  his  men  as 
an  escort  or  guard  to  Jacob's  company. 
But  this  also  he  respectfully  declines,  on 
the  ground  of  its  being  unnecessary ; 
adding  '  Let  me  find  grace  in  the  sight 
of  my  lord,'  which  is  probably  tanta- 
mount to  saying,  '  Let  me  have  thy  fa- 
vor, and  it  is  all  I  desire,'  Gr.  '  It  ia 
enough  that  I  have  found  grace  in  thy 


B.  C.  1739.] 


CHx\PTER  XXXIII. 


185 


17  And  Jacob  journeyed  to  "  Suc- 
coth,  and  built  him  an  house,  and 
made  booths  for  his  cattle  :  there- 
fore the  name  of  the  place  is  called 
Succoth. 

n  Josh.  1  J.  27. 


18  IT  And  he  came  to  °  Shalem,  a 
city  of  p  Shechem,  which  is  in  the 
land  of  Canaan,  when  he  came 
from  Padan-aram  ;  and  pitched  his 
tent  before  the  city. 
0  John  3.  23.        p  Josh.  24.  1.    Judg.  9.  1. 


sight.'  The  spirit  of  piety  shrinks  from 
the  thought  of  subjecting  friends  to  un- 
necessary trouble ;  and  how  little  do 
they  need  a  convoy  of  creatures  who 
are  enabled  to  assure  themselves,  with 
Jacob,  of  the  constant  presence  and 
protection  of  Jehovah  ? 

17.  Jacob  journeyed  to  Succoth,  and 
built  him  a  house.  '  Dr.  Boothroyd  con- 
curs in  this  rendering  ;  but  we  consider 
that  the  phrase  translated  '  built  him  a 
house,'  means  no  more  than  that  .Tacob 
erected  his  tent  at  this  place.  We  have 
already  indicated  the  usage  of  calling  a 
tent  a  house  (note  on  ch.  27.  15),  and 
we  find  that  Gesenius  concurs  in  the 
opinion,  that  the  word  'r^p'2  beth  certain- 
ly means  a  tent  in  this  place.  The 
very  name  given  to  the  place,  which 
means  '  tents'  or  '  booths,'  and  the  fact 
that  Jacob  made  no  long  stay  there  and 
never  returned,  would  alone  suffice  to 
render  it  probable  that  tliis  is  the  true 
meaning.  It  seems  to  be  recorded  as  a 
singular  circumstance,  that  Jacob  erect- 
ed booths  for  his  catde.  His  motive 
does  not  appear;  but  it  was,  and  is, 
unusual  in  the  blast  to  put  the  flocks  and 
herds  under  cover.  They  remain  night 
and  day,  winter  and  summer,  in  the 
open  air.  The  number  of  booths  neces- 
sary for  the  purpose  must  have  given  a 
singular  appearance  to  his  encampment, 
occasioning  the  circumstance  to  be  com- 
memorated in  the  name  given  to  the 
spot,  and  to  the  town  which  was  built 
there  at  a  subsequent  period.  The 
maps  place  Succoth  south  of  the  Jabbok, 
in  the  angle  formed  by  this  river  and 
the  Jordan,  and  at  a  distance  nearly 
equal  from  either  river.  It  was  includ- 
ed in  the  territories  of  the  tribe  of  Gad. 
The  inhabitants  provoked  Gideon  in  the 
16* 


same  way  as  the  men  of  Penuel  had 
done,  and  in  revenge  he,  on  his  re- 
turn, '  tore  the  flesh'  of  the  principal 
persons  of  the  town  with  thorns  and 
briars.  The  Jews  say  that  the  name  of 
Darala  was  given  to  Succoth  at  some 
subsequent  period.'  Pict-  Bible. 

18.  And  Jacob  came  to  Shalem.  ITeb. 
Cb'J  shalem.  It  so  happens  that  the 
original  word  is  the  same  with  that  sig- 
nifying well,  whole,  safe,  in  peace ;  and  con- 
sequenUy  it  is  so  rendered  by  the  Chal. 
and  several  of  the  other  ancient  versions, 
implying  that  Jacob  arrived  at  Sechem 
safe  and  unharmed  as  it  respected  his 
apprehended  danger  from  Esau.  The 
Gr.,  on  the  other  hand,  renders  the  pas- 
sage like  the  Eng.  version,  as  the  name 
of  a  city.  It  might  possibly  have  been 
the  place  afterwards  called  Salim,  near 
Enon,  where  John  baptized,  John  3. 
23 ;  but  as  there  is  a  difficulty  in  under- 
standing how  this  could  be  called  '  a  city 
of  Shechem,'  the  weight  of  opinion 
among  commentators  preponderates  in 
favor  of  the  former  rendering  ;  and  in 
this  we  on  the  whole  concur.  This  ren- 
dering also  gives  additional  propriety 
and  force  to  the  phrase  '  when  he  came 
from  Padan-aram.'  It  is  a  declaration 
to  the  honor  of  him  who  had  said,  '  Be- 
hold, I  am  with  thee,  and  will  keep  thee 
in  all  places  whither  thou  goest,  and 
will  bring  thee  again  into  this  land.' 
He  arrived  in  peace  at  his  journey's  end, 
notwithstanding  all  the  difficulties  and 
dangers  which  had  threatened  him  in 
the  way.  It  would  seem  that  Jacob's 
original  intention  was  to  have  passed 
round  the  Dead  Sea,  through  the  prov- 
ince of  Seir,  the  country  of  Esau,  with- 
out crossing  the  Jordan,  perhaps  with  a 
view  to  return  to  Beer-sheba,  the  resi- 


186 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1739. 


19  And  '  he  bought  a  parcel  of  a 
field,  where  he  had  spread  his  tent, 
at  the  hand  of  the  children  of  Ha- 

q  Josh.  24,  3-2.     John  4.  5. 


dence  of  Isaac ;  though  even  in  that 
case  his  route  was  extremely  circuitous  ; 
but,  for  reasons  not  disclosed,  he  sudden- 
ly altered  his  course,  and  passing  the 
Jordan,  penetrated  at  once  into  the 
land  of  Canaan. 

19.  And  he  bought  a  parcel  of  afield. 
Or,  as  the  Heb.  might  with  equal  pro- 
priety be  rendered,  '  a  portion  of  the 
country.'  This  field,  it  seems.  Gen.  4S. 
22,  was  taken  from  him  by  the  Amor- 
ites,  and  he  was  under  the  necessity  of 
recovering  it  'by  his  sword  and  his 
bow  ;'  after  accomplishing  which  he  be- 
queathed it  to  his  son  Joseph.  The 
transaction  has  doubdess  something  of 
a  singular  air,  as  the  whole  land  was 
made  over  to  Abraham  and  his  descen- 
dants by  promise  ;  but  he  probably 
made  the  purchase  under  the  influence 
of  the  same  motives  which  governed 
Abraham  himself  in  purchasing  the  field 
and  cave  of  Machpelah,  viz.  as  a  pledge 
of  his  faith  in  the  future  possession  of 
the  land.  Nor  is  the  remark  of  Fuller 
on  this  passage  without  weight ;  '  I  have 
sometimes  thought  that  this  parcel  of 
ground  might  be  designed  to  exhibit  a 
specimen  of  the  whole  land  of  Canaan. 
When  the  Most  liigh  divided  to  the  na- 
tions their  inheritance,  Deut.  32.  8,  he 
marked  out  an  allotment  for  the  children 
of  Israel;  but  the  Canaanites  taking 
possession,  of  it  were  obliged  to  be  dis- 
possessed by  the  rightful  owners  with  the 

sword  and  the  bow.' H  Forahiindred 

pieces  of  money.  Heb.  rit2"'JL"p  kesilah, 
lamb,  but  here  to  be  rendered  in  the 
plur.  'lambs,'  by  which  is  probably 
meant  a  kind  of  coin  with  the  image  of 
a  lamb  stamped  upon  it.  The  phrase 
is  entirely  similar  to  the  usage  among 
ourselves  when  we  speak  of  '  a  hundred 
eagles;'  meaning  thereby  a    hundred 


mor,  Shechem's  father,  for  a  hun- 
dred pieces  of  money. 

20  And  he  erected  there  an  altar, 
and  '  called  it  El-Elohe-Israel. 
r  ch.  35.  7. 


pieces  of  the  coin  so  denominated.  '  The 
primitive  race  of  men  being  shepherds, 
and  their  wealth  consisting  in  their  cat- 
de,  in  which  Abraham  is  said  to  have 
been  rich,  for  greater  convenience  me- 
tals were  substituted  for  the  commodity 
itself.  It  was  natural  for  the  represen- 
tative sign  to  bear  impressed  the  object 
which  it  represented  ;  and  thus,  accord- 
ingly, the  earliest  coins  were  stamped 
with  the  figure  of  an  ox  or  a  sheep.' 
Maurice  Ltd-  Antiquities.  Thus  the  an- 
cient Athenians  had  a  coin  called  Povs 
ox,  because  it  was  stamped  with  the 
image  of  an  ox.  Hence  the  saying  in 
^Eschylus,  Agam.  v.  30,  'I  must  be  si- 
lent concerning  other  matters  ;  a  great 
ox  walks  upon  my  tongue  ;'  impljang 
that  he  had  received  a  bribe  for  secrecy. 
Thus,  too,  the  Latin  word  for  moneri,  pe- 
cunia,  is  derived  from  pecus,  cattle,  from 
the  image  stamped  upon  it.  The  cus- 
tom no  doubt  arose  from  the  fact  that 
in  primitive  times  the  coin  was  the  or- 
dinary value  of  the  animal  whose  image 
it  bore. 

20.  Erected  there  an  altar,  and  called 
it  El-Elohe  Israel.  That  is,  '  God,  the 
God  of  Israel.'  Having  at  length  fixed 
upon  a  place  of  a  somewhat  permanent 
residence,  the  patriarch,  after  the  pious 
example  of  Abraham  and  Isaac,  again 
establishes  the  public  worship  of  God. 
For  although  we  must  believe  that  wher- 
ever they  were  they  were  strict  in  the 
discharge  of  the  more  private  duties  of  re- 
ligion, yet  they  seem  to  have  felt  them- 
selves called  to  a  more  open  and  formal 
recognition  of  Jehovah  in  all  cases  where 
a  moro  fixed  abode  rendered  it  practica- 
ble. This  was  important,  not  only  in  or- 
der to  preserve  the  leaven  of  piety  in  his 
family,  which  might  otherwise  be  in 
danger    of  relapsing  into   the   general 


C.  C.  1732.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


187 


A 


CHAP.  XXXIV. 

ND  ^  Dinah,  the  daughter  of 
Leah,  which  she  bare  unto  Ja- 

a  ch.  30.  21. 


heathenism,  but  also  to  testify  most  ef- 
fectually against  the  corrupt  systems  of 
worship  by  which  he  was  surrounded. 
Though  the  ShecUemites  and  the  neigh- 
boring nations  doubtless  had  altars,  yet 
Jacob  refused  to  worship  upon  them, 
and  by  setting  up  one  of  his  own,  dis- 
tinctly proclaimed  that  he  acknowledged 
and  served  another  God,  and  would  have 
no  fellowship  with  their  vile  idolatries. 
This  was  a  conduct  worthy  of  the  pi- 
ous patriarch  after  the  many  signal 
deliverances  he  had  experienced.  It 
was  a  kind  of  preliminary  dedication  of 
the  land  of  promise  to  God.'  It  was  as 
if  he  had  taken  possession  of  it  in  the 
name  of  the  God  of  Israel,  by  setting  up 
his  standard  in  it,  and  said,  '  Whenever 
this  whole  country  shall  come  into  the 
hands  of  my  posterity,  let  it  in  this  man- 
ner be  devoted  to  God.  It  is  the  first 
time  also,  in  which  he  is  represented  as 
availing  himself  of  his  new  name,  and  of 
the  covenant  blessing  conferred  upon  him 
under  it.  The  name  given  to  the  altar 
was  no  doubt  designed  to  be  a  memorial 
of  both  ;  and  whenever  he  should  pre- 
sent his  offerings  upon  it,  it  would  tend 
to  revive  all  th  jse  sentiments  which  he 
had  felt  when  wrestling  wilii  GodatPe- 
niel.  In  like  manner  it  were  well  for 
us  if  every  important  event  in  our  lives 
were  distinguished  by  renewed  resig- 
nations of  ourselves  to  God.  Such  times 
and  places  would  serve  as  memorials  of 
mercy,  and  enable  us  to  recover  those 
thoughts  and  feelings  which  we  e.Ype- 
rienced  in  our  happiest  days. 


CHAP.  XXXIV. 
The  arrival  of  Jacob,  after  an  absence 
of  more  than  twenty  years,  in  the  land 
of  Canaan,  promised  fair  for  a  holy  and 
iiappy  residence  in  it.  A  guardian  pro- 
vidence had    protected    and    delivered 


cob,  b  went  out  to  see  the  daugJiters 
of  the  land. 

» Tit.  2.  5. 

him  from  his  avowed  enemies,  from  La- 
ban,  and  from  Esau.  He  had  purchased 
an  estate,  he  liad  spread  his  tent,  he  had 
erected  his  altar,  and  apparently  his 
'  mountain  stood  strong.'  But  alas  !  the 
removal  of  foreign  troubles  is  quickly 
succeeded  by  domestic  ones ;  and  we 
are  called  to  contemplate  the  patriarch 
under  a  greater  affliction  than  any  of 
which  the  record  has  heretofore  been 
given.  His  only  daughter,  prompted 
by  female  vanity,  curiosity,  or  some 
other  motive  equally  censurable,  ven- 
tures unattended  beyond  the  verge  of 
parental  superintendance,  and  falls  a 
victim  to  her  temerity  !  But  it  was  not 
only  the  blighted  innocence  and  blasteil 
character  of  Dinah  that  made  the  heart 
of  Jacob  to  bleed.  A  wound,  no  less 
deep,  was  inflicted  by  the  treachery  and 
the  barbarity  of  his  sons  Levi  and  Sim- 
eon, in  tlie  execution  of  their  bloody 
purpose  of  revenge.  Surely  the  waters 
of  a  full  cup  are  wrung  out  to  the  aged 
patriarch.  The  lives  of  few  men  on  re- 
cord present  a  greater  complication  of 
distress  than  fell  to  the  lot  of  Jacob. 
As  a  son,  a  servant,  a  husband,  a  fatlier, 
in  youth,  in  manhood,  in  old  age,  he  is 
unremittingly  afflicted.  Xo  sooner  is 
one  difficulty  surmounted,  one  woe 
past,  than  another  and  a  greater  over- 
takes him.  How  justly  and  how  affec- 
tingly  does  the  poor  old  man  at  last  clo.se 
the  bitter  recapitulation  of  his  misfor- 
tunes by  saying,  '  All  these  things  are 
against  me  !'  But  we  come  to  the  con 
sideration  of  the  details. 

1.  And  Dinah — went  out  to  see  the 
daughters  of  the  land.  Gr.  KarajiaQtiv 
to  knouj,  learn,  her.ome  acquainted  with  , 
in  other  words,  to  observe  their  man 
ners,  customs,  and  fashions.  Josepluiv 
in  speaking  of  this  event  says,  '  Now  a* 
the  Shechemites  were  keeping  a  festi- 


188 


GENESIS. 


[13.  C.  1732. 


2  And  when  Shechem  the  son  of 
Hamor  the  Hivite,  prince  of  the 
country,  •=  saw  her,  he  '^  took  her, 
and  lay  with  her,  and  defiled  her. 


ch.  6.  2.    Judg.  ]4.  1. 


d  ch.  20.  2. 


val,  Dinah  went  into  the  city  to  see  the 
finery  of  the  women  of  the  country.' 
This  may  possibly  have  been  the  occa- 
sion of  her  going  out,  but  from  Scriptu- 
ral usage  we  rather  infer  that  the  words 
imply  not  a  single  ir^tance  of  going  out, 
but  that  she  did  it  repeatedly,  that  she 
was  in  the  habit  of  going  out.  On  these 
visits  she  had  attracted  the  notice  of 
Shechem,  who,  by  often  seeing  and 
meeting  with  her,  had  at  length  con- 
ceived a  passion  for  her,  which  he  was 
led  to  abuse  to  the  vilest  purposes.  The 
circumstances  must  have  been  peculiar 
indeed,  to  lead  to  such  a  result  on  a  first 
interview,  especially  when  we  consider 
what  is  said  of  Shechem's  subsequent 
attachment.  A  sudden  deed  of  violence 
of  this  kind  would  be  but  little  apt  to 
give  rise  to  a  genuine  and  permanent 
affection,  and  yet  such  an  affection  he 
appears  to  liave  entertained  for  Dinah. 
If  our  view  of  the  matter  be  correct, 
the  evil  had  not  been  one  of  sudden 
but  of  gradual,  and  perhaps  scarcely 
perceptible  growth ;  and  it  affords 
a  melancholy  illustration  of  the  truth, 
that  in  relation  to  morals  there  are 
scarcely  any  actions  that  are  triflmg 
and  insignificant.  The  greatest  private 
and  public  calamities,  when  traced  up 
to  their  proper  source,  are  often  found 
to  commence  in  some  little  error,  inad- 
vertence, or  folly,  which  at  the  time 
may  have  been  overlooked  or  neglected, 
"^'et  nothing  is  trifling  that  is  fraught 
with  momentous  consequences  ;  and  it 
is  no  doubt  true,  that  from  the  first  trans- 
gression down  to  the  present  day,  female 
disgrace  and  ruin  have,  in  thousands  of 
instances,  begun  in  the  seemingly  harm- 
less desire  to  see  and  to  be  seen.  It 
was  to  the  gratification  of  the  vain  and 
idle  wish  to  see   something   new  that 


3  And  his  soul  clave  unto  Dinah 
the  daughter  of  Jacob,  and  he  loved 
the  damsel,  and  spake  kindly  unto 
the  damsel. 


Dinah  fell  a  sacrifice.  Her  curiosity 
was  indulged  at  the  expence  of  her  vir- 
tue and  her  peace.  Nor  at  this  time  is 
the  danger  to  female  innocence  from 
this  source  at  all  diminished.  Tiie  on- 
ly wisdom  is  in  keeping  within  the 
bounds  of  due  restraint.  Let  the  habit 
be  formed  of  lightly  forsaking  the  sanc- 
tuary of  home,  and  human  foresight  can- 
not set  limits  to  the  possible  or  probable 
consequences.  Many  a  broken  heart, 
and  many  a  weeping  family,  bear  wit- 
ness to  the  perils  of  going  heedlessly  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  the  tutelary  influ- 
ences of  a  mother's  eye,  or  a  father's 
or  brother's  care. — The  events  related 
in  this  chapter  could  not  have  happened 
till  Jacob  had  lived  six  or  seven  years  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Shechem  ;  for  in  a 
less  time  than  this  the  two  brothers  could 
not  have  arrived  at  man's  estate,  nor 
Dinah  herself  have  attained  a  marriage- 
able age. 

2.  When  Shechem  the  son  of  Hamor, 
&c.  His  being  the  prince,  or  the  son  of 
the  prince,  of  the  country,  no  doubt 
gave  him  advantages  for  accomplishing 
his  purpose,  of  which  he  did  not  fad  to 
avail  himself  In  the  eyes  of  an  artless, 
inexperienced  girl,  professions  coming 
from  such  a  source  would  have  more 
effect,  and,  unhappily,  men  of  rank  and 
opulence  are  too  apt  to  think  themselves 
entided  to  do  any  thing  to  which  their 

inclination  prompts  them. IT  Defiled 

her.  Heb.  Hi^'^  yaenneh,  humbled  her  ; 
a  word  similarly  applied  elsewhere,  as 
Deut.  21.  14.  Judg.  19.  24.  2  Sam.  13. 
12,  14.  Ezek.  22.  10,  11. 

3,  4.  And  his  soul  clave  unto  Dinah, 
&c.  The  possession  of  its  object,  in- 
stead of  extinguishing,  served  but  to 
increase  the  passion  of  Shechem  ;  and 
though  his  proposal  of  honorable  mar- 


B.  C.  1732.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


189 


4  And  Shechcm  e  spake  unto  his 
father  Hamor,  saying,  Get  me  this 
damsel  to  wife. 

5  And  Jacob  heard  that  he  had 
defiled  Dinah  his  daughter :  now 
his  sons  were  with  his  cattle  in  the 

e  Judg.  14.  2. 

riage  did  not  wipe  away  the  stain  of 
guilt  from  his  character  as  a  seducer,  yet 
it  was  not  only  soothing  to  her,  but 
tended  in  some  degree  to  repair  the 
wrong  done  to  her  and  to  her  family. 
Indeed,  if  we  except  the  leading  step  in 
this  transaction,  the  conduct  of  the 
young  prince  was  generous  and  noble 
throughout,  and  such  as  loudly  to  re- 
prove the  cool,  cruel,  remorseless  se- 
ducers of  a  christian  age,  who  often 
leave  the  hapless  victim  of  their  arti- 
fices to  shame,  wretchedness,  and  de- 
spair. Still  the  sequel  shows  that  no- 
thing could  retrieve  the  mischief  of  the 
first  false  step.  That  which  was  done 
last  ought  to  have  been  first;  and  be- 
cause it  was  not,  the  delinquent  must 
suffer.  A  willingness  to  make  amends 
for  sin  will  not  avert  its  legitimate  con- 
sequences.  ^  Spake  kindly  unto  the 

damsel.  Heb  ^^  ^^^j  ^,'ZI'^  yedahher  al 
leb,  speak  to  the  heart ;  i.e.  spake  in  a 
manner  calculated  to  soothe,  comfort, 
and  console  ;  Chal.  '  Spake  consolations 
to  the  heart.'  Vulg.  '  Comforted  her 
with  sweet  words.'  Thus,  Is.  40.  2, 
'  Speak  ye  comfortably  to  Jerusalem.' 
Ileb.  '  Speak  to  the  heart  of  Hos.  2. 
14,  '  I  will  allure  her  into  the  wilderness, 
and  speak  comfortably  to  her.'  Heb. 
*  Speak  to  her  heart.'  So  where  in  the 
Gr.  of  John  11.  19,  it  is  said  that  'many 
of  the  Jews  came  to  Martha  and  Mary 
to  comfort  them  concerning  their  bro- 
ther,' the  Syr.  renders  it  '  came  to  speak 
vnth  their  hearts  concerning  their  bro- 
ther.'  IT  Get  me  this  damsel  to  wife. 

From  this  it  appears  that  even  among 
the  heathen  of  that  period  children  were 
in  the  habit  of  consulting  their  parents 
in  reference  to  the  choice  of  a  wife. 


field  :  and  Jacob  ^  held  his  peace 
until  they  were  come. 

6  IT  And  Hamor  the  father  of 
Shechem  went  ont  unto  Jacob  to 
commune  with  him. 

7  And  the  sons  of  Jacob  came 

f  1  Sam.  10.  27.    2  Sam.  13.  22. 

5.  And  Jacob  heard,  &c.  The  news 
of  his  daughter's  dishonor  and  detention 
soon  reached  the  ears  of  Jacob,  and  as 
a  father  and  a  saint  he  could  not  but 
feel  deeply ;  yet  we  are  told  that  he 
'  held  his  peace,  till  his  sons  returned  ; 
by  which  is  meant,  not  that  he  was  en- 
tirely silent,  saying  nothing  about  it  in 
his  family,  which  would  be  inconceiv- 
able under  the  circumstances,  but  that 
he  took  no  measures  in  respect  to  it,  he 
forbore  all  action.  This  is  the  sense  of 
the  original  term  in  several  other  pas- 
sages, denoting  rather  a  refraitiing  from 
action  than  from  utterance,  equivalent  to 
remaining  still,  quiet,  inert.  Thus,  Ex. 
14.  14,  '  The  Lord  shall  fight  for  3'ou, 
and  jeshalUiold  your  peace  (tTI^^Inn)  j' 
i.  e.  be  quiet.  2  Kings  19.  11,  '  Why  are 
ije  the  la.U  (S"i"i;"i"in';)  to  bring  the  king 
back  from  his  house  ?'  i.  e.  why  are  ye 
remiss  or  negligent  in  bringing,  &c.  Ps. 
83.  1,  '  Keep  not  thou  silence,  O  God ; 
hold  not  thy  peace  ("Jinn  b'HO,  and  be 
not  still,  O  God  ;'  i.  e.  do  not  forbear  to 
act.  Ps.  50.  3,  '  Our  God  shall  come  and 
shall  710^  keep  silence  ("J"in"'  bi<) ;'  i-  o. 
shall  not  remain  inactive.  But  Jacob  did 
not  foresee  the  issue,  or  he  would  pro- 
bably have  taken  the  affair  into  his  own 
hands,  and  acted  upon  it  at  once.  As  it 
wasjhovvever,  he  did  better  in  thus  'ruling 
his  spirit'  than  did  his  sons  who  took  the 

city.  Prov.  16.  32. IF  His  sons  were 

with  his  cattle  in  the  field.  Probably  at 
the  distance  of  one  or  two  days'  journey, 
as  it  was  then  customary  to  take  a  wide 
range  in  the  pasturage  of  cattle,  and  as 
we  have  seen  before,  field  is  synony- 
mous with  extensive  tract  of  country. 

6,  7.  And  Hamor  went  out,  &c.  Ac- 
companied by  his  son  Shechem,  as  ap- 


190 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1732. 


out  of  the  tield  when  they  heard  it : 
and  the  men  were  grieved,  and  they 
2  were  very  wroth,  because  he  ^  liad 


g  ch.  49.  7. 
Judg.  20.  6. 


2Sam.  13.  21.       b  Josh.  7.  15. 


pears  from  v.  11.  It  had  been  well  if 
he  and  Jacob  had  seuled  it,  and  this  to 
all  appearance  they  might  have  done, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  sudden  return  of 
the  young  men,  wlio  seem  to  have  come 
upon  the  parties,  all  glowing  with  re- 
sentment, while  they  were  engaged  in 
the  negotiation.  This  was  unfortunate. 
Had  Jacob  and  Hamor  conversed  the 
matter  over  by  themselves,  or  Jacob 
and  his  sons  by  themselves,  their  anger 
might  have  been  abated,  and  the  whole 
affair  perhaps  amicably  adjusted.  But 
all  meeting  together,  the  expression  of 
their  inward  feelings  in  their  full  force 
was  suppressed ;  and  such  feelings 
when  suppressed,  like  the  subterranean 
fires,  will  find  some  outlet,  and  most 
commonly  issue  in  a  fearful  explosion. 
Such  was  the  case  in  the  present  in- 
stance. Though  the  young  men  said 
but  little,  yet  a  deep  smothered  indig- 
nation is  implied  in  the   words   which 

describe    their    emotions. IT   Were 

grieved.  Heb.  in^l^ri*^  yithatzebu,  vex- 
ed, pained,  afflicted.  Gr.  Karavvyrjaav, 
were  pricked  in  their  hearts ;  the  same 
word  that  occurs  Acts  2.  37,  '  When 
they  heard  this  they  were  pricked 
(KaTEvvyriaav)  in  their  hearts,  and  said 
unto  Peter,'  &c.,  though,  of  course,  the 
nature  of  the  feelings  in  the  two  cases 
was  not  the  same,  the  hearts  of  the  one 
class  being  pierced  with  resentment,  of 
the  other  with  compunction. ^  Be- 
cause he  had  wrought  folly  in  Israel.  Ra- 
ther, '  Because  folly  had  been  wrought 
in  Israel ;'  the  active  for  the  passive,  an 
idiom  already  explained.  See  Note  on 
Gen.  IG.  14.  This  is  the  first  instance 
on  record  where  the  family  of  Jacob  is 
designated  by  the  distinguished  patro- 
nymic title  of  'Israel,'  which  after- 
wards became  the  dominant  appellation 


wrought  folly  in  Israel,  in  lying  with 
Jacob's  daughter;  >  which  thing 
ought  not  to  be  done. 

i  DeiU.  23.  17.    2  Sam.  13.  12. 


of  his  posterity.  The  word  'folly'  in 
Scriptural  usage,  implies  not  so  much 
a  conduct  marked  by  stupidity,  simplici- 
ty, or  weakness  of  intellect,  as  an  act, 
or  series  of  actions,  of  shameless  turpi- 
tude committed  against  the  Divine  pre- 
cept, attended  with  scandal  and  perpe- 
trated with  a  reckless  indifference  to 
consequences.  The  '  fool'  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, therefore,  is  not  by  interpretation 
a  simpleton,  but  a  si7iner ;  and  'folly,' 
instead  of  mental  infirmity,  is  moral  delin- 
quency, and  that  of  an  aggravated  char- 
acter. This  remark  should  be  especial- 
ly borne  in  mind  in  reading  the  book  of 
Proverbs.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  from 
the  present  example  the  phraseology 
here  employed  became  pro\'^rbially  ap- 
plied to  express  the  same  sinful  conduct. 
Thus  Tamar  replied  to  her  brother 
Amnon,  2  Sam.  13.  12,  'Nay,  my  bro- 
ther, for  no  such  thing  ought  to  be  done 
in  Israel:  do  not  thou  this/o%.  Thou 
shalt  be  as  one  of  the  fools  in  Israel !' 
Deut.  22.  21, '  They  shall  stone  her  with 
stones  that  she  die  ;  because  she  hath 
wrought  folly  in  Israel.'  It  cannot  be 
doubted  that  there  was  cause  for  great 
displeasure ;  and  provided  it  had  been 
directed  against  the  sin,  frankly  avowed, 
and  kept  within  due  limits,  great  dis- 
pleasure ought  to  have  been  manifested. 
To  take  advantage  of  a  thoughtless,  un- 
protected female,  and  consummate  her 
ruin,  was  inexpressibly  base.  It  was 
destroying  the  happiness  not  of  one  indi- 
vidual only,  but  of  a  whole  family 
That  her  seducer  endeavored  afterwards 
to  repair  the  wrong,  is  true  ;  but,  as  in 
all  similar  cases,  the  injury  was  abso- 
lutely irreparable  ;  and  therefore  we  do 
not  wonder  that  it  excited  a  deep  re- 
sentment in  the  breasts  of  her  dishonor- 
ed relatives.    But  their  resentment  was 


8.  C.  1732.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


191 


8  And  Hamor  communed   with  us,    and   take  our   daughters   unto 


them,  saying,  The  soul  of  my  son 
Shechem  longeth  for  your  daugh- 
ter :  I  pray  you  give  her  him  to 
wife. 

9  And  make  ye  marriages  with 
us,  and  give  your  daughters  unto 


faulty  in   assuming  the  cliaracter  of  a 


you. 

10  And  ye  shall  dwell  with  us : 
and  ^  the  land  shall  be  before  you  : 
dwell  and  '  trade  ye  therein,  and 
"'  get  you  possessions  therein. 

k  ch.  13.  9.  &  20.  15.        1  ell.  42.  34. 
■n  ch.  47.  27. 


thought  of  passing  any  censure  or  pen- 


bloody  vindictiveness.  It  was  proper  i  alty  upon  the  offender,  nor  is  a  word  of 
that  they  should  be  ^riei-gfi;  it  was  not  apology  or  regret  expressed  to  Jaco'^ 
unnatural  that  they  should   be  xoroth  ;  on  the   score   of  what  had    happened. 


and  it  was  much  to  their  honor  that  they 
were  disposed  to  brand  the  violator  of 
chastity  with  infamy,  and  to  speak  of  it 
as  a  '  folly  which  ought  not  to  be  done  ;' 
for  heathen  and  wicked  men  in  all  ages 
have  been  prone  to  account  it  but  a 
trifling  ofl^ence.  But  was  it  for  the  sin 
committed  against  God,  or  only  for  the 
shame  visited  upon  tbe  family,  tliat  they 
were  enraged  ?  Here,  alas,  they  failed  ; 
and  their  failure  here  paved  the  way 
for  their  subsequent  atrocious  wicked- 
ness— a  conduct  which  elicited  from  the 
dying  lips  of  their  father  the  prophetic 
denunciation.  Gen.  49.  7,  '  Cursed  be 
their  anger,  for  it  was  fierce,  and  their 
wrath,  for  it  was  cruel :  I  will  divide 
them  in  Jacob,  and  scatter  them  in  Is- 
rael.' 

8.  And  Hamor  communed  with  them, 
saying,  &c.  There  is  an  air  of  candid, 
friendly,  upright,  and  generous  dealing 
in  the  proposals  of  Hamor,  that  strongly 
wins  upon  us.  They  indicate  a  dispo- 
sition to  make  an  honorable  reparation 
of  the  injury  done  to  Jacob  and  his  fa- 
mily, and  we  would  fain  hope  that  his 
terms  might  be  acceded  to,  and  the  dis- 
grace thus  obliterated  as  far  as  possible, 
forever.  But  on  a  closer  inspection,  we 
perceive  that  there  was  sometliing 
wrong  in  the  line  of  conduct  pursued  by 
Hamor  and  Shechem.  (1.)  The  out- 
rage of  the  son  had  been  of  a  very  ag- 
gravated character,  and  such  as  merited 
a  severe  punishment.  But  it  does  not 
appear  from  the  narrative  that  either 
Hamor  or  the  men  of  Shechem  had  once 


(2.)  They  still  detained  Dinah,  who 
ought  at  once  to  have  been  restored  to 
her  parents.  Till  they  had  done  this, 
they  had  no  reason  to  expect  any  thing 
like  reconciliation  on  the  part  of  Jacob 
or  his  sons.  But  it  is  probable  that  the 
young  man's  being  of  so  honorable  a  fa- 
mily, and  the  sin  of  which  he  was  guilty 
so  common  in  the  country,  made  them 
think  these  punctilios  might  be  dispens- 
ed with  in  the  present  instance.  And 
being  wholly  under  the  influence  of 
sensual  and  worldly  motives,  they  are 
prepared  to  profess  any  religion,  or  pro- 
lane  any  institution,  however  sacred,  so 
they  can  accomplish  their  selfish  ends. 
From  these  causes,  therefore,  it  is  not 
so  much  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  af- 
fair terminated  so  unhappily  as  it  did. 
The  whole  subsequent  proceeding,  on 
the  part  of  Hamor  and  his  son,  was  vitia- 
ted  by   this  error   in   the    outset. 

IT  Longeth.  The  original  is  a  word  ex- 
pressive of  the  most  intense  affection, 
though  not  the  same  with  that,  v.  3, 
rendered  '  clave  unto.'  But  the  two 
combined  go  to  show  the  truth  and  ar- 
dor of  Shechera's  attachment  to  the 
maiden.  The  Hebrew  is  more  a  lan- 
guage of  emotion  than  of  thought,  and 
expresses  all  the  various  kinds  and  de- 
grees o{ passion  with  an  emphasis  pecu- 
liarly its  own. 

9,  10.  Make  ye  marriages  with  us,  &c. 
Their  uninstructed  minds  could  not  en- 
ter into  the  reasons  of  such  an  exclusive 
policy  in  this  respect  as  the  Israelites 
felt  constrained  to  adopt.     It  no  doubt 


192 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1732. 


11  And  Shechem  said  unto  her 
father,  and  unto  her  brethren,  Let 
me  find  grace  in  your  eyes,  and 
what  ye  shall  say  unto  me,  I  will 
give. 


appeared  to  them  as  a  very  needless,  if 
not  an  absurd  singularity  ;  and  in  the 
true  spirit  of  an  unbelieving  world,  they 
endeavor  to  break  down  what  they 
would  deem  the  narrow  spirit  of  caste, 
by  nolding  out  to  them  those  induce- 
ments o( gainful  traffic  which  they  are 
sensible  they  could  not  themselves  with- 
stand in  similar  circumstances,  and 
which,  alas,  are  usually  but  too  potent 
in  overcoming  the  scruples  of  the  pro- 
fessed people  of  God. 

11.  Let  me  find  grace  in  your  eyes. 
That  is,  by  having  my  request  granted. 

12.  Ask  me  never  so  much  dowry  and 
gift.  Heb.  n^?2  "^bsj  l^in  harhu  alai 
meod,  multiply  upon  me  exceedingly.  It 
is  supposed  that  there  was  a  distinction 
between  the  'dowry'  and  the  'gift;' 
that  the  former  was  the  marriage-por- 
tion, which  was  settled  upon  the  wife, 
and  remained  her's  after  her  husband's 
death  ;  while  the  '  gift'  was  merely  a 
present  made  at  the  time  of  the  be- 
trothing, as  a  pledge  of  plighted  faith. 
Of  this  nature,  probably,  were  the  jew- 
els of  silver  and  gold  brought  to  Rebe- 
kah  by  Abraham's  servant,  Gen.  24.  53. 
'  In  some  previous  notes  we  have  had  oc- 
casion to  allude  to  the  dower  and  pre- 
sents required  of  the  bridegroom  on  his 
marriage,  but  have  referred  to  this  place 
for  a  more  detailed  statement.  Sub- 
ject to  the  exceptions  to  which  every 
general  position  is  incident,  we  think 
it  may  be  safely  stated, — that  among 
all  savage  and  barbarous  people — 
and  therefore  in  the  early  history  of 
every  nation  which  afterwards  became 
civilized — the  father  of  a  girl,  in  relin- 
quishing her  to  a  husband,  conceives  he 
has  a  right  to  receive  a  compensation 
for  losing  the  benefit  of  her  services,  as 
well  as  for  the  trouble  and  expense  of  i 


12  Ask  me  never  so  much  "  dow- 
ry and  gift,  and  I  will  give  according 
as  ye  shall  say  unto  me  :  but  give 
me  the  damsel  to  wife. 

1  Exod.  22.  16,  17.  Deut.  22.  29.  1  Sam 
18.25. 

bringing  up  and  providing  for  her  wanii 
The  principle  is  still  the  same,  whether, 
as  among  the  Bedouins,  the  sum  exact-' 
ed  be  called  the  'price'  of  the  woman, 
or  is  merely  described  as  a  'gift'  or 
'  present'  to  the  father.  The  antiquity 
of  this  usage  will  appear  from  various 
passages  in  the  book  of  Genesis;  al- 
though the  only  instance  in  which  a 
provision  for  the  female  is  overlooked, 
is  that  of  Jacob's  engagement  wilh  La- 
ban.  The  classical  scholar  is  aware  of 
numerous  allusions  to  this  custom.  In 
one  passage  of  the  Iliad  an  accomplish- 
ed lady  is  valued  at  four  oxen.  In  an- 
other place,  Agamemnon  is  made  to  say, 
that  he  would  give  one  of  his  daughters 
to  Achilles  without  exacting  the  least 
present  in  return.  Homer  never  men- 
tions any  thing  as  given  to  the  bride, 
but  always  the  presents  which  the 
bridegroom  makes  to  the  lady's  father. 
It  is  also  related  by  Pausanias,  that 
when  Danaus  found  himself  unable  to 
get  his  daughters  married,  he  caused  it 
to  be  made  known  that  he  would  not 
demand  any  presents  from  those  who 
would  espouse  them.  (See  Goguet, 
'  Origine  des  Lois,'  tome  ii.  p.  60,  where 
these  instances  are  adduced.)  It  would 
too  much  extend  this  note,  to  multiply 
examples  from  the  early  history  of  na- 
tions, and  from  existing  practices  in  the 
world.  It  may  suffice  to  state  general- 
ly, that,  under  sundry  modifications, 
the  principle  of  paying  the  father  for 
his  daughter  is  distincdy  recognized 
throughout  Asia,  even  where  the  father 
actually  receives  nothing.  We  shall 
confine  our  instances  to  the  Bedouins. 
Usages  diflfer  considerably  in  this  and 
other  points,  among  the  Arabian  tribes ; 
and  travellers  have  too  hastily  conclud- 
ed that  the  customs  of  one  tribe  repre- 


B.  C.  1732.1 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 


193 


13  And  the  sons  of  Jacob  answer- 
ad  Shechem  and  Hamor  his  father 


anted  those  of  the  entire  nation.  The 
inciple  of  payment  is  indeed  known 
t  J  all  the  tribes,  but  its  operation  va- 
les very  considerably.  Among  some 
very  important  tribes  it  is  considered 
disgraceful  for  the  father  to  demand 
the  daughter's  'price,'  (JiakJc  el  bint), 
nor  is  it  thought  creditable  to  re- 
ceive even  voluntary  presents  ;  among 
other  tribes  the  price  is  received  by  the 
parent,  but  is  made  over  to  the  daugh- 
ter, constituting  her  dower.  Among 
other  tribes,  however,  the  price  is  rigid- 
ly exacted.  The  price  is  generally  paid 
in  cattle,  and  is  sometimes  so  considera- 
ble, as  to  render  it  an  advantageous  cir- 
cumstance when  there  are  many  daugh- 
ters in  a  family.  Five  or  six  camels  are 
a  very  ordinary  payment  for  a  person 
in  tolerable  circumstances,  and,  if  the 
man  can  afford  it,  and  the  bride  is  much 
admired  or  well  connected,  fifty  sheep 
and  amare  or  foal  are  added.'  Pirt  Bible. 
13.  The  sons  of  Jacob  answered  deceit- 
full]/,  &c.  In  the  language  of  the 
Psalmist,  Ps.  55.  21,  'The  words  of  their 
mouths  were  smoother  than  butter, 
but  war  was  in  their  hearts  ;  their  words 
were  softer  than  oil,  yet  were  they 
drawn  swords.'  But  before  character- 
izing the  conduct  of  his  sons  as  it  de- 
serves, we  cannot  but  advert  to  that  of 
Jacob  himself  on  this  occasion.  It  was 
certainly  lacking  in  the  vvisdom  and 
firmness  that  might  have  been  expected 
from  him.  He  allowed  his  sons  too 
much  to  take  the  lead  in  the  transac- 
tion. It  was  very  proper  for  the  bro- 
thers to  consider  themselves  as  in  a 
sense  the  guardians  of  their  sister's  hon- 
or ;  but  not  in  such  a  way  as  to  super- 
sede the  authority  or  silence  the  coun- 
sel of  their  father.  The  answer  to  the 
question,  whether  Dinah  should  be 
given  in  marriage  to  Shechem  belonged 
to  the  parents,  and  not  to  the  brothers.  I 
VOL.  II. 


°  deceitfully,  and  said,  Because  he 
had  defiled  Dinah  their  sister : 

o  2  Sam.  13.  24,  &c. 


Age  and  infirmity  may  perhaps  be 
pleaded  as  an  apology  for  the  patriarch's 
yielding  so  much  to  the  headstrong  pas- 
sions of  his  sons,  but  the  sequel  shows 
that  it  was  a  concession  which  ought 
at  all  hazards  to  have  been  avoided. 
But  how  did  they  demean  themselves  ? 
They  listened  to  Hamor's  and  She- 
chem's  proposals  with  much  apparent 
coolness,  and  the  studied  quiet  of  their 
manner  probably  gave  no  intimation  of 
the  deep  and  deadly  purposes  of  revenge 
which  they  inwardly  cherished.  Under 
the  calm  exterior  which  they  now  as- 
sumed, they  were  entertaining  one  of 
the  most  wicked  and  diabolical  schemes 
that  ever  entered  into  the  heart  of  man. 
Not  satisfied  with  confining  their  re- 
venge to  the  guilty  party,  they  resolve 
to  embrace  the  whole  city  within  the 
scope  of  their  bloody  retribution,  and 
knowing  that  they  were  too  few  to 
effect  this  without  stratagem,  they  de- 
vise a  plan  of  first  disabling  and  then 
slaying  them.  The  execution  of  this 
project  was  marked,  (1)  by  the  vilest 
hypocrisy.  They  pretended  to  have 
scruples  of  conscience  about  connect- 
ing themselves  with  persons  who  were 
uncircumcised.  Could  this  difficulty  be 
removed,  they  intimate  that  there  would 
be  no  bar  in  the  way  to  the  projected 
union.  Now,  although  there  is  no  evi- 
dence that  such  a  law  was  at  this  time 
established  in  Jacob's  family,  yet  it  is 
true  that  marriages  with  the  neighbor- 
ing heathen  were  discouraged  ;  and  if 
they  had  sincerely  aimed  in  this  way  to 
bring  them  off  from  their  idolatrous 
practices,  and  to  cast  in  their  lot  with  Is- 
rael, the  measure  would  have  been  more 
excusable.  But  it  is  clear  they  had  no 
such  design.  The  interests  of  rehgion 
did  not  enter  into  their  thoughts ;  and 
consequently  their  proposition  was 
marked,  (2)  by  \\\e  grossest  profaneness 
17 


194 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1132. 


14  And  they  said  unto  them,  We 
cannot  do  this  thing,  to  give  our 
sister  to  one  that  is  uncircumcised  : 
for  p  that  7cere  a  reproach  unto  us : 

15  But  in  this  will  we  consent 
unto  you :  If  ye  will  he  as  we  be, 
that  every  male  of  you  be  circum- 
cised ; 

p  Josh.  5.  9. 


They  knew  that  if  the  Shecheraites 
were  persuaded  to  submit  to  circum- 
cision, it  would  be  a  niere  farm,  leaving 
them,  as  to  their  relation  to  God,  just 
where  they  were  before.  They  knew 
that  both  the  prince  and  his  people  were 
altogether  ignorant  of  Jehovah,  and  des- 
titute of  the  smallest  wish  to  be  interest- 
ed in  the  covenant  made  by  God  with 
Abraham  ;  and  yet  they  propose  that 
all  the  males  should  receive  the  seal  of 
this  holy  covenant ;  and  that  too,  not  in 
order  to  obtain  any  spiritual  benefit,  but 
solely  with  a  view  to  carnal  gratifica- 
tion !  What  a  profanation  was  this  of 
God's  sacred  ordinance  !  What  awful 
impiety,  in  recommending  to  them  such 
a  method  of  attaining  their  ends  !  But 
this  is  not  all.  The  measure  was  con- 
ceived, (3)  in  the  spirit  of  the  most  sav- 
age cruelty.  That  a  motive  of  revenge 
should  excite  them  to  murder  the  per- 
son more  immediately  irapUcated  in  the 
offence,  was  possible  enough.  But  that 
it  should  prompt  them  to  involve  a  mul- 
titude of  innocent  persons  in  the  same 
ruin,  and  that  at  a  time  when  they 
were  making  the  most  painful  sacrifices 
to  conciUate  their  favor ;  this  almost 
exceeds  belief.  Yet  such  was  their 
inhuman  plot,  which  they  too  success- 
fully carried  into  effect !  What  amaz- 
ing depravity  does  it  argue  first  to  form 
such  a  horrid  purpose,  and  then  to  cover 
it  with  the  cloak  of  religion  !  What  had 
they  to  do  to  talk  of  conscience,  when 
they  could  deliberately  contrive  a  plan 

for  murdering  a  whole  city  ! ^  And 

said,  Because  he  had  defiled  Dinah  their 


16  Then  will  we  give  cur  daugh- 
ters unto  you,  and  we  will  take 
your  daughters  to  us,  and  we  will 
dwell  with  you,  and  we  will  become 
one  people. 

17  But  if  ye  will  not  hearken 
unto  us,  to  be  circumcised ;  then 
v/ill  we  take  our  daughter,  and  we 
will  be  orone. 


sister.  We  take  these  words  as  design- 
ed to  render  a  rexrson  for  the  deeehful- 
ness  to  which,  it  is  said  in  the  preceding 
clause,  that  they  had  recoui~se.  '  They 
said,'  i.  e.  they  justified  the  matter  by 
saying  to  themselves  that  Shechem  had 
acted  the  part  of  a  vile  deceiver  in  be- 
traying their  sister's  innocence,  and  hav- 
mg  thus  forfeited  all  right  to  trath  and 
sincerity  from  others,  it  was  perfectly 
lawful  for  them  to  retaliate  upon  him 
with  equal  duphcity.  It  was  no  doubt 
a  very  natural^  but  at  the  same  time  a 
very  sinful  logic,  by  which  they  cams 
to  this  conclusion. 

14.  We  cannot  do  tJiis  thing.  'Can 
not'  is  here  used  as  frequently  else 
where  in  the  sense  of  7noral  and  not  ?ja- 
tural  inability.  '  We  cannot,  for  it  would 
be  contrary  both  to  custom  and  can- 
on.' Thus,  Gen.  43.  32,  *  Because  the 
Egyptians  might  not  eat  bread  with  the 
Hebrews,  for  that  is  an  abomination 
unto  the  Egyptians.'  This,  though  cor 
rect,  is  rather  a  paraphrase  than  a  trans- 
lation, for  the  original  has  it '  cannot  eat ;' 
i.  e.  cannot  without  violating  law  or 
usage. 

15 — 17.  In  this  will  we  consent.  That 
is,  on  the  condition.-  TT  Vv'e  will  take 
Qur  daughter.  They  here  speak  as  iii 
the  person  of  Jacob,  for  she  was  his 
daughter  only,  and  not  theirs.  So  above, 
V.  8,  where  Hamor  says, '  The  soul  of 
my  son  longeth  for  your  daughter,'  the 
Heb.  suffix  for  your  is  plural,  as  if  she 
were  the  daughter  of  the  whole  compa- 
ny. Targ.  Jon.  'We  will  take  our 
daughter  by  violence.' 


C.  173-2.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


195 


IS  And  their  words  pleased  Ha- 
mor,  and  Shechem,  Hamor's  son. 

19  And  the  young  man  deferred 
not  to  do  the  thing,  because  he  had 
deliofht  in  Jacob's  daughter :  and 
he  2vas  '  more  honourable  than  all 
the  house  of  his  father. 

^  20  *ir  And  Hamor  and  Shechem 
his  son  came  unto  the  gate  of  their 
city,  and  communed  with  the  men 
of  their  city,  saying, 

21  These  men  are  peaceable  with 
us,  therefore  let   them  dwell  in  the 

q  2  Chron.  4.  9. 


18.  Their  toords  pleased  Hamor  and 
Shechem.  Heb.  '  Were  good  in  the  eyes 
of:,'  by  which  is  meant,  not  that  the 
conditions,  in  themselves  considered, 
were  pleasing,  but  they  were  willing  on 
the  whole  to  agree  to  them  ;  the  advan- 
tages they  promised  themselves  by 
complying  were  sufficient  to  counter- 
balance all  objections. 

19.  Deferred  not  to  do  the  ihhig.  De- 
ferred not  consenting  to  it ;  for  he  cer- 
tainly deferred  actually  doing  it  till  he 
had  obtained  the  concurrence  of  his 
countrymen. 

20.  21.  Came  unto  the  gate.  To  the 
place  of  public  convocation,  where  the 
citizens  assembled  to  deliberate  upon 
matters  of  general  interest,  correspond- 
ing to  the  halls,  council-chambers,  or 
town-houses,  of  modern  times.  When, 
therefore,  our  Saviour  says  that  '  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  his 
church,'  his  meaning  is,  that  the  coun- 
sels, plots,  and  policies  of  hell,  shall  not 
prevail  against  it ;  employing  a  figure  of 
speech  by  which  the  place  of  counsel 

stands  for  the  counsels  themselves. 

IT  Communed  ivifh  the  men  of  the  city, 
saying,  &c.  The  deceitful  proposal  suc- 
ceeds with  Hamor  and  Shechem,  and 
they  at  once  undertake  to  persuade  the 
citizens  to  a  compliance  ;  not  as  a  matter 
of  principle,  but  of  policy;  a  measure 
which  would  contribute  to  the  public 
good.    No  little  art  is  discoverable  in 


land,  and  trade  therein :  for  the 
land,  behold,  it  is  large  enough  for 
them  :  let  us  take  their  daughters 
to  us  for  wives,  and  let  us  give  them 
our  daughters. 

22  Only  herem  will  the  men  con- 
sent unto  us  for  to  dwell  with  us,  to 
be  one  people,  if  every  male  among 
us  be  circumcised,  as  they  are  cir- 
cumcised. 

23  ShaU  not  their  cattle,  and  their 
substance,  and  every  beast  of  theirs 
be  ours  1  only  let  us  consent  unto 
them,  and  they  will  dwell  with  us. 

the  arguments  employed  for  this  pur- 
pose. The  principal  prominence  is  giv- 
en to  those  considerations  which  were 
merely  secondary,  while  the  main  point, 
the  circumcision,  comes  in  as  a  little 
by-clause,  a  slight  condition,  to  which 
they  could  not  reasonably  object.  This 
was  approaching  worldly  men  through 
the  most  effectual  avenue.  Appeals  to 
their  interest  usually  succeed  where 
their  principles  are  addressed  in  vain. 
Yet  we  are  not  to  lose  sight  of  the  over- 
ruling hand  of  Providence  in  the  dire 
result.  The  licentious  outrage  of  She- 
chem called  for  punishment,  and  his 
own  and  his  people's  readiness  to  pro- 
fane and  prostitute  a  sacred  ordinance 
for  the  mere  purpose  of  worldly  gain, 
could  not  but  provoke  the  displeasure  of 
heaven.  As  there  was  no  human  au- 
thority to  call  them  to  an  account  for 
their  conduct,  God  was  pleased  to  visit 
their  iniquity  upon  them  in  an  extraor- 
dinary way,  and  while  the  instruments 
were  acting  from  the  most  culpable 
motives,  still  the  righteous  retributions 
of  Providence  were  taking  efTect.  One 
wicked  spirit  of  man  was  made  to  chas- 
tise another. 

23.  Shall  not  their  cattle,  &c. — he  ours. 
Be  more  likely  eventually  to  become 
ours.  It  does  not  appear  that  his  drift  was 
to  insinuate  that  they  could  possess 
themselves  of  Jacob's  riches  dishonestly ; 
but  they  doubtless  appealed  to  merce- 


196 


gp:nesis. 


[B.  C.  1732. 


24  And  unto  Hamor,  and  unto 
Shechem  his  son,  hearkened  all  that 
>■  went  out  of  the  gate  of  his  city  : 
and  every  male  was  circumcised, 
all  that  went  out  of  the  gate  of  his 
city. 

25  IF  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the 

r  ch.  23.  10, 

nary  motives  in  speaking  with  the  She- 
chemites,  and  moreover  gave  them  to 
understand  that  the  measure  was  rather 
one  of  Jacob's  seeking  than  their  own. 
But  if  they  thus  deceived  their  fellow- 
citizens,  they  were  soon  still  more  sadly 
deceived  themselves. 

24.  And  unto  Hamor — hearkened  all 
that  went  out,  &c.  There  is  scarcely  a 
more  singular  fact  in  all  history  than  the 
ready  compUance  of  the  whole  inhabit- 
ants of  Shechem  with  the  proposal  here 
made  to  them.  The  operation  in  adult  age 
is  peculiarly  painful,  and  so  far  as  they 
regarded  it  as  implying  a  change  in  their 
religion,  the  incident  is  equally  remarka- 
ble ;  for  we  know  the  tenacity  with  which 
men  cleave  to  their  estabUshed  modes  of 
faith  and  worship — a  principle  distinctly 
recognised  by  the  Most  High  himself, 
speaking  by  the  mouth  of  his  prophet, 
Jer.  2.  10,  11,  '  For  pass  over  the  isles  of 
Chittim,  and  see  ;  and  send  unto  Kedar 
and  consider  diligently,  and  see  if  there 
be  such  a  thing.  Hath  a  nation  chang- 
ed their  gods,  which  are  yet  no  gods  V 
In  accounting  for  such  a  step  on  the 
pari  of  the  Shechemites,  w^e  may  doubt- 
less allow  much  to  the  hope  of  gain,  and 
much  to  the  reverence  of  their  rulers  ; 
but  we  must  go  beyond  this,  and  ac- 
knowledge a  secret  permitted  infatua- 
tion upon  their  minds,  in  order  that  their 
connivance  at  a  gross  iniquity  might  be 
suitably  punished.  And  punished  it 
assuredly  was,  in  a  way  to  make  the 
ears  of  every  one  that  heareth  of  it  to 
tingle. 

25.  It  came  to  pass  on  the  third  day, 
when  they  were  sore.  Chal. '  When  their 
pains  were  sorest  upon  them.'      Thus 


third  day,  when  they  were  sore, 
that  two  of  tlio  sons  of  Jacob,  '  Si- 
meon and  Levi,  Dinah's  brethren, 
took  each  man  his  sword,  and  came 
upon  the  city  boldly,  and  slew  all 
the  males. 

26  And   they   slew  Hamor  and 
s  cli!'  49.  5, 6,  7. 


taking  advantage  of  the  disabled  state 
of  their  victims,  whose  wounds,  like  all 
others,  were  most  severe  and  painful  on 
the  third  day.  The  whole  transaction 
in  this  instance  was  undoubtedly  con- 
ducted without  Jacob's  knowledge  or 
consent.  See  his  emphatic  self-acquittal. 

Gen.  49,  G,  with  the  note. "tF  Simeon 

and  Levi.  These  were  the  uterine 
brothers  of  Dinah,  and  might  naturally 
be  expected  to  be  most  prompt  in  aveng- 
ing her  wrongs.  Though  these  two 
only  are  mentioned,  yet  there  is  no 
doubt  that  they  were  assisted  by  a  band 
composed  of  their  brethren,  domestics, 
or  other  associates.  It  is  in  entire  ac- 
cordance with  the  general  usage  of  the 
Scriptures  to  speak  of  that  being  done 
by  one  or  two,  in  which  one  or  two  are 
the  prime  movers,  leaders,  or  overseers, 
though  many  subordinate  agents  are 
employed.  In  view  of  Levi's  participa- 
tion in  this  horrid  deed,  the  divine  cle- 
mency, in  making  his  the  priestly  tribe, 
is  strikingly  displayed.  We  should 
rather  have  expected  that  some  lasting 
stigma  would  have  been  affixed  to  the 
posterity  of  one  who  had  covered  Viis 
own  name  so  deep  with  infamy.  Rut 
we  learn  from  it  how,  where  sin  has 
abounded,  grace  often  much  more 
abounds;  and  we  gather  also  hence  a 
fresh  proof  of  the  veracity  of  Moses. 
Himself  a  Levite,  he  does  not  spare  the 
character  of  his  progenitor.  In  all  the 
simplicity  of  truth,  he  gives  an  unvar- 
nished statement  of  atrocities  which 
have  reflected  everlasting  disgrace  upon 
the  memory  of  the  founder  of  his  line. 
Would  an  impostor  have  done  this  ? 
26.   With  the  edge  of  the  sword.     Ileb 


B.  C.  1732.] 


CHAPTER  XXXI V. 


197 


Shecliem  his  son  with  the  edge  of 
the  sword,  and  took  Dinah  out  of 
Shechem's  hou?e,  and  went  out. 

"27  The  sons  of  Jacob  came  upon 
the  slain,  and  spoiled  the  city ;  be- 
cause they  had  defiled  their  sister. 

28  They  took  their  sheep,  and 
their  oxen,  and  their  asses,  and  that 
which  ivas  in  the  city,  and  that 
which  was  in  the  field. 

29  And  all  their  wealth,  and  all 


i'^n  '^ib  lephi  hareb,  by  the  mouth  of  the 
sword ;  whence  the  sword  is  said  to  '  de- 
vour.'  *J   Came  upon  the  city  boldly. 

Ileb.  ntJlS  bntah,  m  confidence.  Tliis 
may  refer  either  to  the  manner  oj  the  at- 
tack, which  is  favored  by  the  Gr.  aa(pa- 
Xo)f  undauntedly,  securely ;  or  to  the 
state  of  the  city,  as  understood  by  the 
Chal.  'The  city  which  dwelt  confident- 
ly.' But  their  fancied  security  was  an 
idle  dream,  from  which  they  were  awa- 
kened by  the  terrors  of  a  merciless  mas- 
sacre. The  story  teaches  us,  with  af- 
fecting emphasis,  how  one  sin  leads  on 
to  another,  and,  hke  flames  of  fire, 
spreads  desolation  on  every  side ! 
Dissipation  leads  to  seduction  ;  seduc- 
tion produces  wrath  ;  wrath  thirsts  for 
revenge  ;  the  thirst  of  revenge  has  re- 
course to  treachery  ;  treachery  issues 
in  murder  ;  and  murder  is  followed  by 
lawless  depredation  I  Were  we  to  trace 
the  history  of  ilUcit  commerce  between 
the  sexes,  we  should  perhaps  find  it, 
more  than  any  other,  terminating  in 
blood.  We  may  read  this  warning  truth, 
not  only  in  the  history  of  David  and  his 
family,  but  in  what  is  constantly  occur- 
ring in  our  times.  The  murder  of  the  in- 
nocent offspring  by  the  hand  of  the 
mother,  or  of  the  mother  by  the  hand  of 
the  seducer,  or  of  the  seducer  by  the 
hand  of  a  brother  or  of  a  supplanted  rival, 
are  events  which  too  frequently  fall  un- 
der our  notice.  Nor  is  this  all,  even  in 
the  present  world.  3Iurder  seldom  es- 
»^apes   detection ;    a   public    execution, 

17* 


their  little  ones,  and  their  wives 
took  they  captive,  and  spoiled  even 
all  that  was  in  the  house. 

30  And  Jacob  said  to  Simeon  and 
Levi,  '  Ye  have  "  troubled  rfle, ""  to 
make  me  to  stink  among  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  land,  among  the  Ca- 
naanites  and  the  Perizzites  :  y  and 
I  being  few  in  number,  they  shall 
gather  themselves  together  against 

t  ch.  49.  6.  »  Josh.  7.  25.  ^  Exod.  5. 
21.  1  Sara.  13.  4.     y  Deut.  4.  27.  Ps.  105.  12. 


therefore,  may  be  expected  to  close  the 
tragic  scene. 

29.  All  their  wealth.  Heh.}i^nhayil, 
a  word  of  large  import  in  the  original 
comprehending  everything  in  which  a 
man's  strength,  power,  or  ascendancy 
consists;  being  applied  to  prowess  of 
body,  Eccl.  10.  10;  to  an  army  of  men, 
1  Sam.  10.  26  ;  to  worldly  riches,  Prov. 
10.  15;  and  to  the  rampart  of  a  city, 
Nah.  3.  8.  The  Chal.  renders  it '  riches', 
and  the  Gr.  aoi^ara  bodies,  a  term  equiv- 
alent to  serr)anfs,  as  is  clear  from  Rev. 
18.  13 — '  and  beasts,  and  sheep,  and  hor- 
ses, and  chariots,  and  slaves  (crw/iara)  and 

souls  of  men.' IT  Spoiled  even  all  that 

was  in  the  house.  Took  as  a  spoil  all  that 
was  in  the  houses  ;  '  house'  being  here 
a  collect,  sing,  for  the  plur.,  just  as  '  lit- 
Ue  ones'  is  in  the  original  in  the  singu- 
lar (rjt:)  taph. 

30  And  Jacob  said  to  Simeori  and  Le- 
vi, &c.  It  is  some  relief  to  find  the  good 
old  man  expressing  his  disapprobation 
of  these  bloody  proceedings.  Yet  it  is 
a  natural  query  why  he  manifested  so 
little  apparent  concern  for  their  sin,  as 
sin,  dwelling  entirely  upon  the  conse- 
quences. Why  did  he  not  reproach 
them,  in  the  name  of  the  God  whom  they 
professed  to  serve,  with  their  cruelty, 
their  perfidy,  their  rapacity  ?  Why 
does  he  give  way  so  entirely  to  thoughts 
of  his  own  calamity,  and  speak  as  if 
they  had  destroyed  him  instead  of  the 
Shechemites  ?  No  doubt  his  real  drift 
i  was,  by  this  very  mode  of  address,  to 


193 


GENESIS. 


[J3.  C.  1732. 


me,  and  slay  me,  and  I  shall  be  des- 
troyed, I  and  my  house. 


work  upon  their  compunctions  and 
bring  them  to  a  proper  acknowledg- 
ment of  what  they  had  done.  He 
knew  they  were  so  hardened  in  wick- 
edness that  nothing  but  consequences, 
and  such  as  affected  their  safety  too, 
would  make  them  feel.  Unlike  Abraham 
and  Isaac,  who  had  demeaned  them- 
selves peaceably  wherever  they  had 
pitched  their  tents,  and  by  their  good 
conduct  had  not  only  gained  the  respect 
of  the  heathen,  but  recommended  true 
religion,  he  had  now,  in  consequence  of 
his  close  connexion  with  such  sons  of 
Belial,  rendered  himself  odious  to  the 
neighboring  Canaanites.  And  what  else 
could  he  anticipate,  but  that  they  should 
combine  against  them,  and  cut  them 
off  root  and  branch  ?  This,  we  say, 
was  calculated  to  rouse  them  from  their 
guilty  apathy,  and  when  they  saw  that 
they  w-ere  likely  to  plunge  their  aged 
father  and  themselves  inlo  one  common 
perdition,  to  lead  them  to  call  upon  God 
for  that  mercy  to  which  they  had  so 

little  claim. ^  Make  me  to  stinJc.  This 

is  the  literal  and  highly  expressive  sense 
of  the  original,  but  most  of  the  ancient 
versions  resolve  the  phrase  into  less 
figurative  terms.  Chal.  'Ye  will  occa- 
sion or  put  enmity  between  me  and  the 
Canaanites.'  Syr.  '  Ye  have  offended 
me  to  bring  evil  between  me  and  the 
inhabitants.'  Arab.  'Ye  have  rendered 
me  infamous,  and  corrupted  my  condi- 
tion with  respect  to  the  Canaanites,' 
Vulg. '  Ve  have  made  me  odious  to  the 
Canaanites.'  'Of  a  man  who  has  lost 
his  honor,  whose  fame  is  entirely  gone,  it 
is  said,  '  Ah  !  he  has  lost  his  smell — 
where  is  the  sweet  smell  of  former 
years  ?'  '  Alas  !'  says  an  old  man,  '  my 

smell   is    forever  gone.'  '     Roberts. 

IT  Troubledme.  Thatis,not  only  by  griev- 
ing and  disquieting  my  spirit,  but  by  put- 
ting me  in  danger  of  being  destroyed  by 
those  with  whom  I  have  liitherto  lived  in 


31  And  they  said,  Should  he  deal 
with  our  sister  as  with  an  harlot  1 


peace.  Thus  Achan  is  said  to  have 
'  troubled'  Israel,  and  was  himself 
'  troubled  ;'  i.  e.  destroyed,  Josh.  6.  18, 
and  7.  25.  Thus,  Prov.  15.  27,  '  He 
that  is  greedy  of  gain  troubleth  his  own 
house  ;  but  he  that  hateth  gifts  shall 
hve.'  Here,  '  troubling  one's  house'  is 
opposed   to   'living,'    which   makes    it 

equivalent  to  '  to  destroy.' IT  I  being 

few  in  number.  Heb.  "-itC^a  '^^,)2  ^ISi 
ani  metlie  mispar,  I  men  of  number.  An- 
other instance  of  an  individual  being 
identified  with  his  party  so  as  to  consti- 
tute a  kind  of  plurality  of  denomination. 
The  phrase  '  few  in  number,'  or  '  men 
of  number,'  signifies  capable  of  being 
numbered.  It  arose  probably  from  the 
language  of  the  promise  made  to  .\bra- 
ham,  that  he  should  be  the  father  of  a 
s^ed  which  could  not  be  numbered. 
The  opposite  of  this,  of  course,  is  a  com- 
pany which  can  be  numbered,  and  there- 
fore comparatively /ei«. 

31.  Should  he  deal  with  our  sister  as 
with  an  harlot  ?  We  see  little  in  this  an- 
swer to  their  father's  reproof,  but  the 
workings  of  offended  pride  and  unyield- 
ing obstinacy.  They  would  not  have 
felt  any  displeasure  against  Shechem 
had  he  dealt  with  any  other  female,  or 
any  number  of  them,  as  harlots ;  but 
that  he  should  offer  an  indignity  to  their 
sister,  this  was  the  offence — an  offence 
inexpiable  by  any  thing  less  than  the 
blood  of  all  that  were,  even  in  the  most 
distant  way,  connected  with  him.  So 
much  more  sensibly  are  men  prone  to 
feel  for  an  affront  to  their  own  honor 
than  to  that  of  God.  Again,  how  shock- 
ing is  the  relentlessness  which  they 
evince.  We  might  reasonably  expect, 
that  after  a  little  reflection  these  bloody 
murderers  would  be  filled  with  remorse. 
But  all  sense  of  guilt,  yea,  all  regard  for 
their  own  and  their  father's  safety,  seem- 
ed to  he  totally  banished  from  their 
minds.      Instead  of  regretting  that  they 


B.  C.  1732.] 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


199 


CHAP.  XXXV. 

AND  God  said  unto  J  acob,  Arise, 
go  up  to  *  Beth-e],  and  dwell 
there  :  and  make  there  an  altar  un- 

a  ch.  28.  19. 

tiad  acted  so  treacherous  and  cruel  a 
part,  they  vindicate  theifiselves  without 
hesitation,  and  even  tacitly  condemn 
their  father  as  manifesting  less  concern 
for  his  daughter  than  they  had  shown 
for  their  sister.  We  can  scarcely  con- 
ceive a  more  awful  instance  than  tliis, 
of  the  power  of  sin  to  blind  the  under- 
standing and  to  harden  the  heart  But 
<3aily  experience  shows  that  vvhen<mc€ 
the  conscience  is  seared,  there  is  no 
iniquity  too  gross  to  be  palliated  or 
♦ustified. 

Remarks-  Two  additional  reflec- 
Hons  are  suggested  by  the  present  nar- 
»ative. 

(1.)  How  astGnishinghj  may  the  judg- 
ment of  men  he  tuarped  by  partiality  and 
fself-love!  These  men  could  see  evil  in 
the  conduct  of  Shechem,  and  yet  justify 
their  own ;  though  theirs  was  beyond 
all  comparison  more  vile  and  horrible 
than  his.  Yet  is  this  an  uncommon 
spectacle  ?  If  the  world  behold  any 
thing  amiss  in  the  conduct  of  a  person 
professing  religion,  with  what  severity 
will  they  condemn  it,  even  though  they 
tliemselves  are  living  in  tlie  unrestrain- 
ed  commission  of  a  thousand  sins  !  And 
even  professors  of  godliness  themselves 
are  too  apt  to  be  officious  in  puUing  out 
a  mote  from  their  brother's  eye,  while 
they  are  inattentive  to  the  beam  that  is 
in  their  own  eye.  Let  us  learn  rather 
to  exercise  forbearance  towards  the 
faults  of  others  and  severity  towards 
our  own. 

(2.)  How  certainly  will  there  he  a  day  of 
future  retribution.  Here  we  behold  a 
whole  city  of  innocent  men  put  to  death, 
and  their  murderers  going  away  unpu?i- 
ished.  But  let  us  not  on  this  account 
arraign  the  dispensations  of  Providence. 
In  thi)  last  day  these  apparent  inequali- 


to  God,  b  that  appeared  unto  thee 
-=  when  thou  fleddest  from  the  face 
of  Esau  thy  brother. 


b  ch.  28. 13. 


ch.27.  43 


ties  will  be  rectified.  It  will  then  in- 
fallib-Iy  go  well  with  the  righteous  and 
ill  with  the  wicked.  The  excuses  which 
men  now  make,  will  then  be  of  no 
avail .  Every  transaction  shall  then  ap- 
pear in  its  proper  colors ;  and  every 
man  receive  aeeording  to  what  he  has 
done  in  the  body,  whether  it  be  good  or 
evil. 


CHAP.   XXXV. 

1.  And  God  said  unto  Jacob,  Arise,  go 
up  to  Beth- el,  &c.  The  events  which 
had  recently  occurred  at  Shechem 
would  no  doubt  render  it  unsafe  for  Ja- 
cob to  remain  longer  in  that  place  or  its 
vicinity.  Indeed  it  would  scarcely  have 
been  surprising  to  hear  of  a  confederacy 
among  all  the  neighboring  clans  to  ex- 
terminate such  a  band  of  robbers  and 
murderers  from  the  face  of  the  earth — 
men  who  would  perpetrate,  in  a  time  of 
profound  peace,  an  atrocity  unheard  of 
even  among  the  cruel  practices  of  war. 
Jacob  was  undoubtedly  aware  of  his 
danger,  and  deeply  exercised  on  account 
of  it ;  and  it  pleased  God  in  the  midst  of 
his  bitter  and  perplexing  reflections 
again  to  appear,  and  give  him  directioas 
what  to  do.  Of  the  manner  in  which 
the  present  communication  was  made 
to  him,  nothing  is  said  :  but  the  purport 
of  it  was  that  he  should  remove  to  Beth- 
el, situated  about  thirty  miles  south  of 
Shechem,  build  there  an  altar,  and  per- 
form the  vow  v.hieh  he  had  previously 
made.  Gen.  28.  20,  22.  It  was  now 
about  thirty  years  since  that  vow  was 
made  ;  Jacob  had  dwelt  eight  or  ten  in 
Canaan  since  his  return  from  Padan- 
aram,  and  had  now  attained  to  one  hun- 
dred and  six  years  of  age  ;  yet  for  some 
reason  unexplained  he  had  hitherto  de- 
layed to  pay  it.     Possibly  he  may  have 


200 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1732. 


2  Then  Jacob  said  unto  his 
^household,  and  to  all  that  were 
with  him,  Put  away  'the  strange 

d  ch.  18. 19.  Josh.  24.  ]5.      ^  cli.  31.  19,  34. 
Josh.  24.  2, 23. 


been  culpably  remiss  in  this  matter,  and 
the  remark  of  a  Jewish  commentator 
may  be  well  founded,  that  God  permit- 
ted the  ravishment  of  Dinah  as  a  pun- 
ishment to  Jacob  for  his  criminal  delay, 
just  as  he  met  3Ioses  with  alarming  to- 
kens of  his  displeasure,  Ex.  4. 24,  for  hav- 
ing sinfully  deferred  the  circumcision 
of  his  child.  But  without  assuming  to 
pronounce  upon  this  point,  we  cannot  but 
advert  to  the  mild  and  affecting  tone  of 
the  expostulation  here  addressed  to  Jacob 
— one  that  reminds  him  not  so  much  of 
the  neglect  of  the  servant,  as  of  the  mer- 
cy of  the  master.  He  does  not  say, 
'  Build  an  altar  to  the  God  whom  thou 
hast  promised,  and  hast  disappomted ;' 
but  unto  the  '  God  who  appeared  unto 
thee  when  thou  fleddest  from  the  face 
of  Esau  thy  brother.'  There  must  have 
been  something  peculiarly  touching  in 
the  recollections  awakened  by  these 
■words;  and  that  their  due  effect  was 
not  lost  upon  Jacob,  appears  from  the 
fact  that  he  made  immediate  prepara- 
tions for  the  accomplishment  of  his 
vow. 

2.  Jacoh  said  unto  his  household,  &c. 
No  sooner  is  Jacob  admonished  to  go  to 
Bethel,  than  he  feels  the  necessity  of  a 
household  reformation,  and  orders  it  to 
be  at  once  entered  upon.  His  first  in- 
junction is,  that  the  strange  gods  among 
them  should  be  put  away.  This  was 
acting  faithfully  and  conscientiously 
towards  the  members  of  his  numerous 
family ;  but  who  would  have  believed 
that  such  a  command  could  have  been 
necessary?  Did  he  then  know  of  the 
corrupt  practices  of  his  family,  and  had 
he  connived  at  them?  Was  this  the 
first  time  that  his  voice  had  been  raised 
against  them?  We  know  not  how  to 
avoid  the  inference  that  this  was  the 


gods  that  are  among  you,  and  be 
'^clean  and  change  your  garments: 


f  Exod.  19.  10. 


case.  We  fear  that  eyen  Jacob  partook 
so  largely  of  the  infirmities  of  fallen  na- 
ture, that  he  had  failed  to  discharge  his 
duty  in  this  respect;  that  even  though 
the  honor  of  God  was  at  stake,  he  had 
been  unwiUing  to  incur  the  resentment 
or  the  complaints  of  those  that  were 
dear  to  him  ;  and  had  accordingly,  after 
finding  that  the  teraphim  were  in  Ra- 
chel's possession,  tolerated  an  evil  which 
he  ought  promptly  to  have  checked  in 
its  very  outset.  We  are  glad,  how- 
ever, to  find  him  at  length  resolved  to 
'  put  them  away,'  though  the  command 
carries    an    implication     of    his     own 

crime  as  well  as  that  of  his  family. 

IT  Strange  gods.  Heb.  '^^jH  ^tibi<  elohe 
hannekar,  gods  of  the  stranger ;  i.  e.  gods 
of  strangeor foreign  nations.  Gr.  'Foreign 
gods.'  Chal. 'Idols  of  peoples.'  Allusion 
IS  perhaps  had  not  only  to  the  idolatrous 
images  stolen  from  Laban,  but  to  those 
also  which  might  have  been  brought  in 
among  the  spoils  of  the  captured  She- 
chemites.  Accordingly  the  Targ.  Jon. 
terms  them  '  the  gods  which  thou  didst 
receive  from  the  house  of  tVie  idols  of 

Shechem.' H  Be    clean    arid  change 

your  garments.  Targ.  Jon.  'Cleanse 
yourselves  from  the  pollutions  of  the  slain 
to  whom  3'ou  have  come  nigh,'  This 
outward  purification  and  change  of  rai- 
ment was  enjoined  as  indicative  of  that 
internal  cleansing  of  the  soul  which  is 
always  requisite  to  the  acceptable  wor- 
t^hip  of  God,  and  which  the  recent  de- 
filement of  his  house,  by  the  double 
stain  of  idolatry  and  murder,  rendered 
still  more  indispensably  necessary.  See 
Ex.  19.  10,  15;  Lev.  15.  18.  It  does  not 
appear  that  this  ceremony  was  express- 
ly commanded  to  Jacob,  but  a  certain 
intrinsic  decorum  commended  it  to  his 
judgment.     From  a  similar  sense  of  Hi-' 


B.  C.  1732.] 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


201 


3  And  let  us  arise,  and  go  up  to 
Beth-el ;  and  I  will  make  there  an 
altar  unto  God,  »  who  answered  me 
in  the  day  of  my  distress,  ^  and  was 
with  me  'in  the  \yay  which  I  went. 


t  ch.  32.  7,  24. 
&  31.  3,  42. 


Ps.  107.  6. 


ch.  28.  20. 


ness  Mosps  directed  those  who  had 
been  concerned  in  the  affair  of  the 
golden  calf  at  Horeb  to  Ex.  33.  4,  5,  to 
put  off  their  ornaments,  that  their  out- 
ward attire  might  correspond  with  the 
required  humihty  of  their  spirit.  With 
men  of  somewhat  crude  conceptions  of 
spiritual  things,  such  an  outward  change 
would  help  them  to  discern  more  clear- 
ly the  offensive  nature  of  idolatry,  and 
though  true  penitence  is  seated  in  the 
heart,  yet  its  external  indications  react 
upon  and  quicken  the  inward  sentiment. 
3.  Who  answered  me  in  the  day  of  my 
distress.  Chal. '  Unto  God  who  received 
ray  prayer  in  the  time  of  my  tribulation, 
and  his  word  was  my  help  in  the  way 
which  I  went.'  God's  'answering  his 
people  is  his  efficaciously  hearing  them,  so 
as  actually,  by  word  or  deed,  to  grant 
their  request.  Thus  he  is  said  to  '  an- 
swer by  fire,'  1  Kings  18.  24,  when  by 
that  token  he  testified  his  approbation 
of  his  worshippers.  He  '  answers'  also 
in  the  actual  bestowment  of  blessings ; 
Is.  41.  17,  '  When  the  poor  and  needy 
seek  water,  and  there  is  none,  and 
their  tongue  faileth  for  thirst,  I  the  Lord 
will  hear  them.'  Heb.  '  Wdl  answer 
them  r'  i.  e.  will  supply  their  wants. 
Also  by  dehvering  them  from  danger ; 
Ps.  22.  21,  '  Save  me  from  the  lion's 
mouth,  for  thou  hast  heard  me  from  the 
horns  of  the  unicorn.'  Heb.  '  Hast  an- 
swered me.'  In  using  ttiese  words  Ja- 
cob seems  to  have  endeavored  to  im- 
press upon  his  household  his  own  senti- 
ments. What  had  been  a  mercy  to  him 
was  a  mercy  to  them,  and  they  were 
bound  so  to  consider  it.  By  putting  them 
in  mind,  moreover,  of  God's  answering 
him  in  the  day  of  his  distress,  ntf  would 


4  And  they  gave  unto  Jacob  all 
the  strange  gods  which  were  in  their 
hand,  and  all  their  '  ear-rings  which 
loere  in  their  ears  ;  and  Jacob  hid 
them  under  ^  the  oak  which  was  by 
Shechem. 

•  Hos.  2. 13.         ^  Josh.  24.  26.    Judg.  9.  (>. 


not  only  excite  them  to  gratitude  for  the 
past,  but  kindle  a  hope  also  that  Heaven 
would  disperse  ihe  cloud  that  hung  over 
them  now,  on  account  of  the  late  impure 
and  bloody  transaction. 

4.  Ear-rings  which  were  in  their  ears. 
This  may  be  meant  of  the  gold  and 
silver  ear-rings  in  the  ears  of  the  idols; 
but  if  intended  of  those  worn  in  the  ears 
of  the  women,  they  were  probably 
taken  from  the  idols,  and  so  by  associa- 
tion might  themselves  become  a  source 
of  idolatry,  or  at  least  of  superstitious 
reverence.  They  were  therefore  to  be 
abolished  as  among  the  appendages  of 
a  forbidden  worship.  Deut.  7. 2.5,  '  The 
graven  images  of  their  gods  shall  ye 
burn  with  fire  ;  thou  shall  not  desire  the 
silver  or  the  gold  that  is  on  them,  nor 
take  it  unto  thee  lest  thou  be  snared 
therein  ;  for  it  is  an  abomination  to  the 
Lord  thy  God.'  Hence  the  Jewish 
canon :  '  It  is  commanded  to  destroy 
idolatry  and  the  ministerial  instruments 
thereof,  and  whatsoever  is  made  for  the 
same ;  and  it  is  forbidden  to  have  any 
use  or  profit  by  any  of  these  things.' 
Considering  the  evils  which  prevailed 
in  Jacob's  family,  and  the  bewitching 
nature  of  idolatry,  it  is  somewhat  sur- 
prising to  observe  the  readiness  with 
which  they  now  complied  with  his 
commands.  But  undoubtedly  the  whole 
air,  manner,  and  language  of  Jacob  on 
this  occasion  was  decided,  and  such  as 
convinced  his  household  that  he  was 
engaged  in  earnest  in  a  very  solemn 
duty,  in  which  it  would  be  dangerous 
for  them  not  to  unite.  The  incident 
teaches  us  that  where  our  spirit  is  right, 
we  have  great  access  to  the  hearts  of 
others.     Duties  difficult  and  hopeless  ir^ 


202 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1732. 


5  And  they  journeyed  :  and  ^  the 
terror  of  God  was  upon  the  cities 
that  were  round  about   them,  and 

1  Exod.  15.  IG.  &  23.  27.  &  34.  24.    Deut. 


prospect  are  rendered  easy  and  success- 
ful the  moment  we  have  sufficient  faith 
to  attempt  to  carry  them  into  execution. 
Where  a  reproof  or  remonstrance  is  of- 
fered in  a  truly  Christian  temper,  and 
the  general  deportment  of  the  speaker 
IS  in  accordance  with  his  words,  men 
will  often  listen  much  more  willingly 
than  we  anticipate.  Although  no  in- 
stantaneous effect  should  be  produced, 
yet  some  arrow  may  be  fixed  in  the 
conscience  which  is  never  afterwards 
extracted.  Some  seeds  may  be  sown 
in  the  memory  which,  after  lying  dor- 
mant for  a  long  time,  may  at  last  '  take 
root  downwards  and  bear  fruit  upwards,' 
when  the  sower  who  went  forth  to  sow 
the  seed  has  long  since  been  called  to 
his  reward.  Let  us  consider  this,  and 
be  more  studious  to  improve  the  offered 

opportunities  of  doing  good. ^  Hid 

them  under  the  oak  which  was  by  She- 
chem.  It  was  under  this  same  oak  that 
Joshua  afterwards  set  up  a  stone  of 
watness,  upon  the  occasion  of  his  having 
convened  the  people  at  Shechem,  and, 
probably  in  memory  of  this  very  trans- 
action of  Jacob  cleansed  them  of  their 
idols,  and  hrouP^'it  them  renewedly  into 
a  solemn  covenint  with  God.  Josh.  24. 
25,  26.  As  the  oak,  among  the  Canaan- 
ites,  was  dedicated  to  religious  purposes, 
Deut.  12.  2,  he  might  have  supposed 
that  the  sacredness  of  the  depository 
would  be  likely  to  guard  them  from 
being  discovered  or  disturbed.  If  it  be 
asked  why  Jacob  did  not  burn  instead 
of  burying  them,  it  may  be  answered, 
that  perhaps  he  might  in  the  first  in- 
stance have  caused  them  to  pass  through 
The  fire,  but  as  metallic  substances  are 
not  consumed,  but  merely  transformed 
.-)y  the  action  of  fire,  he  would  still  have 
had  the  material  on  his  hands  to  be  dis- 
posed of  some  other  way  ;  and  as  dead 


they  did  not  pursue  after  the  sons 
of  Jacob. 


11.  25.    Josh.  ! 
Chron.  14.  14. 


9.  &  5.  1.    1  Sam.  14.  15.    2 


bodies,  and  every  thing  foul,  loathsome, 
and  abominable,  was  buried  out  of  sight, 
he  seems  properly  to  have  taken  the 
same  course  with  these  idols  and  their 
appendages.  It  would  seem,  moreover, 
that  the  procedure  afterwards  enjoined 
under  the  Mosaic  law,  Deut.  7.  25,  was 
now  acted  upon  by  the  patriarch,  and 
perhaps  generally  considered  obligatory 
in  similar  circumstances  ;  '  The  graven 
images  of  their  gods  shall  ye  burn  with 
fire  ;  thou  shalt  not  desire  the  silver  or 
the  gold  that  is  on  tliem,  nor  take  it  unto 
thee,  lest  thou  be  snared  therein  :  for  it 
is  an  abomination  to  the  Lord  thy  God.' 
5.  The  terror  of  God  vns  upon  the 
cities,  &c.  That  is,  was  made  to  be.  The 
Heb.  H'TI  hayah,  and  the  Gr.  eyevcTo,  fre- 
quently express,  not  the  simple  fact  of 
being,  but  being  in  consequence  of  ac 
tive  causation  or  efficiency.  Thus, 
Ezek.  37,  '  And  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
was  upon  me ;'  i.  e.  was  efficaciously 
made  to  be  upon  me.  Rev.  1.  10,  'I  was 
in  the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's  day  ;'  i.  e.  I 
was  made  to  be  in  the  Spirit,  by  a  strong 
supernatural  impulse.  The  phrase  *  ter 
ror  of  God'  is  probably  equivalent  to  a 
mighty  terror,  an  astounding  dread  ;  be- 
ing an  instance  of  the  idiom  mentioned 
in  the  note  on  Gen.  23.  6.  Otherwise 
we  may  understand  it  with  Ainsworth 
of  a  terror  sent  of  God.  Had  it  not  been 
for  such  a  supernatural  panic,  the  neigh- 
boring clans  might  easily  have  combin- 
ed, and  faUing  upon  Jacob's  company, 
have  put  them  all  to  death,  by  way  of 
avenging  the  massacre  of  the  Shechem- 
ites.  The  kind  care  which  God  evinced 
towards  the  family  on  this  occasion 
would  appear  to  have  been  no  less  con- 
trary to  the  parents'  fears,  than  to  the 
deserts  of  his  ungodly  children,  and  its 
being  extended  to  them  for  his  saJce, 
must  have   had  the  effect,  one  would 


B.  C.  1732.] 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


'2m 


G  IT  So  Jacob  came  to  *"  Luz, 
which  is  in  the  land  ot  Canaan 
(that  is  Beth-eJ)  he  and  all  the  peo- 
ple that  were  with  him. 

7  And  he  °  built  there  an  altar, 
and  called  the  place  El-beth-el ;  be- 
cause  °  there  God  appeared  unto 

m  ch.  28. 19.  22.        n  Eccles.  5.  4. 
o  ch.  23.  13. 


think,  to  abase  their  proud  spirits,  and 
make  them  feel  how  much  they  were 
indebted  to  the  divine  clemency. 

6.  Jacob  came  to  Luz.  '  Luz'  is  the 
Heb.  term  for  almond-tree,  and  the  place 
was  perhaps  so  called  from  this  species 
of  tree  growing  abundantly  in  that  re- 
gion. See  Note  on  Gen.  28.  19.  From 
this  it  appears  that  Bethel  had  not  yet 
become  the  common  name  of  the  place, 
though  it  was  thirty  years  since  it  had 
been  bestowed  by  Jacob.  But  he  then 
did  it  as  a  private  individual,  in  memory 
of  a  special  manifestation  made  to  him- 
self. From  the  time  of  this  his  second 
sojourn  there,  we  may  suppose  that  the 
name  '  Bethel'  came  gradually  into 
vogue,  and  was  at  length  firmly  estab- 
lished. 

7.  El-Beth-el.  That  is.  The  God  of 
Bethel.  He  had  before  called  it  simply 
Bethel,  house  of  God  ;  but  now,  with  a 
view  to  impart  a  still  greater  degree  of 
sanctity  to  every  association  connected 
with  the  place,  he  again  affixes  the 
common  title  of  God  to  the  name.  Still 
we  cannot  but  consider  it  as  doubtful 
whether  the  present  rendering  affords 
us  precisely  the  sense  of  the  original. 
According  to  the  distinction  of  the  He- 
brew accents,  the  first '  El'  is  separated 
from  the  rest  of  the  word,  as  if  the  wri- 
ter meant  to  say,  '  And  he  connected 
the  name  of  El  (God)  with  the  place,  to 
wit,  by  calling  it  '  Beth-el'  or  house  of 
God.'  This  is  at  once  intelligible  and 
pertinent ;  but  what  shall  we  understand 
by  a  title,  of  which  the  literal  translation 
is  either  '  God-liouse-of-God,'  or  '  God- 
of-the-house-of-God  ?'      On   the  whole, 


him,  when  he  fled  from  the  face  of 
his  brother, 

8  But  p  Deborah,  Rebekah's 
nurse,  died,  and  she  was  buried 
beneath  Beth-el,  under  an  oak: 
aud  the  name  of  it  was  called  AI- 
lon-bachuth. 

P  ch.  24.  59. 


we  have  little  doubt  that  the  first 
'  El'  does  not  belong  to  the  name  of 
the  place,  especially  as  we  have  no  evi- 
dence that  it  was  ever  subsequently 
called  any  thing  but  *  Beth-el.' -IT  Be- 
cause God  there  appeared  unto  him.  Heb. 
tD^nbbtH  I'^bi^  ib^S  niglu  ehuv  ha-ela- 
him,  the  Elohim  were  revealed  to  him. 
As  '  Elohim'  is  here  contrary  to  general 
usage,  connected  with  a  verb  plural,  it 
is  doubtful  whether  it  be  not  intended 
as  a  designation  of  the  angels  seen  in 
Jacob's  vision.  So  at  least  it  is  under- 
stood by  the  Chal.,  which  renders  it, 
*  Because  there  the  angels  of  God  ap- 
peared to  him.'  The  Gr.,  however, 
renders  it,  as  in  the  Eng.  version,  *  Be- 
cause there  God  appeared  to  him.'  Va- 
tablus,  Michaelis,  and  several  other 
critics  of  note,  agree  with  the  Chal., 
though  RosenmuUer  doubts  whether 
'  Elohim'  by  itself  ever  signifies  angels, 
8.  But  Deborah,  RehehaKs  nurse,  died. 
'  Deborah  ;'  i.  e.  a  bee.  From  the  res- 
pect paid  to  her  memory,  we  may  fair- 
ly infer  that  Deborah  was  a  venerable 
matron  of  exemplary  piety.  If  we  sup- 
pose her  to  have  been  fifty  years  of  age 
when  she  left  Mesopotamia  with  Re- 
bekah,  she  could  not  have  been  far 
from  a  hundred  and  eighty  at  this  time. 
On  what  occasion  she  was  transferred 
from  Isaac's  to  Jacob's  family  we  are 
not  informed.  She  might  have  been 
sent  to  him  on  his  return  from  Syria,  af- 
ter leaving  Laban,  when  to  his  young 
and  growing  family  her  services  would 

have  been  pecuharly  acceptable. 

IT  And  she  was  buried,  &c.      The  death 
of  an  aged  servant,  when  her  work  waf 


204 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  17:32. 


9  IF  And  '  God  appeared  unto 
Jacob  again  when  he  came  out  of 
Padan-aram  ;  and  blessed  him. 

10  And  God  said  unto  him,  Thy 
name  is  Jacob  :  ■"  thy  name  shall 
not  be  called  any  more  Jacob,  =  but 
Israel  shall  be  thy  name ;  and  he 
called  his  name  Israel. 

11  And  God  said  unto  him,  *  I  am 
q  Hos.  12.  4.        r  ch.  17.  5.       «  ch.  32.  28. 

«  ch.  17.  1 :  48.  3,  4.    Exod.  6.  3. 


done,  would  not  ordinarily  excite  much 
regret.  To  have  afforded  her  a  decent 
burial  was  all  that  in  raost  cases  would 
be  thought  of.  But  Jacob's  family  were 
so  much  affected  by  the  event,  as  not 
only  to  weep  over  her  grave,  but  to  call 
the  very  tree  under  the  shadow  of 
which  fshe  was  interred,  'Allon-ba- 
chulh,'  the  oak  of  weeping.  It  is  the 
more  singular,  too,  that  the  family  that 
wept  over  her  was  not  that  in  which 
she  had  spent  what  we  should  call  her 
best  days  ;  but  one  that  had  merely  ta- 
ken her  under  their  care  in  her  old  age. 
We  may  suppose,  however,  that  the 
sorrow  expressed  on  this  occasion  was 
prompted  not  only  by  the  recollection 
of  her  character,  but  also  of  her  office, 
as  having  been  '  Rebekah's  nurse.'  The 
text  seems  to  lay  an  emphasis  on 
these  words.  We  are  told,  ch.  29.  10, 
that  the  sight  of  the  daughter  of  Laban, 
'his  mother's  brother,'  and  even  of  his 
sheep,  had  interested  Jacob's  heart ; 
much  more  would  the  burial  of  his 
nurse.  In  weeping  over  her  grave  he 
would  seem  to  be  weeping  over  that  of 
his  beloved  parent,  and  paying  that  trib- 
ute of  affection  to  her  memory,  which 
Providence  had  denied  him  at  the  time 
of  her  decease. 

9.  And  God  appeared  tinto  Jacob  again, 
&c.  We  are  not  probably  to  under- 
stand from  this  that  the  divine  manifes- 
tation here  spoken  of  occurred  at  the 
time  of  his  return  from  Padan-aram,  or 
immediately  after  it ;  but  he  has  refer- 
ence to  the  present  time,  and  it  is  so 
spoken  qf  in  order  to  distinguish  it  from 


God  Almighty  :  be  fruitful  and  mul- 
tiply :  "  a  nation  and  a  company  ol 
nations  shall  be  of  thee,  and  king/ 
shall  come  out  of  thy  loins. 

12  And  the  land  '''  which  I  gave 
Abraham  and  Isaac,  to  thee  I  will 
give  it,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee 
vviU  I  give  the  land. 

»  ch.  17.  5,  6, 16.  &  28.3.  &  48.  4. 
^  ch.  12.  7.  &  13. 15.  &  26.  3,  4.  &  28. 13. 


the  former  appearance  of  God  to  him  at 
the  same  place,  recorded  Gen.  28.  He 
appeared  to  him  at  Bethel  when  he  was 
going  to  Padan-aram,  and  now  he  ap- 
peared to  him  again  on  the  same  spot 
when  he  was  come  out  of  Padan-aram. 
He  had  indeed,  in  the  interval,  testified 
in  various  ways  his  ever-present  aid  to 
his  servant,  and  fulfilled  his  promise  of 
being  with  him  wherever  he  went,  but 
up  to  this  time  he  had  not  so  clearly 
and  so  signally  manifested  himself  as  on 

this   occasion. IT   And    blessed    him. 

Confirmed  afresh  all  his  previous  prom- 
ises of  blessing. 

10 — 12.  God  said  unto  him,  Thy  name, 
&c.  The  whole  account  contained  in 
these  verses,  of  the  appearance  of 
God  to  Jacob,  and  of  his  consequent 
conduct,  describes  nothing  more  than 
a  solemn  and  mutual  renewal  of 
the  covenant  already  established.  There 
is  nothing  material  now  said  or  done, 
but  what  had  been  said  or  done  before. 
(1.)  God  had  before  said.  Gen.  32.  23, 
that  his  name  should  no  more  be  called 
Jacob,  but  Israel,  i.  e.  that  he  should 
mainly  be  called  Israel.  This  honor  is 
here  renewed.  (2.)  God  had  before  de- 
clared that  the  promises  made  to  Abra- 
ham should  be  fulfilled  in  his  posterity. 
This  declaration  is  here  renewed,  and 
prefaced  with  an  assertion  of  his  ov.n 
all-sufficiency  to  fulfil  them.  (3.)  When 
God  had  before  appeared  to  him,  he  set 
up  a  pillar  of  stone,  and  poured  oil  upon 
it,  and  called  the  name  of  the  place 
Bethel,  Gen.  23.  13,  14.  This  ceremony 
he  now  renewed,  with  the  addition  of  a 


C.  C.  1732.1 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 


205 


13  And  God  "  went  up  from  him, 
in  the  place  where  he  talked  with 
him. 

14  And  Jacob  y  set  up  a  pillar  in 
the  place  where  he  talked  with  him, 
even  a  pillar  of  stone  :  and  he  pour- 
ed a  drink-offering  thereon,  and  he 
poured  oil  thereon. 


:  ch.  17.  22. 


y  ch.  23. 18. 


drink-offering,  for  which  in  his  first 
journey  he  probably  had  not  the  mate- 
rials. These  incidents  may  teach  us 
that  the  most  precious  favors  of  heaven 
often  come  to  us,  not  in  the  form  of 
blessings  or  promises  entirely  new,  but 
in  the  repetition  or  revival  of  those 
which  we  have  already  experienced  in 
times  past.  And  so,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  may  be  that  the  most  acceptable  man- 
ner in  which  they  can  serve  God  will 
be,  not  by  engaging  in  something  unat- 
tempted  before,  but  by  '  doing  our  first 
works,'  by  reminding  ourselves  of  our 
covenant  vows,  and  seeking  anew  that 
spiritual  communion  which  is  the  life  of 

our  .souls. IT  A  nation  and  a  company 

of  nations.  Or,  Heb.  '  A  nation,  even  a 
church  of  nations.'  Gr.  '  Nations  and 
synagogues  of  nations.'  Chal.  'People 
and  a  congregation  of  tribes  shall  be  of 
thee,  and  kings  reigning  over  peoples.' 

IT  To  thee  and  to  thy  seed ;  i.  e.  to 

thee,  even  to  thy  seed.  The  patriarchs 
are  thus  frequently  identified  with  their 
posterity.  See  Gen.  13. 15.  The  key  to 
the  interpretation  of  this  promise  is  fur- 
nished us  by  such  passages  as  the  fol- 
lowing. Josh.  5.  9, — '  the  land  which  the 
Lord  svvare  unto  their  fathers  that  he 
would  give  us.' 

13.  And  God  went  up  from  him,  &c. 
This  implies  a  visible  manifestation  in 
the  symbol  of  his  presence.  Chal. 
'  The  glory  of  the  Lord  went  up.'  Arab, 
and  Ethiop.  'The  light  or  splendor  of 
God  went  up.'  See  the  explanation  in 
the  Note  on  Gen.  17.  22. 

14.  And  Jacob  set  up  a  pillar,  &c.  If 
the  pillar  which  he  had  formerly  erect- 

VOL.  II. 


15  And  Jacob  called  the  name  of 
the  place  where  God  spake  with 
him,  2  Beth-el. 

16  IT  And  they  journeyed  from 
Beth-el ;  and  there  was  but  a  little 
way  to  come  to  Ephrath  :  and  Ra- 
chel travailed,  and  she  had  hard  la- 
bour. 

I  ch.  23.  19. 


ed  were  now  standing,  the  setting  up  ^ 
new  one  would  seem  to  have  been  un- 
necessary, as  the  remaining  rites  could 
have  been  easily  performed  upon  that. 
The  probabihty  is,  that  as  several  years 
had  elapsed,  the  first  erection  had  gone 
wholly  to  decay,  or  become  so  much 
dilapidated  as  to  require  to  be  set  up 
up  anew ;  and  this  we  suppose  Jacob 
now  to  have  done.  He  then  poured 
upon  it  a  libation  of  wine  and  oil,  and 
bestowed  again  the  name  of  Bethel  as 
a  memorial  of  his  faith  and  gratitude, 
and  with  a  design  to  have  the  appellation 
perpetuated  to  the  latest  generations. 

[6.  And  they  journeyed.  The  Gr. 
here  inserts  in  addition  the  final  clause 
of  v.  21,  rendering  it,  'And  Jacob  jour- 
neyed from  Bethel,  and  pitched  his  tent 
beyond  the  tower  of  Edar,'  The  reas- 
on of  this  will  shortly  be  explained. 

IF  But  a  little  way.  Heb.  fli^n  Ti^lii 
kivrath  haaretz,  a  little  space  of  ground. 
The  same  word  in  the  original.  Gen.  48. 
7,  is  rendered  in  the  Gr.  '  Hippodrome,' 
or  the  length  of  a  horse-race  cou  rse,  which , 
Michaehs  says,  among  the  people  of  the 
East  was  about  a  mile.  This  agrees 
very  nearly  with  what  travellers  have 
reported  of  the    distance   of  Rachel's 

tomb  from  Bethlehem. IT  Ephrath; 

I.  e.  fruitful;  called  also  here  '  Ephra- 
ta.'  See  below,  on  v.  19. H"  And  Ra- 
chel travailed,  &c.  Jacob's  sojourn  at 
Bethel  was  no  doubt  one  of  tlie  pecu- 
liarly bright  spots  in  his  history.  The  me- 
mory of  former  merciful  visitations  was 
here  graciously  revived  to  him;  his  fa- 
mily and  household  were  brought  in  ap- 
parent sincerity  to  the  worship  of  the 
18 


206 


GENESIS. 


17  And  it  came  to  pass  when  she 
was  in  hard  labour  that  the  midwife 


true  God ;  and,  in  addition  to  this,  the 
comforts  of  worldly  prosperity  were 
mingled  in  his  cup.  But  an  event  soon 
occurred,  which  taug;ht  him  how  close- 
ly connected,  in  this  vale  of  tears,  are 
our  sorrows  and  our  joys.  Bethel  be- 
held him  at  the  summit  of  worldly  hap- 
piness. Bethlehem,  the  next  town 
through  which  he  passes,  sees  him  in 
the  depths  of  affliction,  mourning  the  un- 
timely death  of  his  beloved  Rachel. 
The  history  does  not  expand  itself  here, 
but  simply  relates  the  fact  that  she  died 
in  giving  birth  to  a  son  ;  and  the  inci- 
dent recalls,  with  painful  vividness,  the 
passionate  exclamation  she  had  before 
uttered,  '  Give  me  children,  or  else  I 
die.'  Her  prayer  was  heard,  but  at  the  should 
expense  of  her  life  !  Alas  !  how  often 
.should  we  be  ruined  at  our  own  request, 
if  God  were  not  more  merciful  to  us 
than  we  are  to  ourselves  ! 

17.  And  it  came  to  pass,  &;c.  The 
words  now  uttered  by  the  midwife 
seem  to  have  had  allusion  to  what  was 
said  by  Rachel  herself  on  a  former  oc- 


said  unto  her,  Fear  not 
have  this  ison  also. 


[B.  C.  1732 

;  "^  thou  shall 


a  cli.  30.  24.    1  Sam.  4.  20. 


my  sorrow,  she  expires !  The  circum- 
stances were  very  similar  to  those  of 
the  death  of  Phineas'  wife,  1  Sam.  4. 
20,  21,  'And  about  the  time  of  her 
death,  the  women  that  stood  by  her 
said  unto  her,  Fear  not ;  for  thou  hast 
borne  a  son.  But  she  answered  not, 
neither  did  she  regard  it.  And  she 
named  the  child  Ichabod,  saying.  The 

glory  is  departed  from  Israel.' ^  His 

father  called  him  Benjamin.  Heb. 
'I'^^D'^iH  binyamin,  son  of  the  right  hand  ; 
implying  that  he  should  be  peculiarly 
near  and  dear  to  his  father,  as  is  evident 
from  the  Scriptural  usage  of  the  phrase 
'right  hand.'  Thus  it  is  the  especial 
prerogative  of  the  Saviour  that  he 
it  at  the  right  hand  of  God,'  Ps. 
110.  1;  parallel  to  which  it  is  said,  Ps. 
80.  17,  '  Let  thy  hand  be  upon  the  man 
of  thy  right  hand,  upon  the  son  of  man 
whom  thou  madest  strong  for  thyself.' 
So  when  we  are  commanded  to  cut  off 
the  offending  right  hand,  it  is  the  same 
as  requiring  us  to  resign  whatever  is 
most  dear  and  precious  to   us,  if  it  be 


casion.  At  the  birth  of  her  first  son,  inconsistent  with  our  higher  interests. 
Gen.  30.  21,  she  called  him  Joseph,  a  j  The  former  name,  though  very  appro- 
name  which  has  the  import  of  adding,  \  priate  at  the  time,  yet,  if  continued, 
'for  she  said,  the  Lord  shall  add  to  me  |  would  tend  perpetually  to  revive  the 
another  son.'  Her  words,  if  now  report- !  recollection  of  his  beloved  wife  ;  and  of 
ed  to  Jacob,  with  the  recollection  of  the  '  such  a  monitor  he  did  not  stand  in  need, 
above  prophetic  hint,  would  work  ten- 1  The  grief  of  a  good  man  under  the  loss 
derly  upon  his  feelings,  and  render  his ,  of  earthly  com.forts  may  be  very  deep 
loss  more  affecting.  But  they  appear  i  and  unfeigned,  yet  it  is  unbecoming 
to  have  had  no  influence  on  Rachel,  such  a  man  to  pore  over  his  afflictions 
Life  was  ebbing  too  rapidly  to  permit  with  cherished  melancholy.  We  should 
her  to  rejoice  even  in  the  acquisition  i  aim  rather  to  surround  ourselves  with 
she  had  so  long  and  so  ardendy  desired,  the  mementos  of  our  mercies  than  of  our 
Neither  the  recollections  nor  the  pros-  o#icf/o7is,  and  to  divert  our  thoughts  from 
pects  of  worldly  blessings  avail  much  to  the  objects  taken  away,  and  direct  them 
gladden  the  chamber  of  sickness  and  of  |  to  those  that  are  left.  Above  all,  let  us 
death.  Rachel  has  the  sentence  of  guard  against  setting  our  hearts  unduly 
death  in  herself,  and  makes  no  answer ; 
but,  turning  her  dying  eyes  towards  the 
child,  and  calling  him  '  Ben-oni,'  son  of\  made  a  source  of  suffpi-ing  and  sorrow 


on  any  treasure  upon  the  earth,  lest  what 
we  reckon  ^^adding\.o  our  jo>"S  should  be 


B.  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


207 


18  And  it  came  to  pass  as  her 
soul  was  in  departing,  (for  she  died,) 
that  she  called  his  name  Ben-oni : 
but  his  father  called  him  Benj  imin. 

19  And  ^  Rachel  died,  and  was 


18.  As  her  soul  was  in  departing.  Heb. 
(1^53  t^m'^^^betzelh  naphshah,  in  the  going 
out  of  her  soul,  or  life.  Gr.  ev  tm  a^pievai 
avrriv  rnv  xl/vxiv,  in  her  sending  out  her 
life.  The  language  legitimately  implies 
no  more  than  the  departing  or  ceasing 
of  the  vital  principle,  whatever  that  be. 
In  hke  manner,  when  the  prophet  EH- 
jah  stretched  himself  upon  tl\o  dead 
child,  1  Kings  17.  21,  and  cried  three 
times,  saying,  '  O  Lord  my  God,  let  this 
child's  soul  come  unto  him  again,'  he 
merely  prays  for  the  return  of  his  physi- 
cal vitality.     See  Note  on  Gen.  9.  4. 

19.  Ephrath,  which  is  Bethlehem.  Eph- 
rath,  or  Ephrata,  was  the  old,  and  Beth- 
lehem the  later  name  of  this  town. 
'Bethlehem'  means  'house  of  bread;' 
but  we  do  not  know  on  vvhat  occasion 
it  was  imposed.  The  town  was  in  the 
allotment  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  being 
situated  about  six  miles  south  of  Jerusa- 
lem, on  the  road  to  Hebron.  It  was  a 
city  in  the  lime  of  Boaz,  Ruth  3.  11.  4. 
1,  whose  grandson  was  Jesse,  the  father 
of  David,  who  was  born  and  reared 
there ;  in  consequence  of  which  the 
place  is  very  freqnendy  distinguished  as 
'the  city  of  David.'  It  was  one  of  the 
cities  fortified  by  Rehoboam.  But  its 
greatest  and  most  holy  distinction  re- 
sults from  its  having  been  the  appoint- 
ed birth-place  of  our  Saviour.  The 
town  is  called  sometimes  in  the  Old 
Testament  '  Bethlehem-Judah,'  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  another  Bethlehem, 
mentioned,  in  Josh.  19.  15,  as  a  city  of 
Zebulun.  Its  ancient  name  is  nearly 
preserved  to  this  day,  it  being  now  call- 
ed Beit-Lahhm.  The  modern  Bethlehem 
is  a  village  covering  the  ridge  of  a  hill 
on  the  southern  .si(ie  of  a  deep  and  ex- 


buried  in  the  way  to  <=  Ephratli, 
which  is  Beth-lehem. 

20  And  Jacob  set  a  pillar  upon 
her  {rrave  :  that  is  the  pillar  of  Ra- 
chel's grave  '^  unto  this  day. 

c  Ruth.  1.  2.  &  4.  11.  Micah  5.  2.  Matt 
2.  6.    d  1  Sam.  10.  2.    2  Sam.  18. 18. 

tensive  valley,  and  containing  about 
three  hundred  inhabitants,  the  greater 
part  of  whom  gain  their  hvelihood  by 
making  beads,  carving  mother-of-pearl 
shells  viith  sacred  subjects,  and  manu- 
facturing small  tables  and  crucifixes,  all 
of  which  are  eagerly  purchased  by  the 
pilgrims  who  annually  resort  thither. 
Jerome,  one  of  the  Christian  fathers 
passed  a  great  part  of  his  life  in  this 
place ;  and  in  the  grotto  shown  as  his 
oratory,  he  is  said  to  have  translated 
that  version  of  the  Bible  which  has  been 
adopted  by  the  church  of  Rome,  and  is 
called  the  Vulgate.  He  died  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-one,  A.  D.  422- 

20.  The  pillar  of  RacheVs  grave  unto 
this  day.  That  is,  to  the  time  when 
Moses  wrote  this  history  ;  nearly  three 
hundred  years  after  the  event ;  and 
that  it  remained  for  a  long  time  after 
this,  even  to  the  days  of  Saul,  we 
have  indubitable  proof  from  the  sa- 
cred narrative,  1  Sam.  10.  2,  'And 
when  thou  art  departed  from  me  to-day, 
then  shalt  thou  find  two  men  by  Ra- 
chel's sepulchre,  in  the  border  of  Benja- 
min at  Zelzah.'  It  is  by  no  means  im- 
probable that  the  very  spot  is  stdl  cor- 
rectly designated  at  the  present  day, 
although  the  monument  now  visible  is 
confessedly  a  Turkish  structure.  '  The 
Turks  have  generally  enclosed  the  real 
or  supposed  sepulchres  of  the  chief  char- 
acters of  the  Old  Testament  in  some 
building  or  other:  that  which  covers 
the  tomb  of  Rachel  is  of  a  very  humble 
description.  It  is  a  small  square  build- 
ing surmounted  by  a  dome,  and  resem- 
bling the  common  tombs  of  sheikhs  and 
saints  in  Arabia  and  Egypt.  Mr.  Buck- 
ingham, who  has  particularly  described 


208 


GENESIS. 


[13.  C.  1729 


21  ^  And  Israel  journeyed,  and 
spread  his  tent  beyond  *  the  tower 
of  Edar. 

e  Mic.  4.  8. 


it,  says,  'We  entered  it  on  the  south 
side  by  an  aperture  through  which  it 
was  difficult  to  crawl,  as  it  has  no  door- 
way ;  and  found  on  the  inside  a  square 
mass  of  masonry  in  the  centre,  built  up 
from  the  floor  nearly  to  the  roof,  and  of 
such  a  size  as  to  leave  barely  a  narrow 
passage  for  walking  round  it.  It  is  plas- 
tered with  white  stucco  on  the  outer 
surface  ;  and  is  sufficiently  large  and 
high  to  inclose  within  it  any  ancient 
pillar  that  might  have  been  found  on  the 
grave  of  Rachel.'  As  this  interior  cen- 
tral mass  is  certainly  different  from 
any  thing  we  have  ourselves  ever  wit- 
nessed in  such  structures,  we  are  dis- 
posed to  concur  with  Mr.  Bucking- 
ham in  thinking  it  probable  that  it  was 
originally  intended  to  inclose  a  pillar,  or 
fragment  of  one,  which  tradition  had 
pointed  out  as  the  pillar  of  Rachel's 
grave ;  and  that  the  present  structure 
was  afterwards  built  over  the  whole  by 
the  Mohammedans,  who  do  not  yield  to 
the  Jews  or  Christians  in  their  venera- 
tion for  such  places.  The  precincts  of 
the  sepulchre  are  now  used  by  the 
Turks  as  a  cemetery.  The  desire  which 
these  people  feel  that  their  ashes  may 
rest  in  this  spot  is  described  by  Mr. 
Came  ('  Recollections  of  the  East,'  p. 
160.)  as  'singular  and  extreme.'  He 
adds,  'All  round  this  simple  tomb  lie 
thickly  strewn  the  graves  of  the  Mus- 
sulmans. No  slender  pillars  of  wood  or 
stone,  with  inscriptions  in  letters  of  gold, 
are  here  ;  not  a  single  memorial  which 
this  people  are  otherwise  so  fond  of 
erecting  in  their  cemeteries.  It  seems  to 
be  sufficient  that  they  are  placed  be- 
neath the  favorite  sod :  the  small  and 
numerous  mounds,  over  which  the  sur- 
vivor sometimes  comes  and  weeps, 
mark  the  places  of  their  graves.' '  Pict. 

mie. 


22  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
Israel  dwelt  in  that  land,  that  Reu- 


21.  Israel  journeyed,  and  spread  his 
tent  beyond  the  tower  of  Edar.  Heh. 
11'$  bl^'O  mi^dal  eder,  toiver  of  the 
flock;  as  the  same  phrase  is  rendered, 
Mic.  4.  8,  'And  thou,  O  tower  of  the 
flock,  (Heb.  '  Migdal  Eder,')  the  strong 
hold  of  the  daughter  of  Zion.'  It  is 
supposed  that  towers  were  made  for 
the  use  of  the  shepherds  in  watching 
their  flocks  by  night ;  and  Jerome,  who 
had  collected  a  great  many  ancient  tra- 
ditions on  the  spot,  affirms  that  it  was 
at  tiiis  place,  near  Bethlehem,  that  the 
shepherds  were  abiding  in  the  field, 
keeping  watch  over  their  flock  by  night, 
when  the  angels  announced  the  birth  of 
the  Messiah.  And  it  is  well  worthy  of 
note  that  the  Targ.  Jon.  paraphrases  the 
words  of  Moses  thus  ;  '  And  Israel  went 
forward  and  pitched  his  tabernacle  be- 
yond Migdal  Eder,  the  place  whence 
the  3Iessias  is  to  be  revealed  in  the  end 
of  days.'  Others,  however,  from  the 
passage  of  Micah  above  cited,  in  which 
it  is  identified  with  '  the  strong  hold  of 
Zion,'  consider  it  as  a  denomination  of 
Jerusalem  itself,  whither  the  tribes  of 
Israel  were  wont  to  repair  three  times 
in  a  year  as  a  flock  to  their  fold,  or  to  the 
tower  of  their  shepherd  ;  or,  with  Light- 
foot,  of  some  place  in  the  immediate 
vicinity.  The  Sept.  version,  as  already 
remarked,  has  inverted  the  order  of  the 
history,  and  made  the  encampment  of 
Jacob  beyond  the  tower  of  Edar  to  be 
previous  to  his  arrival  at  Ephrata.  This 
may  have  been  because  the  translators 
considered  Jerusalem,  or  some  place  in 
its  near  neighborhood,  to  have  been  the 
site  of  the  tower,  in  which  case  it  was 
necessary  that  one  travelling  from  Beth- 
el to  Bethlehem  should  pass  the  tower 
on  his  way.  We  are  of  opinion,  on  the 
whole,  that  they  are  correct  in  their  to- 
pography, though  their  license  of  trans- 


B.  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXV, 


ben  went  and  ''  lay  with  Bilhah  his 

father's     concubine :      and     Israel 

f  ch.  49.  4.  1  Uhron.  5.  1.   2  Sam.  16.  22. 

position  is  scarcely  pardonable.  We 
would  accordingly  render  the  verse 
thus  ;  '  For  Israel  Aa^Z  journeyed,  and  had 
spread  his  tent  beyond  the  tower  of 
Eder;'  i.  e.  supposing  the  starting  point 
to  have  been  Bethel,  and  the  direction 
southward.  This  makes  the  scope  of 
the  writer  to  be,  to  state  how  it  happen- 
ed that  Jacob  was  at  Ephrata  when  Ra- 
chel died.  After  leaving  Bethel,  he  grad- 
ually advanced  in  a  southern  direction, 
fixing  himself  at  intervals  at  different 
points  as  the  prospect  of  pasturage  in- 
vited, and  as  his  company  increased  he 
continued  to  '  spread  his  tent ;'  i.  e.  to 
cover  more  and  more  ground,  till  at 
length,  by  extension  and  advancement, 
he  had  passed  beyond  Jerusalem  and 
the  '  tower  of  Edar'  which  lay  in  his 
route,  and  was  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  Bethlehem  Ephrata  when  Rachel 
died. 

22.  And  it  came  to  pass,  &c-  The 
pious  patriarch,  in  removing  from  one 
scene  of  sorrow,  finds  himself  suddenly 
m  another.  A  more  heart  rending  event 
than  even  the  death  of  his  favorite  wife 
is  here  related, — one  at  the  recital  of 
which  we  are  ready  to  pronounce  Ra- 
chel blessed  in  having  been  laid  in  the 
grave  previous  to  its  occurrence.  Reu- 
ben, his  eldest  son,  '  the  beginning  of  his 
strength,  and  the  excellency  of  his  dig- 
nity,' he  who  enjoyed  the  highest  pre- 
rogatives among  his  brethren,  degrades 
and  dishonors  himself  by  the  commis- 
sion of  a  crime  of  the  deepest  die,  '  such 
as  is  not  so  much  as  named  among  the 
Gentiles.'  Had  such  a  wrong  been 
done  to  the  aged  patriarch  by  a  stran- 
ger and  a  foreigner,  a  person  of  another 
stock,  we  can  easily  paint  to  ourselves 
and  justify,  the  mingled  emotions  of 
grief  and  indignation  which  the  act 
must  have  excited  in  his  besom.     But 


heard  it.     Now 
were  twelve  : 

&20.  3.    1  Cor.  5.1 


209 

the  sons  of  Jacob 


what  is  this  compared  to  the  anguish  of 
recognising  the  guilty  perpetrator  in 
one  of  his  own  household,  in  his  own, 
his  eldest  son :  It  is  as  unnecessary, 
however,  as  it  is  painful,  to  dwell  on 
this  overwhelming  blow  to  the  domestic 
peace  of  Jacob.  It  was  done  in  secret ; 
but '  Israel  heard  of  it  5'  and  not  only  so, 
but  God  so  ordered  it  that  this  flagrant 
deed  of  sin  should  be  heard  of,  not  by 
Jacob  only,  but  by  all  that  read  the  sa- 
cred story  to  the  end  of  time.  If  tempt- 
ed, therefore,  to  sin  with  the  hope  of 
concealment,  let  us  be  warned  by  this 
example,  remembering  that  '  there  is 
nothing  covered,  that  shall  not  be  reveal- 
ed ;  neither  hid,  that  shall  not  be  known.' 
In  the  Heb.  there  is  an  abrupt  breaking 
off  in  the  midst  of  the  verse,  with  along 
empty  space  between  this  and  the  final 
clause,  together  with  an  extraordinary 
mark  [0]  in  the  word  '  heard'  to  prompt 
attention.  Grief  is  sometimes  most  em- 
phatically expressed  by  silence,  and  this 
perhaps  may  be  intended  to  be  intimated 
by  certain  significant  signs  inserted  into 
the  sacred  text.  It  does  not  appear  that 
any  notice  in  the  way  of  punishment 
was  taken  of  Reuben's  conduct  at  this 
time,  but  we  afterwards  learn,  Gen. 
49.  4,  that  he  lost  the  birthright  in  con- 
sequence of  it  Judgment  never  fails  in 
the  end  to  wait  upon  transgression.  By 
his  conduct,  however,  in  reference  to 
his  brother  Joseph,  Gen.  37.  20,  22,  he 
seems  to  have  obtained,  in  behalf  of  his 
posterity  at  least,  a  mitigation  of  his 
punishment;  for  3Ioses,  in  bles.sing  the 
tribes,  said  of  him,  '  Let  Reuben  live 
and  not  die,  and  let  not  his  men  be 
few.'  Yet  even  here  he  does  but  live. 
No  idea  is  suggested  that  he  should 
ever  excel,  and  witji  this  the  history  oi 
his  tribe,  in  after-ages,  perfectly  ac 
cords. 


210 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


23  The  sons  of  Leah  ;  s  Reuben,  j 
Jacob's  first-born,  and  Simeon,  and 
Levi,  and  Judah,  and  Issachar,  and 
Zebulun  : 

24  Tl)e  sons  of  Rachel ;  Joseph, 
and  Benjamin : 

25  And  the  sons  of  Bilhah,  Ra- 
chel's handmaid ;  Dan,  and  Naph- 
tali: 

26  And  the  sons  of  Zilpah,  Leah's 
handmaid  ;  Gad,  and  Asher.  These 
are  the  sons  of  Jacob,  which  were 
born  to  him  in  Padan-aram. 

6  ch.  46.  8.    Exod.  1.  2. 

23 — 26.  As  the  history  henceforward 
is  occupied  chiefly  with  the  '  sons  of  Ja- 
cob,' as  the  fathers  of  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel,  the  writer  here,  at  the  outset, 
briefly  recapitulates  their  names,  which 
are  grouped  together,  not  in  the  order  of 
their  birth,  but  according  to  their  mater- 
nal parentage .  It  may  perhaps  appear 
strange  that  they  should  all  be  said  to 
have  been  born  in  Padan-aram,  when  it 
is  clear  from  this  cliapter  that  Benjamin 
was  born  in  Canaan.  But  according  to 
a  common  usage  of  the  sacred  writers, 
that  is  sometimes  affirmed  of  a  compa- 
ny or  nurrtber  taken  collectively,  which, 
though  it  holds  good  of  the  major  part, 
cannot  be  predicated  of  each  individual, 
considered  separately.  Thus,  when  our 
Saviour  said  to  his  disciples.  Mat.  19. 
28,  '  Ye  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones 
judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,'  it  is 
manifest  that  Judas,  one  of  the  twelve, 
is  to  be  excepted.  So,  John  20.  24, 
Thomas  is  called  one  of //ic  twelve,  though 
in  reaUty,  as  Judas  was  now  dead,  there 
were  but  eleven,  and  Mark  accordingly 
mentions  the  latter  number,  3Iark  IG. 
14,  '  Afterward  he  appeared  unto  the  ele- 
ven as  they  sat  at  meat.'  In  like  man- 
ner Paul,  Heb.  11.  1 — 13,  having  recited 
a  list  of  the  ancient  worthies,  says  v. 
13, 'these  oZZ(Zie<i  in  faith.'  whereas  it 
is  expressly  asserted,  v.  5,  that  one  of 
them,  Enoch,  did  not  die,  but  was  trans 
lated. 


27  IT  And  Jacob  came  unto  Isaac 
his  father  unto  ^  Mamre,  unto  the 
'  city  of  Arbah  (which  is  Hebroji) 
where  Abraham  and  Isaac  sojourn- 
ed. 

28  And  the  days  of  Isaac  were 
an  hundred  and  fourscore  years. 

29  And  Isaac  gave  up  the  ghost 
and  died,  and  ^  was  gathered  unto 
his  people,  being  old  and  full  of  days  : 
and  1  his  sons  Esau  and  Jacob  buried 
him. 

h  ch.  13.  18.      23.  2, 19.  i  Josh.  14.  l'>. 

15.  13.         k  ch.  15.  15.    2o.  8.         i  ch.  25.  9. 
49.31. 


27 — 29.  Before  the  sacred  writer  pro- 
ceeds with  the  history  of  Jacob's  twelve 
sons,  particularly  as  involved  in  that  of 
Joseph,  he  pauses  a  little  upon  two  oth- 
er subjects,  that  the  thread  of  the  story 
may  not  afterwards  be  broken.  One  of 
these  is  the  conclusion  of  Isaac's  life  at 
the  age  of  180 ;  and  the  other,  contained 
in  the  thirty-sixth  chapter,  a  brief  sketch 
of  the  family  and  the  temporal  prosperi- 
ty of  Esau.  Had  the  death  of  Isaac 
been  introduced  in  the  proper  order  of 
time,  it  would  have  fallen  in  the  midst 
of  the  history  of  Joseph  ;  but  it  occurred 
about  twelve  or  fifteen  years  after  his 
being  sold  into  Egypt.  Esau  and  Ja- 
cob were  120  years  of  age  at  the  death 
of  their  father,  and  from  their  uniting, 
as  Isaac  and  Ishmael  had  done  on  a  sim- 
ilar occasion,  in  performing  the  funeral 
obsequies  of  their  father,  it  is  to  be  in- 
ferred that  the  reconciliation  between 
them  was  cordial  and  lasting.  T^ti 
event  itself  occurred  A.  M.  2283,  and 
after  the  flood  632  years. 


CHAP.  XXXVI. 
The  present  chapter  is  occupied  with 
a  somewhat  detailed  account  of  the  posj- 
terity  of  Esau,  called  from  him  Edovu 
i/es,  inserted  mainly  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  the  accomplishment  of  the  pro- 
mises made  to  Isaac  respecting  him, 
Gen.  27.  39,  40.  The  promise  of  tempo- 
ral prosperty  wos  made  to  Esau  when 


B.  C.  1796.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


211 


CHAP.  XXXVI. 

NOW  these  are  the  generations 
of  Esau,  *  who  is  Edom. 
2  ^  Esau  took  liis  wives  of  the 
daughters  of  Canaan ;    Adah,  the 

ach.  25.  30.        "ch.SG.  34. 

the  spiritual  blessings  were  secured  to 
Jacob  ;  and  it  is  remarkable  that  on  the 
score  of  worldly  distinction  he  flourish- 
ed in  his  lifetime,  and  for  several  gene- 
rations, far  beyond  his  brother.  While 
the  latter  was  a  servant  in  Padan-aram, 
he  estabhshed  his  dominion  in  Mount 
Self  ;  and  while  the  descendants  of  the 
one  were  groaning  under  Egyptian 
bondage,  those  of  the  other  were  form- 
ed into  an  independent  kingdom,  and  had 
eight  kings  in  succession  '  before  there 
reigned  any  king  over  the  children  of 
Israel.'  But  the  notice  here  taken  of 
Esau  is  like  an  honorable  inscription  on 
his  tombstone.  It  is  a  kind  of  final 
leave  taken  of  him  and  of  his  posterity, 
for  we  hear  no  more  of  them  but  as 
enemies  of  the  chosen  people.  He  is 
presented  to  our  view  for  a  moment,  as 
surrounded  with  a  glare  of  earihly  glo- 
ry, but  as  there  is  nothing  stable  with- 
out the  pale  of  tlie  kingdom  of  God,  the 
curtain  speedily  drops  upon  all  his  splen- 
dor and  pomp,  and  it  is  seen  no  more. 
The  spirit  of  inspiration  pausing  for  a 
moment  to  show  that  no  word  of  (iod, 
however  slight,  fails  of  its  elTert,  imme- 
diately passes  to  its  main  drift,  and  directs 
our  view  to  the  rriore  abiding  and  truly 
glorious  concerns  of  the  line  of  Jacob. 

1.  These  are  the  general  ions  of  Esau. 
Heb.  rillblri  ioledofh,  births  ;  i.  e.  oc- 
currences, memorable  events,  matters 
of  record.  See  this  sense  of  the  origi- 
nal confirmed  in  the  Note  on  Gen.  2.  4. 

IT  ]Vho  is  Edom.      It  is  wortliy  of 

notice  that  in  four  different  places  in 
this  chapter  Esau  is  expressly  and  em- 
phatically identified  with  Edom.  This 
latter  name,  as  we  have  seen,  Gen.  25. 
24 — 34,  was  given  him  with  a  latent 
reference  to  his  sanguinary  disposition, 


daucrhter  of  Elon  the  Hittite,  and 
"  AhoUbamah  the  daughter  of  Anah 
the  daughter  of  Zibeon  the  Hivite  ; 
3  And  *^  Basheniath,  Ishmael's 
daughter,  sister  of  Nebajoth.     . 


•  ver.  25. 


and  as  this  was  notoriously  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Edomites,  especially  towards 
Israel,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  set  purpose  dwelt  upon  that 
appellation  in  order  that  its  significancy 
might  make  a  deep  impression  upon  the 
reader. 

2.  Esau  took  his  wives  of  the  daughters 
of  Canaan.  Not  the  daughters,  i.  e.  the 
descendants  of  the  country  called  Ca- 
naan, but  of  the  person  of  that  name, 
the  head  and  founder  of  the  Canaanitish 
race.  Gr.  a;ro  rcuy  OvyarF.poiv  twv  Xava- 
vaia)v,ofthe  daughters  of  the  Canaaniies. 

IT  Adah,  the  daughter  of  Elon,  &e. 

Itis  to  be  observed  that  Moses  here  gives 
the  three  wives  of  Esau  different  names, 
when  he  comes  to  speak  of  the  posteri- 
ty ho  had  by  them.  We  might  infer 
from  this  that  he  had  more  than  three  ; 
especially  as  the  fathers  of  the  two  for- 
mer are  called  also  by  other  names; 
as  for  instance  his  first  wife  Judith,  the 
daughter  of  Beer  the  Hivite,  is  here  call- 
ed Adah,  the  daughter  of  Elon  the  Hit- 
tite ;  the  second,  viz.  Bashemath,  the 
daughter  of  Elon,  is  again  called  Ahoii-. 
baraah,  the  daughter  of  Anah,  the 
daughter  of  Zibion  the  Hittite  ;  the  last 
called,  ch.  2S.  9,  3Iahalath,  is  here  call- 
ed Bashemath.  But  the  true  solutionis 
no  doubt  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that 
the  two  last  are  names  of  the  same  per- 
son, as  in  both  places  she  is  called  the 
daughter  of  Ishmael,  and  the  sister  of 
Nebaioth  ;  the  same  therefore  may  be 
supposed  of  the  other  two.  They  were 
probably  sometimes  called  by  the  one 
they  had  in  Idumea  and  Arabia,  as  Mi- 
chaelis  conjectures,  and  sometimes  by 
the  other  which  was  given  to  them  in 
Palestine.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing 
for  woiren  in  those  davs  to  be  distin- 


212 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1740. 


4  And  *  Adah  bare  to  Esau,  Eli- 
phaz  ;  and  Bashemath  bare  Reuel ; 

5  And  Aholibamah  bare  Jeush, 
and  Jaalam,  and  Korah  :  these  are 
the  sons  of  Esau,  which  were  born 
unto  him  in  the  land  of  Canaan. 

6  And  Esau  took  his  wives,  and 
his  sons,  and  his  daughters,  and  all 

e  1  Chron.  1.  35. 

guished  by  a  plurality  of  names.  Thus 
Sarah  was  called  also  Iscah  ;  and  Maa- 
cha,  the  daughter  of  Abishalom,  1  Kings 
15.  2,  is  called  elsewhere,  2  Chron.  13, 
2,  Michaiah,  the  daughter  of  Uriel. 
Compare  Gen.  26.  34,  with  this  passage. 

4.  Adah  hare  to  Esau,  Eliphaz.  As 
this  Eliphaz  had  a  son  named  Teman, 
V.  11,  ■•  Eliphaz,  the  Temanite,'  mention- 
ed in  Job,  may  have  been  a  grandson  or 
some  other  descendant  of  this  son  of 
Adah. 

6.  And  Esau  took  his  wives,  &c.  Rath- 
er, '  had  taken,'  i.  e.  previous  to  Jacob's 

coming. IT  All  the  persons,  &c.   Heb. 

tlTiliSD  naphshoth,  souls.  Gr.  coixara, 
bodies.  Upon  this  peculiar  usage  of  the 
Hebrew  we  have  had  occasion  to  re- 
mark before.  See  Note  on  Gen.  34. 
29.  In  like  manner  Rom.  13.  1,  '  Let 
every  soul  be  subject  to  the  powers 
that  be ;'  i.  e.  let  every  person.  The 
same  phraseology,  it  appears,  still  pre- 
vails in  the  East.  '  Has  a  man  gone  to 
a  distant  place,  it  is  said,  '  Viravan,  and 
all  the  souls  of  his  house,  have  gone  to 
the  far  country.'  '  Plave  you  heard  that 
the  old  man  and  thirty  souls  have  gone 
on  a  pilgrimage  ?'  '  Sir,  I  can  never 
get  rich,  because  I  have  fifteen  souls 
who  daily  look  to  me  for  their  rice.' 

Roberts. IT  And  went.     Rather,  '  had 

gone.' ^  Into  the  country.     Or  more 

properly,  in  an  indefinite  sense,  '  into  a 
land  or  country.'  Chal.  '  To  another 
land  ;'  as  if  the  design  were  to  intimate 
that  he  had  no  fixed  destination  in  leav- 
ing his  native  land.  He  went  forth  to 
^eek  such  a  residence  as  might  appear 
fo  hira  most  eligible,  and  pitched  upon 


the  persons  of  his  house,  and  his 
cattle,  and  all  his  beasts,  and  all  his 
substance  which  he  had  got  in  the 
land  of  Canaan  ;  and  went  into  the 
country  from  the  face  of  his  brother 
Jacob, 

7  *■  For  their  riches  w^ere  more 
than  that  they  might  dwell  togeth- 

fch.  13.6,11. 


Mount  Seir,  because  that  region  promis- 
ed to  answer  his  expectations.  The  Gr. 
renders  it,  '  And  Esau  journeyed  from 

the  land  of  Canaan.' IT  From  the  face 

of.  Or,  Heb.  ^;550  mippene,  from  be- 
fore ;  i.  e.  before  his  arrival ;  the  pro- 
vidence of  God  so  ordering  it,  that  as  Ja- 
cob gradually  advanced  to  take  posses- 
sion of  his  promised  inheritance,  Esau 
should  gradually  Avithdravv  to  make 
room  before  him.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  suppose  that  they  actually  made  the 
experiment  of  living  together  before 
they  separated  and  entered  upon  their 
appropriate  provinces.  God  foresaw, 
and  thus  enabled  Moses  to  state,  what 
would  have  been  the  result,  and  therefore 
so  overruled  events  as  to  preclude  an 
experiment  being  made.  Neither  is  it 
necessary  to  suppose  that  Esau  retired 
from  Canaan  and  took  possession  of 
Mount  Seir  with  the  least  design  of  ma- 
king room  for  his  brother,  and  thus  giv- 
ing scope  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  di- 
vine promises  and  predictions.  But 
God  overrules  by  a  secret  influence  the 
movements  of  men,  so  that  they  are 
made  blindly  to  accomplish  his  purpos- 
es, even  while  intent  upon  seeking  their 
own  private  ends.  Let  us  learn,  there- 
fore, to  discern  with  the  eye  of  faith  the 
occult  workings  of  a  wise  and  a  kind 
providence  in  the  midst  of  the  evil  coun- 
sels of  wicked  men,  and  in  those  events 
which  to  human  view  appear  to  be  pure- 
ly fortuitous. 

7.  For  their  riches  ivere  more  than  that 
they  might  dwell  together.  The  same 
thing,  as  we  have  before  seen,  Gen.  13. 
6,  11,  had   happened  to  Abraham  and 


B.C.  1740.1 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


213 


er:  and  e  the  land  wherein  they 
were  strangers  could  not  bear  them, 
because  of  their  cattle. 

8  Thus  dwelt  Esau  in  ^  mount 
Seir  :  '  Esau  is  Edom. 

9  IT  And  these  are  the  genera- 
tions of  Esau  the  father  of  the 
Edomites,  in  mount  Seir : 

10  These  are  the  names  of 
Esau's  sons ;  ^  Eliphaz  the  son  of 
Adah  the  wife  of  Esau  ;  Reuel  the 
son  of  Bashemath  the  wife  of  Esau. 

11  And  the  sons  of  Eliphaz  were, 
Teman,  Omar,  Zepho,  and  Gatam, 
and  Kenaz, 

12  And  Timna  was  concubine  to 

E  ch.  17.  8.    29.  4.  h  ch.  32.   3.     Deut. 

2.  5.  Josh.  24.  4.  '  ver.  .1.  "'I  Cliron.  1. 
35,  &c. 


Lot.  Yet  who  would  have  thought  that 
the  fulfilment  of  Esau's  blessing,  by  his 
increase  in  worldly  wealth,  would  be 
one  of  the  means  by  which  the  promise 
to  Jacob  was  accomplished,  that  he 
should  have  the  land  of  Canaan  for  his 
own.  Does  not  this  result  teach  us 
that  the  prosperity  of  our  neighbors,  so 
far  from  being  a  detriment  to  ourselves, 
is  one  of  the  ordinary  means  by  which 
God  contrives  to  promote  our  manifold 

advantages  ? IT  The  land  wherein  they 

were  strangers.  ITeb.  tn'^'ll^'^  f  "^li* 
eretz  megurehem,  the  land  of  their  sojourn- 
in  gs. 

8.  Thus  dwelt  Esau  in  Mount  Seir.  Or, 
more  properly,  'in  the  mount,  or  moun- 
tains, of  Seir  ;'  '  Seir'  being  the  name  of 
a  man,  one  of  the  race  of  the  Horites,  from 
whom  the  whole  mountainous  region  was 
called.  It  was  the  purpose  of  God  from  the 
beginning  that  this  region  should  revert 
to  Esau  for  a  possession.  Josh.  24.  4, 
'  And  I  give  unto  Esau  mount  Seir  to 
possess  it.'  Deut.  2.  5,  '  Meddle  not 
with  them ;  for  I  will  not  give  you  of 
their  land,  no,  not  so  much  as  a  foot- 
breadth  ;  because  I  have  given  mount 
Seir  unto  Esau  for  a  pos.session.'  For 
an  extended  geographical  account  of 
Mount  Seir,  see  Pictorial  Rihle  in  loc. 


Eliphaz,  Esau's  son  ;  and  she  bare 
to  Eliphaz,  ^  Ainalek  :  these  were 
the  sons  of  Adah,  Esau's  wife. 

13  And  these  are  the  sons  of 
Reuel ;  Nahath,  and  Zerah,  Sham- 
mah,  and  Mizzah  :  these  were  the 
sons  of  Bashemath,  Esau's  wife. 

14  IT  And  these  were  the  sons  of 
Aholibamah,  the  daughter  of  Anah, 
the  daughter  of  Zibeon,  Esau's 
wife  :  and  she  bare  to  Esau,  Jeush, 
and  Jaalam,  and  Korah. 

15  IT  These  were  dukes  of  the 
sons  of  Esau  :  the  sons  of  Ehphaz, 
the  first-born  son  of  Esau  ;  duke 
Teman,  duke  Omar,  duke  Zepho, 
duke  Kenaz, 

1  Exod.  17.  8,  14,  Numb.  24.  20.  1  Sara. 
15.  2,  3,  &c. 

IF  Esau  is  Edom ;  i.  e.  Esau  is  the 

same  man  who  is  elsewhere  called 
Edom  ;  or  taking  the  names  collectively, 
it  maybe  paraphrased,  '  Edomites  is  but 
another  name  for  Esauites.'  Targ.  Jon. 
'  And  he  (Esau)  is  the  prince  of  the  Idu- 
means.' 

9.  Esau  the  father  of  the  Edomites. 
Heb.  CTTi^  ^^^  ohi  edom,  the  father  of 
Edom ;  but  nothing  is  more  common 
with  the  sacred  writers  than  to  denomi- 
nate a  tribe  or  nation  from  its  founder. 
The  classical  names  for  Edom  and 
Edomites  are  Idumea  and  Idumeans. 

15.  These  were  the  dukes  of  the  sons  of 
Esau.  That  is,  governors,  chieftains, 
princes ;  an  order  of  rulers  inferior  to 
kings,  and  such  as  are  at  present  deno- 
minated in  the  East  emirs.  The  English 
word  '  duke'  must  not  here  be  taken  as 
implying  any  thing  like  the  order  of  no- 
bility with  which  in  modern  times  we 
usually  associate  it,  but  rather  in  the 
sense  of  the  hatindux.  leader,  from  which 
duhe  is  derived.  The  original  t|lb5% 
alluph,  from  the  same  root  with  tjvii 
aleph  the  first  or  leading  letter  of  the 
Heb.  alphabet,  properly  signifies  a  chief 
leader,  conductor,  guide ;  as  also  occa- 
sionally chllinrch,  or  captain  of  a  thou- 
SfiJid,   no    (Iduht  from  the  use  of  tibj^ 


214 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1740. 


16  Duke  Korah,  duke  Gatam, 
and  duke  Amalek  :  these  are  the 
dukes  that  came  of  Eliphaz,  in  the 
iand  of  Edom  :  these  were  the  sons 
of  Adah. 

17  IT  And  these  are  the  sons  of 
Reuel,  Esau's  son  ;  duke  Nahath, 
duke  Zerah,  duke  Shammah,  duke 
Mizzah  :  these  are  the  dukes  that 
came  of  Reuel,  in  the  land  of  Edoin  : 
these  are  the  sons  of  Basheniath, 
Esau's  wife. 

18  U  And  these  are  the  sons  of 
Aholibamah,  Esau's  wife  :  duke 
Jeush,  duke  Jaalarn,  duke  Korah  : 
these  loere  the  dukes  that  came  of 
of  Aholibamah  the  daughter  of 
Anah,  Esau's  wife. 


aJeph  as  a  numeral  for  a  thousand.  The 
Chal.  renders  it  '  Rabba,'  a  master ;  the 
Gr.  fiyEficov,  hegemon,  a  governor  or  presi- 
dent. Still  it  would  seem  from  the  usage 
of  the  Hebrew  that  there  is  a  sense  ad- 
ditional to  that  o(  rilling  involved  in  the 
term  jTi'ib^  alluph.  The  verbal  root 
Clbii  alaph  has  the  import  of  teaching, 
and  also  of  being  closely  connected,  asso- 
ciated, familiarly  intimate,  and  legiti- 
mately implies  rather  the  relation  of  a 
master  to  his  disciples,  or  of  a  friendly 
leader  to  his  devoted  followers,  than 
that  of  a  ruler  to  his  subjects  ;  intima- 
ting that  the  government  was  mild  and 
patriarchal  rather  than  despotic.  Schul- 
tens  remarks  that  nothing  is  more  fre- 
quent in  Arabic  than  to  designate  a  mas- 
ter, chieftain,  lord,  prefect,  or  even 
king,  by  a  term  signifying  associate  or 
companion.  Thus  it  is  a  common  idiom 
to  speak  of  the  master  of  a  flock  as  a 
companion  of  the  flock,  the  governor  of 
a  city  as  the  companion  of  the  city,  and 
the  ruler  of  a  district  as  the  companion 
of  a  district;  a  mode  of  speech  which 
he  thinks  is  founded  upon  the  close  re- 
lation conceived  to  exist  between  rulers 
and  subjects.  With  these  hints  before 
us  we  are  prepared  better  to  enter  the 


19  These  are  the  sons  of  Esau 
(who  is  Edom)  and  these  are  their 
dukes. 

20  IT  "'These  are  the  sons  of 
Seir  "  the  Horite,  who  inhabited  the 
land ;  Lotan,  and  Shobal,  and  Zibe- 
on,  and  Anah, 

21  And  Dishon,  and  Ezer,  and 
Dish  an  :  these  are  the  dukes  of  the 
Horites,  the  children  of  Seir  in  the 
land  of  Edom. 

22  And  the  children  of  Lotan 
were  Hori,  and  Heman :  and  Lo- 
tan's  sister  rvas  Timna. 

23  And  the  children  of  Shobal 
were  these  ;  Alvan,  and  Manahath, 
and  Ebal,  Shepho,  and  Onam. 

m  1  Chron.  1.  38.  n  ch.  14.  6.  Deut.  2. 
12,  22. 


spirit  of  the  following  passages  where 
the  same  word  occurs.  Ps.  55.  12,  13, 
'  It  was  not  an  enemy  that  reproached 
me,  &c.,  but  it  was  thou,  a  man  mine 
equal,  my  guide  ("^^I^^S^  alluphi),  and 
mine  acquaintance.'  Prov.  2.  16,  17, 
'  To  deliver  thee  from  the  strange  w^o- 
man,  &c.,  which  forsaketh  the  guide 
(v)lbH  allnph)  of  her  youth.'  Prov.  16. 
28, '  A  whisperer  separateth  cldef friends 
(Slbn)' '  i-  e.  he  will,  if  listened  to, 
separate  parents  from  their  children, 
husbands  from  their  wives,  and  subjects 
from  their  rulers.  The  same  phrase 
in  the  original  occurs  Prov.  17.  9,  though 
rendered  '  very  friends,'  where  Diodati's 
Italian  version  gives  'conductor,'  which 
he  explains  in  a  note  by  '  a  most  trusty 
friend,  who  is  one's  usual  counsel- 
lor in  any  difficulty  and  perplexity,' 
referring  to  Mic.  5.  7,  '  Trust  ye  not  in 
a  friend,  put  ye  not  confidence  in  a 
guide  (fjlbb^  alluph).'  On  the  whole, 
therefore,  we  gather  from  the  word  the 
sense  oi  precedency  or  ruling,  but  at  the 
same  time  so  connected  with  that  of  fel- 
lowship and  mutual  confidence  as  to  di- 
vest it  of  every  offensive  idea  of  rigid 
and  arbitrary  lordship,  which  is  still 
odious  in  the  East. 


B.  C.  1740.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


215 


24  And  these  are  the  children  of 
Zibeon  ;  both  Ajah,  and  Anah  :  this 
was  thatAn?Lh.  that  found  °  the  mules 
"Lev,  19. 19. 


24.  Anah  that  found  the  mules  in  the 
vnlderness.  Heb.  ti^)^'^  yemim,  occur- 
ring only  here.  This  is  one  of  the  pre- 
eminently doubtful  passages  of  holy 
writ.  Jerome  says  that  in  his  time  there 
were  as  many  opinions  concerning  it, 
as  commentators,  and  the  variety  of 
versions  to  which  it  has  given  rise, 
would  seem  to  confirm  the  remark. 
The  Gr.  leaves  the  word  untranslated, 
in  the  form  of  lantiv  iamein,  as  not  know- 
ing what  to  render  it.  The  Chal.  trans- 
lates by  b^'i'°ii3  gibbaraya,  giants,  as  if 
confounding  the  original  uath  '  Emim,' 
one  of  the  Heb.  terms  for  giants.  The 
Sam.  has  '  Emim,'  understanding  it  of  a 
warhke  people  bordering  upon  the  Ho- 
rites.  The  Syr.  has  '  raaye,'  waters, 
and  in  like  manner  the  Vulg.  from  the 
fancied  affinity  which  C'i?2'^  yemim 
bears  to  tS"  yam,  the  sea,  and  tD^>2  may- 
im,  waters,  translates  it  '  aquas  calidas,' 
hot  ortepid  waters;  as  if  Anah  had  discov- 
ered, in  the  parched  and  barren  wilder- 
ness, several  springs  of  that  description. 
Amidst  these  discordant  opinions  we 
.shall  not  assume  the  province  of  decid- 
ing, but  state  the  evidence  of  the  two 
most  probable,  leaving  it  to  the  reader 
to  adopt  that  which  seems  to  him  to 
carry  the  most  weight  with  it.  (1.)  The 
most  accredited  rendering  among  the 
Jews  is  that  of  mules,  which  is  adopted 
also  by  our  English  version.  By  those 
that  hold  to  this  opinion  it  is  contended 
that  the  real  object  of  Anah's  discovery 
was  the  method  of  breeding  mules,  from 
the  hitherto  unknown  conjunction  of 
the  horse  and  the  ass.  The  fact  is  now 
well  known,  that  mules  are  the  mongrel 
product  of  a  cross-breed  propagation, 
and  consequently  were  not  created 
among  the  animal  tribes  with  which  the 
Most  High  originally  stocked  the  earth  ; 
for  to  all  the  creatures  which  he  at  first 


in  the  wilderness,  as  he  fed  the  ass- 
es of  Zibeon  his  father. 


brought  into  being,  he  gave  the  capacity 
and  the  command  to  increase  and  multi' 
ply.  Gen.  1.  22,  2S,  and  this  increase 
was  to  be  made  in  each  of  the  different 
species,  according  to  its  kind.  Gen.  1. 
24.  But  as  mules  are  not  possessed  of 
this  property  of  sui  generis  propagation, 
the  inference  is  necessarily  drawn  that 
they  were  not  originally  created ;  and 
Anah,  therefore,  by  some  accidental 
circumstance,  or  perhaps  under  the 
prompting  of  some  impure  and  licen- 
tious motives,  might  have  been  the  first 
who  discovered  this  unnatural  mode  of 
engendering  between  animals  of  differ- 
ent races.  Accordingly  some  have 
supposed  that  his  conduct  in  the  affair 
was  criminal,  and  that  Moses  intended 
to  censure  his  miguided  and  preposte- 
rous ingenuity,  in  that,  instead  of  being 
satisfied  with  the  numerous  flocks  and 
herds  bestowed  by  the  bounty  of  Pro- 
vidence on  his  family,  he  contrived  to 
originate  a  new  and  spurious  breed  of 
animals,  unknown  to  nature,  and  con- 
trary to  the  laws  of  her  operations. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that  Bochart,  in  his  Hierozoicon, 
reasons  very  forcibly  against  this  inter- 
pretation. His  objections  are  thatj^^'I'^ 
matza,  found,  never  signifies  to  invent, 
but  rather  to  meet  with,  to  happen  on,  or 
to  encounter — that  mules  are  never  call- 
ed 'Q'^Jz'^  yemim  in  the  Scriptures,  but 
tsTTit)  peredim — that  Anah  fed  asses 
only,  and  not  horses — and  that  there  is 
no  mention  made  of  mules  in  Palestine 
till  the  days  of  David.  From  the  whole 
he  concludes  that  a  formidable  people 
called  Emim  are  meant,  with  whom 
Anah  fought ;  and  he  quotes  in  confir- 
mation a  number  of  passages  in  the  sa- 
cred writers  where  the  same  form  of 
expression,  he  or  they  found,  signifies 
the  onset  to  battle,  as  Judg.  1.  5.  1  Sam 


216 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1740. 


25  And  the  children  of  Anah  were 
these :  Dishon,  and  Aholibamah 
the  laughter  of  Anah. 

26  And  these  are  the  children  of 
Dishon  ;  Hemdan,  and  Eshban,  and 
Ithran,  and  Cheran. 

27  The    children    of   Ezer  are 


31.  3.  1  Kings  33.  24.  2  Chron.  22.  8. 
Num.  35.  27,  etc.    His  arguments,  how- 
ever, on  the  whole,  go  more  strongly  to 
refute  the  adverse  position,  than  to  estab- 
lish his  own,  and  therefore  the  current  of 
opinion   among  modern    commentators 
sets  rather  in  favor  of,  (2.)  The  Vulgate 
rendering  of  warm  springs.      This  view 
of  the  subject  is  presented  most  strong- 
ly in  the  words  of  Mr.  Bryant,  in  his 
•  Observations   upon   some  passages  of 
Scripture,'  p.  26.  'Why  the  word  U"^'^"^ 
yemim,  is  here  rendered  mules,  I  know 
not ;  and  why  in  some  other  versions  it 
is  expressed  giants.      It  manifestly  de- 
notes waters ;  and  it  is  so  translated  in 
the  Syr.  version ;  and  by  aquas  calidas 
in  the  Vulgate.    The  account  given  in 
Scripture  is  short,  and  was  well  under- 
stood by  the  persons  to  whom  it  is  ad- 
dressed, and  undoubtedly  related  to  wa- 
ter.    The  circumstance  mentioned  must 
have  been  of  consequence,  otherwise 
there  would  have  been  no  necessity  to 
specify  the  person  by  whom  it  was  ef- 
fected.    We  should  therefore  read,  that 
instead  of  7nules  Anah  found  out  water 
in  the  wilderness  :  but  to  what  does  the 
history  amount !      Every  known  spring 
must  have  had  somebody  to  have  disco- 
vered  it ;  so  that  Anah,  if  this  be  all, 
did  no  more  than  hundreds  had  done 
before.      But  to  me  there  seems  to  be 
something  of  more  importance  in   the 
account  than  at  first  appears,  and  for  that 
reason  the  name  of  the  person  is  re- 
corded,  as  being  of  moment  to  those 
who  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Edom,  and 
were  acquainted  with  the  rites  of  Mid- 
ian.      It  is  to  be  observed,  that  the  sa- 
cred writer,  in  speaking  of  Anah's  first 
discovery  of  these  waters,  does  not  in- 


these :    Bilhan,    and   Zaavan,    and 
Akan. 

28  The  children  of  Dishan  are 
these  ;  Uz,  and  Aran. 

29  These  are  the  dukes  i/za^  came 
of  the  Horites ;  duke  Lotan,  duke 
Shobal,  duke  Ziheon,  duke  Anah, 


form  us  when  or  where  he  was  feeding 
his  father's  asses  ;  but  only  that  the 
event  took  place  as  he  was  feeding 
them.  This  may  be  found  of  some  mo- 
ment. I  imagine  that  the  latent  purport 
of  the  history  is  this.  As  Anah  was  at- 
tending these  animals  in  the  desert,  he 
observed  that  faculty  with  which  they 
were  endued,  of  snuffing  the  moisture 
of  the  air,  and  being  by  these  means 
led  to  latent  waters.  Accordingly, 
either  by  the  intimation  of  those  which 
he  fed,  or  by  the  traces  of  the  wild 
brood,  he  was  brought  to  the  knowledge 
of  these  resources.'  This  interpretation 
is  perhaps,  of  the  two,  entided  to  prefer- 
ence ;  especially  as  it  is  said  by  travel- 
lers that  springs  of  that  description  do 
actually  exist  in  that  region  to  the  pres- 
ent day.  Five  or  six  miles  south-east 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  towards  Petra,  and 
consequently  in  or  near  the  region  in 
which  the  Seirites,  and  afterwards  the 
Edomites  dwelt,  is  a  place  celebrated 
among  the  Greeks  and  Romans  for  its 
warm  baths,  and  called  by  them  Callir- 
hoe.  But  it  is  scarcely  to  be  expected 
that  the  passage  will  ever  be  cleared  of 
all  uncertainty. 

29.  These  are  the  dukes  that  came  of 
Horu  among  their  dukes,  &c.  Heb. 
Ctl'^S^i^b  lealuphehem,  according  to  their 
dukes,  i.  e.  according  to  their  dukedoms. 
Thus,  '  king'  is  frequently  used  in  Scrip- 
ture for  '  kingdom,'  particularly  with  the 
prophets.  Is.  23.  15,  'Tyre  shall  be 
forgotten  seventy  years,  according  to 
the  years  of  one  king  ;'  i.  e.  of  one  king- 
dom ;  viz.  that  of  Babylon.  Dan.  7.  17, 
'  These  great  beasts  are  four  kings 
which  shall  arise  out  of  the  earth.' 
This  is  interpreted  by  the  Holy  Spirit 


B.  C.  1740.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


217 


30  Duke  Dishon,  duke  Ezer, 
duke  Dishan :  these  are  the  dukes 
that  came  of  Hori,  among  their 
dukes  in  the  land  of  Seir. 

31  IT  And  P  these  ere  the  kings 
that  reigned  in  the  land  of  Edom, 

P  1  Cliron.  1.  43. 


himself  of  kingdoms  ;  v.  23 :  '  The  fourth 
beast  shall  be  the  fourth  Ji'mgdom  upon 
earth.'  Thus,  also,  Rev.  17.  42,  '  And 
the  ten  horns  which  thou  saw^st  are  ten 
kings ;'  i.  e.  ten  kingdoms.  So  where 
it  is  said,  2  Kings  11.  19,  '  And  he  sat  in 
the  throne  of  the  kings,''  another  pro- 
phet, in  allusion  to  the  same  event, 
says,  2  Chron.  23.  20,  '  And  set  the  king 
upon  the  throne  of  the  kingdom^  This 
peculiarity  of  dictien  is  very  important 
to  be  borne  in  mind  in  the  interpretation 
of  prophecy.  These  seven  sons  of  Seir 
possessed  their  dukedoms  or  chieftain- 
ships simultaneously  in  different  parts 
of  the  land,  instead  of  succeeding  each 
other,  like  the  kings  mentioned  below. 

31.  These  are  tke  kings  that  reigtied, 
&c.  before  there  reigned  any  king  over  the 
children  of  Israel.  Wiiether  these  kings 
were  descendants  of  Esau  or  of  Seir, 
it  is  impossible  to  say.  As  the  two  ra- 
ces seem  to  have  been  mingled  togeth- 
er, they  might  have  been  the  blended 
issue  of  both.  But  a  point  of  still  great- 
er moment,  and  equally  difficult  of  so- 
lution, is  to  account  for  the  expression 
*  before  there  reigned  any  king  over  the 
children  of  Israel.'  It  is  objected,  that 
as  this  implies  that  there  vas  a  king 
reigning  in  Israel  at  the  time  the  present 
record  was  written,  and  as  there  was  no 
king  thus  reigning  till  some  centuries 
after  the  death  of  Moses,  therefore  Mo- 
ses himself  could  not  have  been  its  au- 
thor. To  this  it  may  be  replied. 
(1.)  That  there  is  nothing  incredible  in 
the  supposition  of  Moses  having  written 
It ;  however,  it  may  be  said  that  this  is 
cutting  the  knot,  instead  of  untying  it. 
Not  to  remark  that  the  word  '  king'  may 
be  taken  in  a  general  sense  for  any  ciief 

VOL.  rr. 


before  there  reigned  any  king  over 
the  children  of  Israel. 

32  And  Bela  the  son  of  Beor 
reigned  in  Edom  :  and  the  name  of 
his  city  was  Dinhabah. 

33  And  Bela  died,  and  Jobab  the 


ruler  or  governor,  as  in  Deut.  33.  5.  Judg. 
17.  6.  Ps.  119.  46.  Luke  22.  25.  Acts  9. 
15.,  it  is  certain  that  Moses  had  before, 
Gen.  35.  11.  recorded  the  prediction 
that  '  kings  should  come  out  of  the 
loins'  of  Jacob,  and  why  may  he  not 
have  been  prompted  by  inspiration  to 
foretel,  in  this  incidental  way,  the  fulfil- 
ment of  this  promise?  But  although 
this  be  a  satisfactory  reply,  yet,  (2.)  It 
can  scarcely  be  .doubted  by  any  one 
who  compares  the  account  contained 
V.  31—43  with  1  Chron.  1.43—54,  that 
the  one  has  been  taken  from  the  oth- 
er ;  and  the  probability  we  think  is  much 
stronger  that  the  genealogy  in  Ge- 
nesis is  a  copy  from  that  in  Chronicles, 
than  that  the  reverse  is  the  case.  It  is 
unquestionable  that  similar  interpola- 
tions are  made  also  by  later  writers,  and 
we  see  no  reason  why  this  may  not  be 
regarded  as  one  ? — As  such  things  are 
usually  estimated  among  men,  it  must 
have  been  trying  to  the  seed  of  Jacob, 
groaning  in  Egyptian  bondage,  to 
know  that  the  descendants  of  Esau  had 
in  the  mean  time  become  great  and 
powerful,  and  had  the  royal  dignity  es- 
tablished among  them.  But  though  the 
honors  of  Esau's  race  blossomed  early, 
they  soon  decayed  ;  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  issue  of  Israel  eventually  rose 
into  a  pre-eminence,  which,  either  tem- 
porally or  spiritually,  was  designed  to 
be  everlasting. — —IT  Over  the  children  of 
Israel.  Heb.  ii^'I'Ji  'I'ib  Hvne  Yisrael, 
to  the  sons ^  ox  children  of  Israel;  i.  e. 
for  or  among  tl^em;  for  their  advan- 
tage. Gr.  ev  larparj},,  in  Israel.  Very 
nice  distinctions  are  often  made  in  the 
original  by  the  use  of  the  minor  words 
and  connectives,  which  are  lost  sight 
19 


^18 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1740 


son  of  Zerah  of  Bozrah  reigned  in 
his  stead. 

34  And  Jacob  died,  and  Husham 
of  the  land  of  Temani  reigned  in 
his  stead. 

35  And  Husham  died,  and  Hadad 
the  son  of  Bedad  (who  smote  Mid- 
ian  in  the  field  of  Moab)  reigned  in 
his  stead :  and  the  name  of  his  city 
was  Avith. 

36  And  Hadad  died,  and  Samlah 
of  Masrekah  reigned  in  his  stead. 

37  And  Samlah  died,  and  Saul 
of  Rehoboth  by  the  river  reigned  in 
his  stead. 

38  And  Saul  died,  and  Baal- 
hanan  the  son  of  Achbor  reigned  in 
his  stead. 


39^  And  JBaal-hanan  the  son  of 
Achbor  died,  and  ^  Hadar  reigned 
in  his  stead  :  and  the  name  of  his 
city  was  Pau  ;  and  his  wife's  name 
was  Mehetabel,  the  daughter  oi 
Matred,  the  daughter  of  Mezahab, 

40  And  these  are  the  names  ot 
•■  the  dukes  that  came  of  Esau,  ac= 
cording  to  their  families,  after  then 
places,  by  their  names  ;  duke  Tim- 
nah,  duke  Alvah,  duke  Jetheth, 

41  Duke  Ahulibamah,  duke  Elah^ 
duke  Pinon, 

42  Duke  Kenaz,  duke  Teman,. 
duke  Mibzar, 

43  Duke  Magdiel,  duke  Tram; 
these  5e  the  dukes  of  Edom,  accord- 


q  1  Chron.  1.  50. 


]  ClMon.  1.51. 


of  in  a  version.  This  h  particularly 
the  case  in  regard  to  terms  and  phra- 
^5es  which  relate  to  government,  where 
the  idea  of  absolute  despotic  rule  finds 
but  little  countenance  from  the  insti- 
tutions of  the  Israelites.  Thus,  in 
like  manner,  it  would  seem  that  the 
popular  title  of  the  present  monarch  of 
France,  to  wit.  King  of  the  French,  was 
preferred  to  that  of  King  of  France,  be- 
cause it  carried  with  it  a  more  distinct 
recognition  of  the  will  of  the  people  in 
conferring  the  office  upon  him. 

34.  Land  of  Temani.  That  is,  of  the 
Temanites ;  who  derived  their  name 
from  the  /^andson  of  Esau  called  duke 
Teman,  v.  15.  From  this  region  came 
Eliphaz,  the  Temanite,  one  of  the  three 
friends  of  Job. 

40.  These  are  the  names  of  the  dukes, 
&c.  From  a  view  of  the  whole  chapter 
it  would  seem  that  the  government  of 
the  Edomites  was  at  first  ducal ;  that  is 
to  say,  patriarchal,  in  which  families 
are  governed  by  heads  or  chiefs,  very 
much  after  the  manner  of  the  clans  in 
the  highlands  of  Scotland,  or  the  Indian 
tribes  of  our  own  country  ;  that  in  pro- 
cess of  time  as  the  people  increased,  a 
change  took  place^  and  a  dynasty  of 
eight  kings  succeeded.    As  a  new  enu- 


meration of  dukes  occurs  from  v.  40  to 
the  end  of  the  chapter,  some  have  in- 
ferred from  this  that  another  change 
took  place,  by  which  the  government  of 
dukes  was  again  restored.  Certain  it  isv 
that  upon  Israel's  coming  out  of  Egypt 
mention  is  made  Ex.  15. 15,  of  the  '  dukes 
of  Edom,'  and  while  passing  through  the 
wilderness  they  sent  to  the  'king  of 
Edom,'  Numb.  20.  14,  from  which  it  ap- 
pears that  the  royal  dynasty  was  then 
in  power.  And  as  these  eight  kings  are 
said  to  have  reigned  before  any  king 
reigned  in  Israel,  v.  31,  it  is  perhaps  to 
be  inferred  that  such  a  change  as  thafi 
suggested  above  had  taken  place.  Yet, 
on  the  other  hand,  if  we  regard  v.  31 — 
39  as  an  interpolation,  then  the  portion 
from  V.  10  to  the  end  of  the  chapter  is 
to  be  taken  in  immediate  connexion 
with  V.  29,  and  understood  as  a  contin- 
uation of  that  account,  the  former  part 
giving  us  a  list  of  the  Horite  dukes,  and 
itie  latter  of  those  of  the  Hue  of  Esau. 

43.  In  the  land  of  their  possession. 
That  is,  the  land  of  their  firm,  fixed, 
abiding  possession.  The  expression 
conveys  a  tacit  allusion  to  the  contrast 
between  the  mode  of  Esau's  and  of  Ja- 
cob's possessing  severally  their  respect- 
ive inheritances.  The  one  is  represented 


B.  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


219 


ing  to  their  habitations,  in  the  land  ( 
oAheir  possession :  he  is  Esau,  the 
father  of  the  Edomites. 


as  holding  his  by  a  permanent  tenure, 
and  therefore  it  is  called  the  landofhispos- 
sessio7i,  whereas,  when  Canaan  is  spoken 
of  as  the  allotment  of  Jacob,  it  is  term- 
ed the  land  of  his  sojourning.  And  so  of 
Abraham  and  Isaac.  They  were  pil- 
grims and  not  possessors. 


CHAP.   XXXVII. 

We  here  enter  upon  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  and  interesting  portions  of 
the  whole  mass  of  sacred  history.  The 
life  and  fortunes  of  Joseph,  embracing, 
with  the  exception  of  two  chopters,  the 
residue  of  the  book  of  Genesis,  or  about 
one-fourth  of  the  whole,  form  a  story 
of  unrivalled  attraction,  whether  we 
consider  the  simplicity  and  beauty  of 
the  narrative,  the  toucliing  pathos  of 
the  events  related,  or  the  vastly  import- 
ant moral  lessons  which  it  teaches. 
Viewed  as  an  illustration  of  the  doc- 
trine of  a  particular  Providence,  bring- 
ing to  pass  the  grandest  resuhs  from  the 
most  apparently  trivial  events,  nothing 
can  be  more  significant  or  striking.  It 
has  all  the  effect  of  a  pictorial  delinea- 
tion. While  the  recital  flows  on  with 
all  the  charm  of  a  highly- wrought  tale  of 
fiction,  we  are  still  assured  of  the  tnith 
and  reality  of  every  incident,  and  feel 
that  we  are  contemplating  an  epitome 
of  the  dispensations  of  that  overruling 
Power  which  is  '  wonderful  in  counsel 
and  mighty  in  operation' — which  con- 
trols the  free  and  voluntary  action  of 
intelhgent  creatures,  even  when  prompt 
ed  by  a  spirit  of  malevolence  and  rebel- 
lion, so  as  to  render  them  subservient 
to  the  accomplishment  of  those  very 
plans  which  they  are  intent  upon  de- 
feating, while  the  guilt  of  the  agents 
remains  resting  upon  them  in  all  its 
unabated  aggravations.  But  while  this 
is  doubtless  the  most  important  aspect 


CHAP.    XXXVII. 

A  ND  Jacob  dwelt  in  the  land 
■lA.  "wherein  his  father  was  a 
stranger,  in  the  land  of  Canaan. 

a  ch.  17.  8.  &  23.  4.  &:  3G.  7.  Hebr.  11.  9. 
in  which  the  history  of  Joseph  is  to  be 
viewed,  it  is  still  worth  while  to  observe 
that  merely  as  a  human  composition, 
as  a  specimen  of  simple,  graceful,  elo- 
quent, and  pathetic  narrative,  it  is  uni- 
versally conceded  that  it  has  no  parallel. 
We  find  in  it  all  that  gives  beauty  to  the 
finest  drama — a  perfect  unity  of  design  ; 
a  richness  and  variety  of  incident  in- 
volving the  plot  in  obscurity,  yet  grad- 
ually drawing  to  its  intended  de- 
velopment ;  and  the  whole  issuing 
happily,  rewarding  pre-eminent  virtue 
with  appropriate  honors  and  blessings, 
and  visiting  iniquity  with  deserved  hu- 
miliation and  punishment.  It  is  a  story 
which  persons  of  all  ages,  and  minds  of 
all  orders,  peruse  with  equal  interest ; 
and  the  degree  of  secret  moral  influence 
which  the  spotless  example  of  Joseph 
has  exercised  upon  countless  numbers 
of  the  readers  of  the  Scriptures,  can 
never  be  appreciated  till  the  day  of  the 
revelation  of  all  things.  We  behold  in 
him  one  who  in  every  period  of  hfe,  in 
every  change  of  condition,  in  every  va- 
riety of  relation,  secures  our  confidence, 
our  respect,  our  love.  In  adversity,  we 
see  him  evincing  the  most  exemplary 
patience  and  resignation  ;  in  temptation, 
the  most  inflexible  firmness ;  in  exalta- 
tion, the  most  unaffected  simplicity, 
integrity,  gentleness,  and  humility. 
Whether  as  a  son,  a  brother,  a  servant ; 
a  father,  a  master,  a  ruler,  we  behold 
him  exhibiting  a  deportment  equafly 
amiable  and  praiseworthy ;  and  the 
respect  which  we  entertain  for  the  sa- 
gacity of  the  statesman  and  the  penetra- 
tion of  the  prophet,  mingles  with  our 
profound  admiration  of  the  purity  of  the 
saint.  But  we  leave  it  to  the  sequel  to 
disclose,  in  all  their  richness,  these  inter- 
esting traits  of  biography  and  history. 
1.  Jacob  dwelt  in  the  land  where  his  fa- 


220 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


2  These  are  the  generations  of 
Jacob:  Joseph  being  seventeen 
years  old,  was  feeding  the  flock 
with  his  brethren,  and  the  lad  was 


with  the  sons  of  Bilhah,  and  with 
the  sons  of  Zilpah,  his  father's 
wives :  and  Joseph  brought  unto 
his  father  ^  their  evil  report. 

6  1  Sam.  2.  22,  23,  24. 


fker  was  a  stranger.  Heb.  '^"|"|3?2  f-^S*^ 
I'-^v^  bearetz  megure  nbk\  in  the  land  of 
his  father's  sojourning ;  where  '  fa- 
ther's may  be  taken  as  a  collect,  aing. 
including  Abraham  as  well  as  Isaac. 
The  character  of  sojourners'  was  com- 
inon  to  the  patriarchs,  and  as  Jacob 
dwelt  in  the  same  country  with  his 
forefathers,  he  dwelt  in  the  same  way, 
and  under  the  influence  of  the  same  mo- 
tives. This  he  afterwards  confessed  to 
Pharaoh.  Though  he  had  bought  a 
small  piece  of  ground  in  the  country,  yet 
he  still  was,  and  counted  himself,  a 
stranger  and  a  sojourner  in  the  land  of 
Canaan.  Heaven  was  the  country 
which  he  regarded  as  his  possession,  his 
inheritance,  his  home. 

2.  These  are  the  generations  of  Joseph. 
Tleb  r.nbir:  toMoth,  births.-  I  e.  the 
family  history.  That  the  original  signi- 
fies something  more  tlian  mere  genealo- 
gy, is  obvious  from  the  matter  which  the 
history  contains,  although  it  can  hardly 
be  taken  in  the  extended  and  general 
sense  of  our  word  hislonj.  When  the  sa- 
cred writer,  therefore,  says,  '  these  are 
the  generations  of  Jacob,'  he  may  either 
refer  to  what  goes  before,  implying  that 
these  were  the  principal  events  in  the  per- 
sonal and  domestic  history  of  Jacob,  of 
which,  being  about  to  pass  to  another 
subject,  he  says  no  more  at  present ; 
or  it  may  refer  to  what  follows,  in 
which  case  the  sense  will  be  that  this 
is  the  family  history  of  Jacob,  an  ac- 
count of  the  most  important  incidents 
that  befel  his  house,  but  more  especial- 
ly in  respect  to  Joseph,  who  hencefor- 
ward becomes  the  prominent  theme  of 
the  story.  The  date  of  this  narrative  is 
to  be  placed  twelve  years  before  Isaac's 
death,  when  he  was  168  years  old,  and 
Jacob  108  ;  for  if  Joseph  were  39  when 


Jacob  was  130,  (compare  Gen,  41.  46, 
with  45.  2.  and  47.  9,)  it  will  follow  that 
Joseph  was  born  when  Jacob  was  91, 
and  consequently  when  he  was  17  his 
father  was  lOS.  But  when  Isaac  died 
at  the  age  of  180,  Jacob  was  120,  as  he 
was  born  when  Isaac  was  60  ;  therefore 
Joseph's  age  of  17,  and  Jacob's  of  108, 
will  bring  the  date  of  his  being  sold  into 
Egypt,  twelve  years  prior  to  the  death 

of  Isaac ^   Joseph  being   seventeen 

years  old,  was  feeding  the  flock,  &c.  Heb. 
■^^rS  1"in^  r.i^  n"*!  M"^n  hay  ah  roeh 
e.lh  ehav  hatztzon,  literally,  was  tending, 
or  acting  the  shepherd  over,  his  brethren 
in  the  flock.  However  uncouth  to  our 
ears  the  phraseology,  this  is  undoubted- 
iy  the  exact  rendering,  and  the  import 
of  the  words  we  take  to  be,  that  Joseph 
was  charged  with  the  superintendence 
of  his  brethren,  particularly  the  sons  of 
Bilhahand  Zilpah.  Whether  this  was  ow- 
ing merely  to  the  fond  favoritism  of  his 
father,  or  to  his  superior  fidelity,  capa- 
city, and  diligence  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties,  we  know  not;  but  we  can- 
not but  infer  from  the  text  that  such 
was  the  fact,  that  in  some  way  the 
management  and  direction  of  the  flocks 
and  their  keepers  was  entrusted  to  him. 
If  so,  his  making  report  to  his  father  of 
the  conduct  of  his  brethren,  instead  uf 
being  an  act  of  officious  intermeddling, 
was  in  fact  but  the  discharge  of  an  im- 
portant part  of  his  duty ;  '  for  it  is 
required  in  stewards  that  a  man  be  found 
faithful.'  From  the  Note  on  Gen.  29.  3, 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  term  '  flocks,'  as 
used  by  the  sacred  writers,  frequently 
carries  with  it  by  implication  the  idea  of 
'  shepherds'  or  '  keepers,'  to  whose  care 
they    were  consigned.      See  the  Note 

also  on  Gen.  47.  6. IT  And  the  lad  was 

with  the  sons  of  BilhaJi.     Heb.  ^3>:  ^Tll 


B.  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVIT. 


221 


vehu  naar,  and  he  a  lad.  From  a  careful 
inspection  of  the  original  we  are  persua- 
ded that  the  exact  shade  of  meaning  is 
not  represented  here  by  the  rendering 
of  our  version.  The  definite  article  '  the,' 
as  well  as  the  supplemental  word  'was,' 
we  conceive  to  have  been  introduced 
without  authority,  as  there  is  nothing  to 
countenance  them  in  the  Hebrew.  The 
correct  translation  is  doubtless  the  fol- 
lowing ;'  '  Joseph  being  seventeen  years 
old,  was  tending  his  brethren  among  the 
flocks,  and  he  a  (mere)  lad,  (even)  the 
sons  of  Bilhah,  &c.'  The  mention  of 
his  youth  is  brought  in  parenthetically,  as 
something  peculiarly  worthy  of  notice, 
while  the  clause  '  with  the  sons  of  Bil- 
hah,' &c.  is  designed  to  Hmit  and  speci- 
fy the  term  '  brethren'  going  before.  As 
this  construction,  however,  is  somewhat 
new,  and  as  it  can  be  established  only  by 
an  appeal  to  the  common  diction  of  the 
sacred  writers,  we  shall  briefly  advert  to 
a  few  passages  which  go  strongly  to 
confirm  it.  The  common  translation, 
it  will  be  observed,  renders  I'lns^  t^&4 
eth  ehav,  by  with  his  hrelhren.  Hut  the 
particle  rs*  eth  very  generally  follows 
the  verb  Hi'"!  raah,  as  the  sign  of  the  ac- 
cusative, and  not  as  a  preposition.  Thus 
Gen.  30.  36,  '  And  Jacob  '^5^2  fii^  nS"l 
fed  the  flocks  of  Laban.'  2  Sam.  7.  7, 
'Whom  I  commanded  ^'^'^  fiH.  f'^'^'^ib 
to  feed  my  people  I-srael.'  Jer.  23.  2, 
'Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel 
against  the  pastors  -itlS'  Tii^  fS^lu  ihat 
feed  my  people.'  Indeed,  in  no  other  in- 
stance throughout  the  Bible,  if  the 
present  be  excepted,  does  ^j^  follow  h3>"I 
as  a  preposition.  Again,  according  to 
the  established  version,  "^j^t^lD  n5"l  'roeh 
halztzon  signifies  to  feed  or  tend  the  flock, 
as  if  ,'-;5>"i  governed  its  accusative  by 
the  interposition  of  the  particle  'zh.  But 
this  is  contrary  to  usnge  in  every  in- 
stance in  the  Heb.  Scriptures  except 
two,  and  those  are  undoubtedly  cases 
precisely  parallel  to  the  present,  in 
which  the  particle  signifies  in  or  among. 
The  first  occurs  1  Sam.  16. 11, 'There 
19-^ 


remaineth  yet  the  youngest,  and  be- 
hold, he  '^HiZn  n5>^  keepeth  the  sheep.' 
The  second  is  found  1  Sam.  17.  34, 
'  And  David  said  unto  Saul,  Thy  ser- 
vant ']54^n  l^l^i^b  u^n  |-;5>T  kept  his 
father's  sheep.'  In  both  these  cases 
we  doubt  not  the  true  rendering  is 
that  David  performed  the  office  of  a 
shepherd-overseer  in  or  among  the  flocks, 
just  as  we  say  of  a  military  officer, 
he  commanded  in  the  army.  As  to 
the  true  meaning  of  u^'-\,  it  will  be 
found  that  all  the  Lexicons  give  it  the 
sense  of  overseeing,  governing,  presiding 
over,  superintending,  and  such,  we  can- 
not question,  is  its  import  here,  in  res- 
pect to  Joseph.  This  circumstance,  in 
all  probability,  first  prompted  the  envious 
feelings  of  his  brethren,  which  were 
greatly  enhanced  by  the  incident  men- 
tioned  below. IF   Brought   unto    his 

father  their  evil  report.  That  is,  an  evil 
report  concerning  them.  It  may  be  re- 
marked, too,  that  the  Heb.  has  CiT^Si^ 
ahihem,  their  father,  instead  of  T^!35^  ahiv, 
his  father,  as  our  translators  have  ren- 
dered it.  Heb.  Ti':^'^  ari^T  t^,J*  ^t^h  dib- 
batham  raah.  The  original  n^-j  dihbah, 
signifies  a  report  of  infamy,  scandalous 
information.  The  term  is  in  itself  pe- 
culiarly expressive  and  emphatic,  but  it  ^^ 
has  here  an  augmented  sense  by  the 
addition  of  the  epithet  n2''"l  raah,  evil, 
as  if  it  was  intended  to  convey  the  idea 
of  some  ])eculiar,  flagrant,  enormous 
act  of  wickedness,  the  report  of  which 
Joseph  carried  to  his  father.  Chal. 
'Their  evil  accusation.'  What  this 
conduct  was,  we  are  not  informed. 
The  silence  of  the  sacred  oracles 
has  veiled  it  from  human  view  till 
the  judgment  day.  SulHce  it  for  us 
to  know,  that  the  feelings  of  Joseph 
were  wounded  by  the  bad  behaviour 
of  his  brethren,  and  that  he  could 
not  rest  easy  without  disclosing  the  par- 
ticulars to  his  father.  In  this  he  is  to 
be  commended,  as  it  was  in  fact  per- 
forming a  kind  and  brotherly  ofHce. 
Though  a  child  should  not  be  indulged 


222 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


3  Now  Israel  loved  Joseph  more 
than  all  his  children,  because  he  was 


by  his  parents  in  reporting  every  trivial 
tale  to  the  disadvantage  of  his  brothers 
or  sisters,  yet  some  offences  are  so  gross 
that  they  ought  not  to  be  concealed. 
Parents  should  be  made  acquainted 
with  them  that  they  may  correct  them, 
or  if  that  cannot  be,  that  they  may,  as 
far  as  possible,  counteract  their  ill  ef- 
fects. The  witnesses  of  evil  conduct 
often  contract  no  small  part  of  its  crim- 
inality by  neglecting  or  refusing  to 
make  it  known. 

3.  Now  Israel  loved  Joseph  more  than 
all  his  children,  because,  &c.  Joseph 
held  this  high  place  in  his  father's  affec- 
tions, not  only  because  he  was  the  first- 
born son  of  his  best  beloved  wife,  and  the 
child  of  many  prayers,  but  because  he 
was  the  son  of  his  old  age.  This  latter 
expression,  however,  as  used  in  the 
original,  is  not  of  very  definite  import, 
nor  if  taken  as  usually  understood,  is  it 
easy  to  see  precisely  the  ground  of  the 
assertion.  Benjamin  was  much  more 
the  son  of  his  old  age  than  Joseph  ;  and 
it  cannot  well  be  supposed  that  Joseph 
^  was  younger  than  Zebuluu  and  Dinah. 
In  fact,  Jacob  was  an  old  man  before 
any  of  his  children  were  born.  How 
then  is  the  language  to  be  understood? 
The  original  1^  '□'^2pt  p  hen  zekunhn  lo, 
is  literally  rendered  son  of  old  age  to  hhn, 
which  in  the  Chal.  is  paraphrased  by 
'  wise  son,'  taking  the  phrase  '  son  of 
old  age,'  to  be  equivalent  to  '  son  of  wis- 
dom,' the  ideas  offline  and  wisdom  being 
intimately  related.  In  this  case  the 
idiom  is  to  be  considered  the  same 
with  that  which  appears  in  the  expres- 
sions, 'son  of  wickedness,'  'son  of  per- 
dition,' 'son  of  strength,'  'son  of  peace.' 
According  to  this  the  idea  is,  that  Jo- 
seph, even  in  his  early  years,  had  the 
wisdom  of  a  sage ;  and  perhaps,  as 
hinted  above,  it  was  on  this  account 
that    he   U'as    preferred   to   the   office 


<=  the  son  of  his  old  age :  and  he 
made  him  a  coat  of  many  colours. 

c  ch.  44. 20. 


of  superintendent  over  his  brethren. 
For  ourselves,  although  the  common 
interpretation  does  no  violence  to  the 
original,  we  feel  strongly  inclined  to  fa- 
vor this  sense  of  the  phrase.  It  afftirds 
a  more  worthy  reason  for  Jacob's  loving 
him  so  intensely  than  the  time  of  his 
birth.  The  time  of  birth  would  proba- 
bly have  ingratiated  the  oldest  son,  ra- 
ther than  the  youngest  but  one  or  two, 
with  his  father,  had  not  Reuben  been 
utterly  unvvorthj''  of  Jacob's  fondness 
Certain  it  is,  that  Joseph  was  very  wise 
in  his  early  years  ;  and  it  is  no  less  cer- 
tain that  a  wise  son  makes  a  fond  as 

well   as  a   glad   father. IT  He  made 

him  a  coat  of  many  colors.  That  is,  or- 
dered or  procured  it  to  be  made ;  not 
that  he  did  it  by  his  own  personal  act. 
See  Note  on  Gen.  3.  21.  But  there  is 
great  doubt  as  to  the  garment  itself,  nor 
cotdd  the  common  reader  imagine  to 
what  a  vast  variety  of  interpretations  the 
expression  'coat  of  many  colors'  has 
given  rise.  The  Heb.  phrase  is  TZ'T!2 
^■^wS  fcethoneth  passim,  properly  signi- 
fying coat  of  pieces.  The  Chal.  has  '  tu- 
nic of  strips  or  shreds.'  Gr.  xi-wi^a 
TToiKiXov,  parti-colored  or  variegated  coat. 
Vulg. '  Tunicam  polymitam,'  embroidered 
coat.  Syr.  '  Fringed  tunic'  The  phrase 
occurs  only  liere  and  2  Sam.  13.  18, 
'  And  she  had  a  garment  o^ divers  colors 
(Heb.  t^C5  T^rl:  coat  of  pieces)  upon 
her  :  for  with  such  robes  were  the  king's 
daughters  that  were  virgins  apparelled  ;' 
from  which  it  is  plain  that  it  was  a  gar- 
ment worn  as  a  mark  of  distinction. 
But  whether  the  common  rendering 
'  coat  of  many  colors,'  gives  the  true  im- 
port of  the  original,  may  justly  be  doubt- 
ed. As  the  Heb.  has  simply  '  coat  of 
pieces,'  it  is  a  matter  of  inference  only 

I  to  suppose  that  these  '  pieces'  were  of 
different  '  colors,'  although  not  improba- 

I  ble  that  this  was  the  case.     But  it  would 


I  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


4  And  when  his  brethren  saw 
that  their  father  loved  him  more 
than  all  his  brethren,  they  ^  hated 

d  ch.  27.  41.  &  49.  23. 


be  important  to  ehow  that  th«  art  of  in- 
.'terweaving  a  piece  in  various  colors  was 
at  this  lirae  actually  discovered.  Judging 
from  the  information  offered  by  the  pre- 
sent passage,  we  should  rather  infer  that 
it  was  not ;  for  the  peculiar  term  d^D5 
pieces  here  employed,  makes  it  probable 
that  the  agreeable  efiect  resulting  from  a 
■combination  of  colors  was  obtained,  if  at 
all,bypateh-WGrkinthefirstinstance,and 
in  after-times  by  being  wrought  with  a 
needle.  Such  variegated  garments  were 
ne  doubt  worn  as  they  still  are  in  the 
East  at  this  day,  but  as  to  Joseph's 
coat,  Braunius,  in  his  great  work  '  On 
the  Dress  of  the  Jewish  Priests,'  eon- 
tends  that  it  was  a  long  robe  reachiHg 
to  the  ankles  and  wrists,  and  that  the 
word  '  pieces'  refers,  not  to  the  body  of 
the  garment,  but  solely  to  the  borders 
of  the  skirts  and  sleeves,  which  were 
furnished  with  an  ornamental  fringe, 
composed,  perhaps,  of  parti-colored 
'pieces.'  The  body  of  it  was  probably 
while,  corresponding  with  the  'stole,' 
of  which  see  Note  on  G«n.  27. 15.  This 
ooat  we  cannot  but  regard,  like  the 
^  goodly  raiment'  of  Jacob,  as  a  badge  of 
the  birthright,  which  we  are  expressly 
taught,  1  Chron.  5.  1,  having  been  for- 
feited by  Reuben,  was  traGsferred  to 
Joseph  ;  and  we  regard  it  as  highly  pro- 
bable that  it  was  this  circumstance, 
more  than  any  other,  which  inflamed 
the  envy  of  his  brethren ;  so  that  as 
Esau,  under  the  galling  sense  of  his  lost 
siiperiority,  laid  wait  for  the  life  of  his 
brother  Jacob,  in  hke  manner  the  bre- 
thren of  Joseph  plotted  against  his  inno- 
cent blood.  The  birthright-robe  we 
have  before  ventured  to  consider  as  an 
emblem  of  the  resurrection-garments  of 
the  saints,  and  we  suppose  that  a  direct 
allusion  to  the  dipping  of  Joseph's  coat 
m  the  blood  of  tke  kid  is  made  ia  the 


him,  and  could  not  speak  peaceably 
unto  him. 


expression.  Rev.  7.  14,  '  These  are  they 
which  came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and 
have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them 
white  in  theblood  oftJieLamb^'  orGr.  '  fcr/ 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb  ;'  i.  e.  by  pa- 
tiently suffering  even  unto  the  shedding 
of  tlveir  own  blood  in  the  cause  of  the 
Lamb,  and  by  the  merits  of  the  Lamb's 
blood,  they  have  entitled  themselves  to 
be  clothed  with  the  white  robes,  indica- 
tive of  the  spiritual  and  eternal  blessings 
which  belong  to  '  the  general  assembly 
and  church  of  the_^rs^-Z»or7j,  whose  names 
are  written  in  heaven.' 

4.  They  hated  Jiim.  This  result  showed 
that  Jacob  acted  unwisely  in  distinguish- 
ing Joseph  from  his  brethren  by  this 
mark  of  hi.s  regard.  It  seemed  to  be 
a  palpable,  invidious,  and  premature 
taking  away  of  the  birth-right  from 
Reuben  and  giving  it  to  the  first- 
born of  his  beloved  wife.  The  birth- 
right was  indeed  to  be  Joseph's;  and 
it  was  due  to  him  as  the  eldest  son  of 
Racliel,  when  the  first-born  son  of  Leah 
had  forfeited  it.  But,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  Joseph  was  at  once  ex- 
posed to  the  envy  of  his  brethren  by 
this  mark  of  his  father's  fondness ;  and 
the  effects  of  that  envy  cost  the  good 
old  man  many  years  of  pungent  afflic- 
tion. Parents  indeed  cannot  well  avoid 
loving  most  affectionately  those  chil- 
dren who  best  deserve  their  love,  nor  is 
it  wrong  they  should.  But  they  have 
great  need  of  caution  lest  by  impru- 
dent testimonies  of  their  regard,  they 
injure  instead  of  benefitting  the  children 
whom  they  love.  Joseph  might  have 
lived  happily  in  his  father's  house  with- 
out being  clothed  with  a  garment  oi 
divers  colors,  but  he  could  not  wear  it 
ithout  encountering  the  hatred  of  all 
s  brethren.  Yet  let  us  not  blame 
Joseph  for  accepting  this  token  of  his 


224 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


5  IT  And  Joseph  dreamed  a 
dream,  and  lie  told  ii  his  brethren  : 
and  they  hated  him  yet  the  more. 


father's  love.  It  was  not  his  province 
to  affect  wisdom  superior  to  that  of  his 
aged  parent,  nor  would  it  have  become 
him  to  suspect  all  the  evil  that  was  in 
the  hearts  of  his  brethren.  Only  the 
bad  are  ready  to  suspect  that  others  are 
bad,  till  experience  makes  them  ac- 
quainted    with    the     corruption    that 

abounds  in  the  world. IT  Could  not 

speak  peaceahh/  unto  him.  That  is,  they 
could  not  through  the  moral  inability 
growing  out  of  the  extreme  aversion  of 
their  hearts  towards  him.  Thus  3Iat. 
12.  34,  '  How  can  ye,  being  evil,  speak 
good  things  ?'  It  is  evident  at  a  glance 
that  an  inability  hke  this  is  utterly  inex- 
cusable, and  the  more  so  in  proportion 
to  the  real  worth  and  excellence  of  the 
person  towards  whom  the  hatred  exists. 
How  aggravated  then  is  the  guilt  of  that 
inability  which  prevents  sinners  from 
loving  and  serving  God  !  The  expression 
'  could  not  speak  peaceably  unto  him,' 
does  not,  as  with  us,  imply  that  they  were 
continually  quarreling  with  him,  but  they 
could  not  accost  him  in  a  friendly  man- 
ner ;  they  could  not  uish  him  well, norhes- 
tow  upon  him  the  usual  salutations  which 
were  every  where  current  among  those 
who  were  not  openly  and  avowedly  at 
variance  with  each  other.  The  original 
is  lib  — b  leshalom,  to  peace,  and  the 
Eastern  mode  of  salutation  still  is  n~"^ 
'T^  Shalom  leka,  peace  he  to  thee.  (Arab. 
salam) ;  and  as  the  invocation  of  peace 
comprehends  all  kinds  of  blessings,  tem- 
poral and  spiritual,  hence  they  are  care- 
ful not  to  utter  it  to  those  to  whom  they 
do  not  wish  well,  as  is  often  the  case 
with  the  Turks  towards  the  Christians, 
and  the  witholding  it  may  generally  be 
considered  as  a  mark  of  hostilitj,',  and  an 
evidence  that  when  an  opportunity  oc- 
curs they  will  not  scruple  to  do  you  an 
injury.  Viewed  in  this  light,  the  refu- 
sal of  Joseph's  brethren  to  exchange 


6  And  he  said  unto  them,  Hear, 
I  pray  yoii^  this  dreanr>  which  I  have 
dreamed : 


with  him  the  common  civilities  of  friends 
and  acquaintances  showed  a  very  alien- 
ated and  exasperated  stale  of  heart. 
And  this  circumstance,  taken  in  connex- 
ion with  the  sequel  of  their  conduct,  af- 
fords a  most  impressive  commentary 
upon  the  baleful  effects  of  envy,  and 
the  importance  of  checking  it  in  the 
germ.  lis  fruits,  when  they  have  had 
time  to  ripen,  are  always  deadly.  Jo- 
seph's brethren,  when  first  seized  with 
this  fiendisli  passion,  did  not  proceed  at 
once  to  the  extremes  of  cruelty.  They 
could  not,  indeed,  'speak  peaceably'  to 
him,  but  they  entertained  no  thoughts  of 
lulling  him  till  their  envy  bad  by  indul- 
gence attained  a  greater  degree  of 
strength.  Gradually,  however,  their 
malice  assumed  a  deeper  hue,  and  from 
the  character  of  their  intentions  they 
contracted  the  guilt  of  murder  before 
they  had  shed  it.  In  the  sight  of  men 
ihey  were  chargeable  with  intended 
murder  when  they  cast  Joseph  into  the 
pit ;  but  in  the  sight  of  God  they  were 
chargeable  with  this  crime  as  soon  as 
they  began  to  hate. Joseph  ;  for  '  he  that 
hateth  his  brother  in  his  heart,  is  a  mur- 
derer.' 

5.  And  Joseph  dreamed  a  dream,  &:e. 
We  take  this  verse  to  be  a  general  and 
summary  declaration  of  that  which  is 
particularly  detailed  in  the  ensuing  ver- 
ses ;  just  as  we  understand  Gen.  1.  1,  as 
a  summary  of  the  six  days'  work  after- 
ward minutely  described.  We  thus 
avoid  the  appearance  of  repetition  in 
the  sacred  writer.  .Toseph  was  destined 
to  high  honor  before  he  came  into  the 
world,  and  it  pleased  God  now  to  favor 
him  with  a  presage  of  his  exaltation  in 
a  dream  that  made  a  deep  impression  on 
his  mind.  This  might  be  expected  to 
be  the  case  with  a  dream  supernatural- 
ly  imparted.  Dreams  coming  from  God 
to    announce   future   events   would  of 


B.  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 


225 


7  For  *  behold, ^we  were^  binding       8  And  his  brethren  said  to  him, 

Shalt  thou  indepd  rei^n  over  us  1  or 
shalt  thou  indeed  have  dominion 
over  U3  ]  And  they  hated  him  yet 
the  more  for  his  dreams  and  for  his 
words. 


sheaves  in  the  field,  and  lo,  my 
sheaf  arose,  and  also  stood  upri^^ht ; 
and  behold,  your  sheaves  stood 
round  about,  and  made  obeisance 
to  my  sheaf. 

<=  ch.  42.  6,  9.  &  43.  S'l.  &  44.  14. 

cour.se  differ  in  thia  re.spect  from  such 
as  were  mere  illusions  of  the  fancy. 
When  God  spake  to  men  in  theae  noctur- 
nal visitations,  he  usually  made  his  voice 
to  be  recognized  as  his,  and  distinguish- 
ed from  the  wild  reveries  of  a  wander- 
ing imagination,  if  in  no  other  way,  at 
least  by  the  effects  which  they  produ- 
ced upon  the  minds  of  the  subject  of 
them.  Tn  the  present  instance,  the 
Most  High,  by  pre-intimating  in  dreams 
what  he  was  about  to  effect,  would 
make  it  clear,  when  the  course  of  events 
came  afterwards  to  be  reviewed,  that 
nothing  had  happened  fortuitously,  but 
every  thing  in  pursuance  of  a  previous 
plan,  liowever  intricate  and  perplexed 
the  steps  by  which  it  was  brought 
about.  Whether  Joseph  acted  wisely 
in  telling  his  dream,  may  be  question- 
ed ;  but  it  was  evidently  done  in  all  the 
simplicity  of  a  child-like  heart,  without 
the  remotest  idea  of  inflaming  a  resent- 
ment already  too  strong.  But  as  the 
dream  was  obviously  suggested  hy  God 
himself,  so  we  cannotdoubt  that  Joseph 
was  secretly  directed  by  an  overruling 
Providence  in  relating  it  For  although 
his  brethren  made  a  very  bad  use  of  it, 
yet  that  use  of  it,  such  as  it  was,  tended 
without  their  knowledge,  and  against 
their  inclination,  to  its  fulfilment.  God  I 
overrules  not  only  the  imprudence  ofi 
his  friends,  but  the  wickedness  of  his ! 
enemies,  to  the  accomplishment  of  his 

own  pleasure. ^  They  haled  him  yet 

the  more.  The  scope  of  the  dream, 
whatever  might  be  the  particular  man- 
ner of  its  fulfilment,  evidently  pointed 
to  some  kind  of  future  advancement 
and  ascendancy  destined  for  Joseph,  and 
It  is  not  unlikely  that  his  brethren  had 


a  secret  persuasion  that  it  was  prophet- 
ic. The  idea,  therefore,  that  God,  as 
well  as  Jacob,  had  determined  to  honor 
him,  provoked  them  the  more.  Such 
were  the  operations  of  malice  in  Cain 
towards  Abel,  in  Esau  towards  Jacob, 
in  Saul  towards  David,  and  in  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  towards  the  Lord 
of  glory. 

7-  Behold,  we  were  hindin/r  sheaves,  <fcc. 
The  imagery  employed  in  this  dream 
was  not  drawTi  from  objects  or  occupa- 
tions with  which  Jacob's  sons,  a  family 
of  nomades,  were  most  familiar,  nor  did 
Joseph  himself  yet  know  that  his  exalt- 
ation was  to  be  procured  by  the  inter- 
pretation of  another  dream  respecting 
the  fruits  of  the  earth,  or  that  his  breth- 
ren were  to  bow  down  to  him  for  a  sup- 
ply of  that  precious  commodity.  The 
propriety  and  beauty  of  the  images  used 
in  the  lansruage  of  prophecy,  are  best 
understood  when  the  prophecies  are  ac- 
complished. 

8.  And  his  hrethren  said  to  him,  Shalt 
thou,  &.C.  The  general  signification  of 
this  dream  was  very  obvious.  Joseph's 
brethren  undoubtedly  perceived  it  at 
once,  as  clearly  as  Joseph  himself,  if 
not  more  so.  '  What,'  say  they,  '  do 
you  imagine  that  all  of  us  will  ever  bow 
down  to  you?  Shall  we  be  subject  to 
our  own  younger  brother  ?  Has  he  the 
presumption  to  hope  that  we  ever  shall  ?' 
Moved  with  the  same  indignant  feel- 
ings with  which  our  Saviour  informs 
us  that  he  himself  would  be  received, 
they  say,  in  effect,  'We  will  not  have 
this  man  to  rule  over  us.'  Such  is  our 
native  pride  and  stoutness  of  spirit,  that 
we  cannot  bear  the  thought  of  being 
subject  to  tho.se   who  have   been  our 


223 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


9  IT  And  he  dreamed  yet  anoth- 
er dream,  and  told  it  his  brethren, 
and  said,  Behold,  I  have  dreamed  a 
dream  m.ore  :  and  behold  *"  the  sun 
and  the  moon  and  the  eleven  stars 
made  obeisance  to  me. 

10  And  he  told  it  to  his  father, 

f  ch.  46.  20. 


equals  or  inferiors.  But  let  us  remem- 
ber that  'promotion  cometh  not  from 
the  south,  nor  from  the  east,  nor  from 
the  west ;  it  is  the  Lord  that  putteth 
down  one,  and  setteth  up  another ;  and 
who  shall  stay  his  hand,  or  say  unto 
him,  Whatdoest  thou  ?' 

9.  He  dreamed  yet  another  dream.  This 
second  dream,  which  is  evidently  of  the 
same  import  with  the  first,  though  rep- 
resenting his  exaltation  by  brighter  co- 
lors, was  vouchsafed,  doubtless,  with  a 
view  to  confirm  the  certainty  oi  the  event 
predicted.  The  same  reason  was  after- 
ward assigned  by  Joseph  for  the  dupli- 
cation of  Pharaoh's  dreara,  Gen.  41.  32, 
'  And  for  that  the  dream  was  doubled 
unto  Pharaoh  twice  ;  it  is  because  the 
thing  is  established  by  God  ;'  i.  e.  most 
firmly  fixed  in  tlie  divine  determination. 
If  the  narrator  was  envied  by  his  breth- 
ren when  they  heard  the  former  dream, 
it  was  to  be  expected  that  their  spirits 
would  be  kindled  into  rage  when  they 
heard  this  also.  'God  speaketh  once, 
yea  twice,  unto  men  ;  but  man  perceiv- 
eth  it  not.'  Here  we  find  men  so  far 
from  perceiving  what  God  said,  when 
they  heard  it  twice,  that  they  were  fill- 
ed with  the  blackest  malice  against  the 
child  who  told  them  what  God  had  spo- 
ken to  him.  Hatred  and  envy  turn 
good  into  evil,  and  fill  the  minds  of  wick- 
ed men  with  an  irreconcileable  aversion 
to  the  word  and  the  providence  of  God. 
If  Joseph's  dreams  had  been  the  mere 
rovings  of  the  fancy  in  sleep,  they  were 
not  worth  the  minding ;  but  if  they  were 
indeed  from  God,  and  signified  the  fu- 
ture advancement  of  Joseph,  his  breth- 
ren sinned  not  only  against  the  lad,  but 


and  to  his  brethren  :  and  his  fither 
rebuked  him,  and  said  unto  him, 
What  is  this  dream  that  thou  hast 
dreamed?  Shall  I  and  thy  mother 
and  ff  thy  brethren  indeed  come  to 
how  down  ourselves  to  thee  to  the 
earth ' 

g  ch.  27.  29 

against  the  Lord  himself,  when  they 
were  displeased  with  them.  What 
were  they  that  they  should  resist  or 
make  light  of  the  counsels  of  the  Most 

High  ? ^  The  sun  and  the  moon  and 

the  eleven  stars  made  obeisance  to  me. 
Rather,  '  eleven  stars'  simply.  There 
is  nothing  in  the  original  to  require  or 
warrant  the  use  of  the  article  '  the'  in 
our  translation.  The  scope  of  the 
dream  was  in  the  main  the  same  with 
that  of  the  former.  But  in  order  to  se- 
cure greater  regard  to  the  oracle,  the 
scenery  is  laid  in  heaven.  Joseph's 
brethren  had  made  hght  of  the  vision  of 
the  sheaves  growing  upon  the  earth ; 
God  now  directs  their  view  to  the  lumi- 
naries above,  as  something  which  would 
more  forcibly  seize  their  attention  and 
inspire  reverence. 

10-  And  his  father  rebuked  him,  and 
said  unto  him,  &c.  .Tacob  himself  no 
doubt  entertained  different  views  from 
his  sons  concerning  Joseph's  dreams, 
though  he  seems,  from  motives  of  poli- 
cy, to  have  affected  to  treat  them  with 
contempt.  It  is  said  in  immediate  con- 
nexion, V.  11,  that  'his  father  observed 
the  saying ;'  i.  e.  pondered  the  dreams 
in  his  heart.  He  thought  it  possible,  if 
not  certain,  that  they  came  from  God  ; 
and  if  so,  they  merited  the  closest  at- 
tention; for  God  says  nothing  that  is 
false  or  unimportant.  In  his  reproof, 
therefore,  he  meant  not  so  much  to 
check  vanity  or  ambition  in  Joseph 
himself,  as  to  dispel  the  hostile  feeling.s 
of  his  other  children,  who  were  filled 
with  indignation  against  him.  But  it 
may  be  questioned  whether  in  thus  ap- 
parently siding  with  them,  he  took  the 


B.  C.  1729.1 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


11  And  ^  his  bretliren  envied 
him ;  but  his  father  •  observed  the 
saying. 

12  U  And  his  brethren  went  to 
feed  tJieir  father's  flock  in  She- 
chem. 

b  Acts  7.  9.     I  Dan.  7.  23.  Luke  2. 19.  .51. 


fairest  or  wisest  method  to  allay  the 
fierce  passions  that  threatened  the  re- 
pose and  safety  of  his  favorite  son.  He 
seems  rather  to  have  given  too  much 
countenance  to  their  ill  nature  and  to 
have  furnished  them  with  a  fair  pretence 
for  alleging  that  Joseph's  dreams  were 
the  fruit  of  his  own  pride,  and  not  the 

dictates  of  the  Spirit  of  God. -IT  Shall 

land  thy  mother  and  thy  brethren  how 
down  to  thee  ?  A  very  natural  exposi- 
tion is  here  given  of  the  dream  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  suggest  that  it  could  not 
he  accomplished.  The  head  of  a  fami- 
ly might,  in  figurative  language,  be  rep- 
resented hy  the  sun ;  the  mother  and 
mistress  of  a  family  by  the  moon  ;  and 
Ihe  children  of  a  family  by  the  stars. 
Thus  Achmet,  the  Persian,  in  his  Oneir- 
ocriticon,  or  work  on  the  interpretation  of 
dreams,  explained  according  to  the  sense 
of  the  ancient  Persian  and  Grecian  magi, 
says,  '  If  any  one  dream  that  he  com- 
mands all  the  stars,  (it  signifies)  that  he 
will  rule  over  all  people.'  (Held eg.  Hist. 
Pat.  vol.  2.  p.  583).  But  according  to 
this  interpretation,  it  had  the  appearance 
of  absurdity.  Joseph  would  not  wish 
nor  expect  that  his  father  should  do  him 
obeisance.  It  would  be  strange  too  if 
his  brethren,  who  were  all  older  than 
himself,  did  all  bow  down  to  him ;  and  it 
was  impossible  that  his  mother  could  do 
it,  who  was  already  in  her  grave.  But  it 
is  not  necessary  to  the  accomplishment 
of  a  dream,  that  every  object  which  pre- 
sented itself  to  the  fancy  should  have 
something  correspondent  to  it  in  the 
event,  but  only  that  the  general  idea 
should  agree  with  what  was  afterwards 
to  happen.  Thus  in  parables,  it  would 
be    unreasonable    to    seek    a    distinct 


227 

13  And  Israel  said  unto  Joseph, 
Do  not  thy  brethren  feed  the  flock 
in  Shecliem?  Come,  and  I  will 
send  thee  unto  them.  And  he  said 
to  him,  Here  am  I. 

14  And  he  said  to  him,  Go,  I 
pray  thee,  see  whether  it  be  well 


meaning  for  every  circumstance  em- 
ployed in  stating  and  adorning  them. 
It  is  certain  that  Rachel  could  not  bow 
down  to  Joseph,  nor  is  it  absolutely  cer- 
tain that  any  of  Jacob's  wives  went 
down  with  him  to  Egypt ;  but  it  is  cer- 
tain that  Jacob  himself  paid  homage  to 
Joseph,  Gen,  43.  II,  before  he  knew 
that  he  was  alive,  and  that  after  he  did 
know  it  he  depended  upon  him  for  sup- 
port. This  was  suflicient  to  justify  the 
pertinency  of  the  dream.  The  words 
of  God,  if  rightly  understood,  will  be 
found  faithful  and  true  ;  but  we  are  not 
to  think  that  he  is  under  any  obligation 
to  verify  the  comments  which  we  may 
put  upon  them. IT  Observed  the  say- 
ing. Heb.  ^mn  TiSi  ^)2n  shamar  eih 
haddahar,  kept  the  word,  or  the  matter ; 
i.  e.  laid  it  to  heart,  reflected  deeply 
upon  it.  Thus  it  is  said  of  Mary,  the 
mother  of  Jesus,  Luke  2.  19,  51,  '  But 
I\rary  kept  all  these  things,  and  pondered 
them  in  her  heart.'  So  also,  Dan.  7, 
28,  '  As  for  me,  Daniel,  my  cogitations 
much  troubled  me,  and  my  countenance 
changed  in  me  ;  but  I  kept  the  matter  in 
my  heart.' 

12.  Went  to  feed  their  father's  flock  in 
Shechem.  The  vale  of  Hebron,  where 
Jacob  now  was,  did  not  perhaps  con- 
tain sufficient  pasturage  for  his  flocks. 
It  was  at  or  near  Shechem  that  Jacob 
had  formerly  bought  a  piece  of  ground. 
Gen.  33.  19,  the  right  to  which  he 
doubtless  still  retained ;  and  this  was 
probably  the  reason  of  sending  hither 
his  flocks,  though  the  distance  from 
Hebron  was  sixty  miles. 

14.  See  whether  it  he  well  with  thy  bre- 
thren. Heb.  tDlblU  tlX  flit"!  ^emA  eth 
shaJom,  see  the  peace,  or  the  welfare ;  i.  e. 


228 


GENESIS. 


[B.C.  1729. 


with  thy  brethren,  and  well  with 
the  flocks ;  and  bring  me  word 
again.  So  he  sent  him  out  of  the 
vale  of  ^  Hebron,  and  he  came  to 
Shechem. 

15  IF  And  a  certain  man  found 
him,  and  behold,  he  icas  wandering 
in  the  field:  and  the  man  asked 
him,  saying,  What  seekest  thou  1 

k  ch.  35.  27. 


16  And  he  said,  I  seek  my  breth- 
ren :  ^  tell  me,  I  pray  thee,  where 
they  ieed.  their  flocks. 

17  And  the  man  said,  They  are 
departed  hence  :  for  I  heard  them 
say,  Let  us  go  to  Dothan.  And 
Joseph  went  after  his  brethren,  and 
found  them  in  '"  Dothan. 

18  And  when  they  sav/  him  afar 

'  Cant.  1,  7.        m  2  Kinps  G.  13. 


go  and  see  how  it  fares  with  thy  bre- 
thren and  the  flocks.  Though  enter 
taining  a  peculiar  regard  for  the  best  of 
his  sons,  yet  the  w-elfare  of  all  of  them 
was  dear  to  Jacob,  and  from  former  oc- 
currences. Gen.  34.  25 — 31,  he  would 
naturally  suppose  that  Shechera  would 
be  a  place  of  dangerous  neighborhood. 
The  former  inhabitants  of  the  place  had 
indeed  been  destroyed,  but  the  memory 
of  that  bloody  transaction  no  doubt  still 
lived  over  that  whole  vicinity,  and  no- 
thing was  more  natural,  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, than  the  father's  anxiety 
respecting  his  children.  He  accord- 
ingly sends  Joseph  to  bring  him  intelli- 
gence of  their  condition.  How  little  did 
either  father  or  son  think  of  the  conse- 
quences of  that  paternal  mission  !  Jo- 
seph leaves  his  father's  house  never, 
never,  to  return  to  it  more  !  Who  can 
tell  what  a  day  may  bring  forth  ?  The 
last  meeting,  the  last  parting ;  the  last 
coming  in  and  going  out ;  the  last  time 
of  speaking  and  of  hearing  ;  the  last  of 
every  thing  will  soon  overtake  us  all! 

15.  A  certain  man  found  him,  &c.  Jo- 
seph did  not  find  it  so  easy  as  he  had 
supJDOsed  to  gain  the  intelligence  which 
liis  father  desired.  His  brethren  were 
not  in  Shechem  ;  but  he  did  not  return 
to  tell  his  father  that  they  could  not  be 
found.  He  knew  the  patriarch's  anx- 
iety, and  felt  himself  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  his  brethren.  He  therefore 
holds  on  his  way  in  quest  of  them,  and 
after  wandering  about  for  some  time  in 
the  field,  that  is,  in  the  reglonor  country 
adjacent  to  Shechera,  he  falls  in  with  a 


stranger,  one  acquainted  w'ith  the  fami- 
ly, who  informs  him  that  they  had  in  all 
probability  gone  to  Dothan.  Thither, 
accordingly,  he  goes  without  delay,  and 
there  meets  with  his  brethren,  though 
he  found  too  mucli  reason,  for  the  pres- 
ent, to  lament  his  success.  But  of  this 
more  in  the  sequel.  Dothan  was  situa- 
ted from  eight  to  twelve  miles  north 
of  Samaria  (Sebaste),  which  was  six 
miles  beyond  Shechem,  in  going  from 
Jerusalem  ;  so  that  it  was  about  seven- 
teen miles  north  of  Shechem,  and  near 
Mount  Gilboa,  making  the  whole  dis- 
tance from  Hebron  at  least  seventy 
miles.  ■ 

IS.  And  when  they  saw  him  afar  off, 
&c. — they  conspired  against  him.  Heb. 
I^S^rr^  yithnakkelu,  they  craftily  conspi- 
red. Gr.  e-ovnpcvovTo,  they  malignantly 
plotted.  The  original  Term  occurs  also 
Ps.  105.  25,  in  reference  to  the  conduct 
of  the  Egyptians  towards  Israel;  'He 
turned  their  hearts  to  hate  his  people, 
to  deal  suhtilly  C-'Z'T^n  hithnakkel)  with 
his  servants.'  So  also  Num.  25.  18,  res- 
pecting the  insidious  plots  of  the  Midian- 
ites  ;  '  For  they  vex  you  with  their  wiles 
(Sn'^bw^n  heniklehem)  wherewith  they 
have  beguiled  you  (ibSl  nikkela).'  We 
read  of  very  cruel  actions  performed,  in 
different  ages,  by  the  degenerate  sons 
of  Adam,  but  it  would  not  be  easy  to 
find  a  parallel  in  history  to  the  cruel  in- 
tentions and  the  cruel  conduct  of  Jo- 
seph's brethren.  Cain  was  of  that  wick- 
ed one,  and  slew  his  brother,  and  has 
left  a  name  of  infamy  to  all  the  genera- 
tions of  mankind.     But  where  shall  we 


JB.  K..  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


229 


offj  even  before  he  came  near  un- 
to them,  °  they  conspired  against 
him  to  slay  him. 

19  And  they  said  one  to  another, 
Behold  this  dreamer  cometh. 

n  1  Sam.  19.  1.  ?3.  31.  13.  &  37. 12,  32. 
fo  94.  21.  Matt.  27.  1.  Mark  14.  1.  John 
11.53.     Acts  23.  12. 


find  nine  men  conspiring  at  once  to  kill 
a  brother — a  brother  whose  amiable 
qualities  deserved  their  warmest  love 
— a  brother  who  tenderly  loved  them, 
and  was  in  the  very  act  of  showing  his 
love  to  them  at  the  time  when  their  fu- 
ry broke  loose  upon  him  !  Joseph  had 
too  good  reason,  as  David  afterwards 
had,  to  say  in  the  person  of  Christ, '  For 
my  love  they  are  mine  adversaries.' 
The  bare  sight  of  him  at  a  distance,  re- 
kindles all  the  foul  passions  that  had  be- 
fore rankled  in  their  breasts,  and  though 
crime  is  usually  gradual  in  approaching 
its  crisis,  yet  here  the  very  first  proposal 
is  murder  !  Joseph,  on  the  other  hand, 
little  thinking  what  they  were  plotting 
against  him,  draws  nigh,  in  the  fulness 
of  his  affectionate  heart,  overjoyed  af- 
ter ail  his  wanderings  and  anxieties,  to 
catch  a  sight  of  his  brothers,  with  their 
tents  and  their  flocks,  afar  ofT.  IIow 
easy  is  it  to  imagine  the  tear  of  tender- 
ness falHng  from  his  eye,  while  he  de- 
livers his  father's  greeting,  and  tells  the 
tale  of  his  disappointments  and  mistakes 
on  the  road,  and  to  see  his  countenance 
flushed  with  delight  at  the  thought  of 
being  again  among  friends,  of  having 
once  more  a  protector.  But  alas  !  what 
a  fearful  revulsion  were  his  feelings  des- 
tined soon  to  experience  !  What  pangs, 
like  those  of  death,  must  have  pierced 
him,  when,  instead  of  meeting  the  kind 
reception  which  he  had  anticipated,  he 
finds  himself  attacked  by  assassins  in 
the  persons  of  brothers  ! 

19.  Behold  this  dreamer  cometh.  Heb. 
Til^^bf^n  'b'$'2  ^cLol  hahalomoth,  lord  or 
master  of  dreams  ;  a  phraseology  imply- 
ing habitual  usage  or  addictedness.  See 
Note  on  Gen.  14.  13.  It  was,  therefore, 
VOL.  II. 


20  °  Come  now  therefore,  and 
let  us  slay  him,  and  cast  him  into 
some  pit ;  and  we  will  say,  Some  evil 
beast  hath  devoured  him  ;  and  we 
shall  see  wiiat  will  become  of  his 
dreams. 

o  Prov.  I.  11,  IG.  &  6,  17.  8c  27.  4. 


a  contemptuous  and  taunting  epithet, 
implying  not  merely  the  simple  fact  of 
his  dreaming  dreams,  but  his  making, 
as  it  were,  a  trade  of  it.  So  his  breth- 
ren in  Jacob's  prophecy,  Gen.  49.  23, 
are  called  '  lords  of  arrows,'  Eng.  '  ar- 
chers,' from  their  habitual  evil  practices 
against  Joseph.  But  why  were  they 
so  much  piqued  at  his  dreams  ?  Had 
they  deemed  them  no  more  than  mere 
illusions  of  the  brain,  the  wandering 
images  which  float  through  the  mind  in 
the  hours  of  sleep,  thsy  would  doubtless 
have  suffered  them  to  pass  away  from 
their  memories  like  other  vanities  of 
which  they  took  no  account.  But  it  is 
plain  that  they  considered  them  as  inti- 
mations of  the  purpose  of  heaven,  and 
as  such  they  were  bent  upon  frustrating 
them.  Instead  of  merely  aiming  to 
hmnble  the  arrogance  of  a  presumptu- 
ous boy,  who  fondly  dreamed  of  rising 
into  honors  above  his  equals  or  superi- 
ors, they  in  reality  declare  their  inten- 
tion to  thwart  the  counsels  of  Omnipo- 
tence. We  may  be  amazed  at  such 
hardihood,  but  as  long  as  we  have  upon 
record  the  infatuation  of  Pharaoh,  of 
Saul,  of  Herod,  and  of  the  conspiracy 
of  the  Jews  against  Christ,  we  cannot 
deem  it  incredible. 

20.  Let  us  slay  him,  and  cast  him  into 
some  pit,  &c.  This  is  their  device  for 
securing  themselves  from  the  reproach 
of  the  world  and  the  indignation  of  their 
father.  But  wliere  were  they  to  find  a 
pit  deep  enough  to  hide  their  crime  from 

the   eye  of  the   All-Seeing  ? "T  And 

we  will  say,  &c.  Lying  seldom  fails  to 
accompany  other  sins.  One  sin  needs 
another  to  guard  it  from  detection  ;  and 
he  who  can  commit  any  gross  crime 
20 


230 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C. 1720 


21  And  p  Reuben  heard  it,  and 
he  delivered  him  out  of  their  hands  ; 
and  said,  Let  us  not  kill  him. 

'22  And  Reuben  said  unto  them, 

p  ch.  42.  22. 


Shed  no  blood,  hut  cast  him  into 
this  pit  that  is  in  the  wilderness, 
and  lay  no  hand  upon  him  ;  that  he 
micrht  rid  him  out  of  their  hands,  to 
deliver  him  to  his  father  aofain. 


will  not  scruple  to  utter  a  hundred  lies 
to  protect  himself  from  the  shame  to 
which  his  conduct  exposes  him.  If  we 
would  avoid  the  temptations  to  the  lying 
lips  which  God  abhors,  let  us  beware  of 
other  sins. 

21.  And  Reuben  heard  it,  and  he  deliv- 
ered him  out  of  their  hands.  The  word 
'delivered,'  in  this  connexion, is  design- 
ed to  express  the  intention  rather  than 
the  act  of  delivering  him.  He  resolved 
within  himself  to  deliver  him ;  or  at 
least  to  do  his  utmost  towards  it.  This 
is  an  idiom  of  frequent  occurrence  in 
Hebrew.  Thus  Josh.  24.  9.  '  Then  Ba- 
lak  the  son  of  Zippor,  king  of  Moab, 
arose  and  warred  against  Israel.'  But 
we  do  not  find,  from  any  part  of  the 
history,  that  Balak  engaged  in  actual 
conflict  with  Israel.  He  is  said,  there- 
fore, to  have  warred  against  them,  be- 
cause he  intended  it,  because  he  cher- 
ished a  hostile  purpose,  and  made  his 
preparations  accordingly.  Thus  too, 
Ex.  6.  IS,  'And  the  magicians  did  so 
with  their  enchantments  ;'  i  e.  attempt- 
ed to  do  so.  i^ee  Note  in  loc.  Ps.  63. 
4,  (Heb.)  'They  that  destroy  me  are 
mighty  ;'  i.  e.  (Eng.)  they  that  would 
destroy  me.  Ezek.  24.  ]3,  'Because 
I  have  purged  thee,  and  thou  wast  not 
purired  ;'  i.  e.  I  u^ould  have  purged  thee. 
Gal.  5.  4,  'Christ  is  become  of  none 
effect  unto  you,  whosoever  of  you  are 
justified  by  the  law ;'  i.  e.  who  would 
be  justified,  who  seek  to  be  justified. 

^  And  said;  i.  e.  said  to  himself. 

This  verse,  v,'e  apprehend,  expresses 
merely  what  passed  in  Reuben's  mind: 
the   next   acquaints   us   with   what  he 

said  to  his  brethren. ^  Let  us  not 

nil  him.  Heb.  w£;  -.2^;  t<V  lo  nalkenii 
nephesh,  let  lis  not  smite  him  {as  to  his) 
soul ;  i.  e.  his  life:  so  a?  to  take  awav 


his  life.  In  like  manner,  Jer.  40.  14, 
'Dost  thou  certainly  know  that  Baahs 
the  king  of  the  Ammonites  hath  sent— 
to  slay  thee:  (Ileb.  '^'^^  "irZub  ?t7mA: 
kotheJca  nephesh,  to  smile  thee  as  to  thy 
soul  or  life).  Comp.  in  the  original 
Deut.  19.  6,  11.  Num.  35.  11,  15.  Lev. 
24.  17,  18.  Gen.  19.  17. 

22.  And  Reubni  said  unto  them,  Shed 
no  blood,  &c.  From  what  vi-e  have  for- 
merly read  of  Reuben,  Gen.  35.  '22,  we 
should  not  perhaps  be  surprised  to  find 
him  foremost  in  any  scene  of  wicked- 
ness that  might  be  projected  by  the  sons 
of  Jacob.  But  let  not  the  worst  of  men 
be  held  worse  than  they  really  are.  We 
here  behold  him  the  only  dissentient  in 
this  council  of  blood.  He  was  no  doubt 
sincerely  anxious  to  save  Josepii,  for  the 
sake  of  his  father  whose  life  he  knew  was 
bound  up  in  that  of  the  lad.  Having  for- 
merly himself  pierced  the  heart  of  his 
father  with  a  v>"ound  which  could  never 
be  healed,  charity  requires  us  to  suppose 
he  had  repented  of  his  wickedness,  and 
now  wishes  to  make  his  father  all  the 
compensation  in  his  power.  He  could 
not  undo  what  had  been  done,  but  it 
would  certainly  be  doing  an  eminent 
.'service  to  Jacob,  could  he  save  the  life 
of  his  best-belovod  sou.  But  Reuben 
knew  that  it  would  be  of  no  avail  to 
protest  with  a  loud  voice  against  the 
meditated  crime.  Though  he  was  the 
elder  brother,  and  his  opinion  on  that 
I  account  entitled  to  the  greater  weight, 
yet  he  sees  them  so  madly  resolved 
I  upon  their  purpose  that  it  would  be  in 
;  vain  directly  to  remonstrate  against  it. 
I  He  therelbre  takes  a  way  that  appears 
to  him  more  effectual  to  defeat  its 
execution.  He  pretends  not  to  oppose 
the  pi-ojoctod  measure,  but  alleges  that 
it  would  be  unnatural  to  Iny  hajids  np 


B.  C.  172L).j 


CHAPTER  XXXVLl. 


231 


23  IT  And  it  came  to  pass  when 
Joseph  was  come  unto  his  brethren, 
that  they  stript  Joseph  out  of  his 


on  him,  and  proposes  to  put  iiim  into  a 
pit,  whence  he  might  be  prevented  mak- 
ing his  escape  til!  he  died.  We  should 
hardly  have  thought  that  his  proposi- 
tion would  be  acceded  to.  It  was  evi- 
dently worse  to  kill  him  with  hunger  in 
a  pit,  by  a  lingering  death,  than  to  dis- 
patch him  at  once.  They  could  not 
think  their  guilt  would  be  diminished  by 
this  barbarous  mode  of  perpetrating  the 
crime.  But  as  they  would  thus  spare 
their  eyes  the  sight  of  blood  shed  by 
their  own  hands,  they  suffer  their  in- 
fatuated minds  to  be  imposed  upon  by 
this  false  show  of  mercy,  and  by  an  act 
which  really  made  their  crime  greater, 
rendered  their  remorse  for  the  present 
less.  So  strangelydoes  wickedness  blind 
men's  minds  to  the  plainest  truths  !  But 
the  result  was  that  Reuben  prevailed  to 

obtain  a  respite  for  Joseph. ^  That 

lie  might  rid  him,  &c.  That  is,  in  order 
that;  to  the  end  that.  The  drift  of  his 
counsel  was,  that  at  some  convenient 
opportunity  he  might  restore  him  to  his 
father. 

23.  Thei/  stripped  Joseph  out  of  his 
coat,  &e.  All  that  had  hitherto  taken  place 
occurred  as  Joseph  was  approaching. 
No  sooner  does  he  arrive  than  they  dis- 
cover the  foul  passions  which  had  poison- 
ed their  hearts.  With  relentless  hands 
they  fall  upon  him,  and  disrobe  him  of  his 
odious  coat  of  many  colors.  How  dearly 
did  he  purchase  this  honor,  bestowed 
upon  him  by  his  father !  They  no 
doubt  considered  it  as  an  insult  to  them- 
selves, that  he  came  to  thom  decked 
with  this  trophy  of  his  superior  standing 
in  the  patriarch's  regard.  But  if  they 
had  any  reason  to  be  offended,  why 
was  not  their  father  the  object  of  their 
resentment  ?  The  truth  is,  their  treat- 
ment of  him  on  account  of  his  coatwas 
an  aggravation  of  their  guilt,  though 
they  might  have  supposed  an  extenua- 


coat,  his  coat  of  mariy  colours  that 
was  on  him. 

24  And  they  took  him,  and  cast 


tion  or  justification.  His  robe,  the  evi- 
I  dence  of  Jacob's  tender  regard,  might 
have  reminded  them  that  to  murder  Jo- 
seph was  in  effect  to  murder  their  fa- 
ther. If  it  would  not  deprive  him  of 
life,  it  would  deprive  him  of  the  comfort 
of  life,  and  fill  up  the  rest  of  his  days 
with  bitterness  and  sorrow. 

21.  Cast  him  into  a  pit.  The  original 
word  is  sometimes  rendered  'cistern,'  a 
term  applied  to  hollow  reservoirs  excava- 
ted out  of  the  solid  rock  for  the  purpose  of 
holding  rain  water,  or  to  natural  cavities 
ccmtaining  fountains,  which  were  often 
walled  up  with  stone  to  prevent  the  wa- 
ter from  escaping.  Tliese  'pits'  or  'cis- 
terns,' from  earthquakes  or  other  acci- 
dents, were  sometimes  broken,  so  that 
they  could  no  longer  answer  the  end  for 
which  they  were  constructed.  In  allu- 
sion to  this  it  is  said,  Jer.  2.  13,  'They 
have  hewed  them  out  pits,  (Eng.  'cis- 
terns,') broken  pits,  which  can  hold  no 
water.'  In  such  cases  they  were  often 
employed  as  prisons  or  dungeons  for  the 
confinement  of  criminals.  It  was  into 
a  vault  of  this  kind  that  the  prophet 
Jeremiah  was  thrust,  at  the  instigation 
of  his  enemies,  Jer.  33.  6.  And  such, 
doubtless,  was  the  '  pit'  or  '  cistern'  into 
which  Joseph  was  now  put  by  his  bre- 
thren. From  such  receptacles  figura- 
tively considered,  does  the  Lord  deliver 
his  people.  Zech.  9.  11,  'I  have  sent 
forth  thy  prisoners  out  of  the  pit  wherein 
is  no  water.'  In  view  of  this  horrid 
cruelty  how  clear  is  it  that  the  demons 
of  envy  and  revenge  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  their  hearts.  In  vain  he  weeps, 
in  vain  he  prays,  in  vain  employs  the 
tender  names  of  father  and  brother  to 
win  their  pity.  For  it  was  at  this  time, 
as  they  afterwards  confessed  in  the 
Egyptian  prison.  Gen.  42.  21,  that  they 
'  saw  the  anguish  of  his  soul,  when  he 
besought   them,  and  they  would  not 


232 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


him   into   a  pit:    and  the  pit  was 
empt}'-,  there  was  no  water  in  it. 

25  "^And  they  sat  down  to  eat 
bread  :  and  they  Hfted  up  their  eyes 
and  looked,  and  behold,  a  company 

1  Prov.  30. 20.    Amos.  6.  G. 


hear.'  Now  too  it  was  that  Reuben 
shrunk  from  his  own  counsel  and  inter- 
ceded in  his  behalf,  saying,  '  Do  not  sin 
against  the  child.'  But  all  is  unavail- 
ing. They  immure  him  in  the  pit,  and 
leave  him,  without  raiment,  food,  or 
drink,  to  his  fate.  But  Joseph  would 
learn,  in  this  dreary  cavern,  to  bear  those 
other  sufferings  that  were  allotted  to 
him.  He  was  sold  to  foreign  merchants. 
He  was  carried  into  a  strange  land,  to 
be  again  sold  as  a  slave.  He  was  cast 
into  a  prison  where  he  lay  for  several 
years.  But  the  remembrance  of  the  pit 
wherein  was  no  water,  and  of  his  fruit- 
less cries  for  relief,  would  make  him 
think,  under  all  these  circumstances  of 
distress,  that  it  was  not  so  bad  as  it 
might  have  been,  and  as  it  once  actually 
was. 

25.  They  sat  down  to  eat  bread.  This 
denotes  something  more  than  the  par- 
taking of  an  ordinary  repast.  As  the 
children  of  Israel  after  forming  the  gol- 
den calf  in  the  wilderness,  are  said  to 
have  '^sat  dovm  to  eat  and  rose  up  to 
play,'  or,  j«i  other  words,  to  have  given 
themselves  up  to  revelling  and  riot,  so 
in  the  present  case,  in  order  to  stifle  the 
workings  of  conscience  in  their  bosoms, 
Joseph's  brethren  probably  sat  down  to 
a  joyous  feast,  eating,  drinking,  and 
making  merry,  regardless  of  the  tears 
and  anguish  of  the  victim  of  their  envy. 
In  allusion  to  his  unfeeling  conduct  of 
Joseph's  brethren,  the  prophet,  Am.  6. 
6,  utters  a  severe  denunciation  against 
those  who  'eat  the  lambs  out  of  the 
flock,  and  the  calves  of  the  midst  of  the 
stall,  who  drink  wine  in  bowls,  and 
anoint  themselves  with  the  chief  oint- 
ments ;  hut  are  not  grieved  for  the  afflic- 
tion of  Joseph.'    The  sacred  historian 


of  •■  Ishmaelltes  came  from  Gilead, 
with  their  camels  bearing  spicery, 
and  '  balm,  and  rnyrrli,  going  to  car- 
ry it  down  to  Egypt. 


r  ver.  23.  3G. 


8  Jer.  8.  23. 


in  recording  this  atrocious  conduct  of 
Joseph's  brethren,  affixes  a  brand  of 
perpetual  infamy  upon  the  founders  of  his 
race.  In  this  he  gives  a  proof  of  his  fidel- 
ity, which  is  in  itself  an  irrefragable  proof 
of  inspiration.  An  impostor  would  have 
spared  the  reputation  of  his  ancestors. 

^  Beheld  a  company  of  Ishmaelites. 

Heb.  Q"ib5<2??2'iJ"'  tT]"]^  orchath  yish- 
maelim,  a  wayfaring  band  of  Ishmaelites  ; 
i.  e.  a  caravan.  Gr.  oSoiropoi  l(X[xar]\iTat, 
journeying  Ishmaelites.  dial.  '  A  troop 
of  Arabians.'  The  probability  is  that  it 
is  the  same  company  of  men  who  are 
here  called  '  Ishmaelites ;'  in  v.  28, 
Midianites,'  and  in  v.  36,  (Heb.)  '  Meda- 
nites  ;'  this  diversity  of  appellation  be- 
ing designed  to  intimate  that  they  were 
a  mixed  people,  made  up  of  different 
races,  and  perhaps  for  that  reason  called 
in  the  Chal.  '  Arabians,'  which  signifies 
mixed.  'Here,'  says  Dr.  Vincent, 
(Com.  and  Nav.  of  the  Anc.  vol.  2.  p. 
262),  'upon  opening  the  oldest  history 
in  the  world,  we  find  the  Ishmaelites 
from  Gilead  conducting  a  caravan  loaded 
with  the  spices  of  India,  the  balsam  and 
myrrh  of  Iladramaut;  and  in  the  regu- 
lar course  of  their  traffic  proceeding  to 
Egypt  for  a  market.  The  date  of  this 
transaction  is  more  than  seventeen  cen- 
turies before  the  Christian  era,  and  not- 
withstanding its  antiquity,  it  has  all  the 
genuine  features  of  a  caravan  crossing 
the  Desart  at  the  present  hour.'  The 
route  of  these  Ishmaelites  towards 
Egypt  may  be  easily  traced.  They 
pas.sed  the  Jordan,  which  is  fordable  in 
many  places  during  the  summer  months, 
then  took  their  way  through  the  valley 
of  Jezreel  or  Esdraelon,  which  lay  but 
little  northward  from  Dothan — a  valley 
running  from  east  to  west,  and  leading 


JS.  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


233 


26  And  Judali  said  unto  his  bre-  \  slay  our  brother,  and  '  conceal  his 
thren,    What    profit    is    it   if  we   blood? 

«ch.  4. 10.     vev.20.     Job.  16. 18. 


from  the  Jordan,  in  tlie  most  convenient 
way,  to  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean. 
Hence  they  could  journey  in  the  safest 
and  most  speedy  manner  to  Egypt. 
Had  they  taken  the  other  route  through 
Hebron,  where  Jacob  hved,  the  bre- 
thren of  Joseph  would  scarcely  have 
thought  of  selling  him  to  the  Ishmael- 
ites.  As  to  the  articles  which  they 
were  now  carrying  to  Egypt,  we  may 
remark  that  the  word  translated  spicery 
(rSsilar  neTcolh)  is  supposed  to  signify  a 
peculiar  species  of  resinous  gum  called 
'  Styrax'  or  'Storax.'  This  is  the  most 
fragrant  of  all  the  solid  resins,  and  in- 
deed of  all  known  vegetable  substances. 
It  is  obtained  from  a  tree  of  the  same 
name,  said  still  to  grow  most  plentifully' 
in  Syria,  Cilicia,  and  Pamphilia.  The 
pure  native  juice,  floVv  ing  from  incisions 
made  in  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  and  call- 
ed 'storax  in  the  tear,'  is  rarely  met 
with,  as  the  odoriferous  parts  are  soon 
dissipated  by  evaporation.  The  com- 
mon storax  obtained  of  the  druggists  is 
mixed  with  saw-dust  enough  to  thicken 
it  and  reduce  it  to  a  consistent  mass. 
Its  use  is  entirely  limited  to  that  of  a  per- 
fume. The  '  balm ;'  i.  e.  balsam,  is  usually 
called  in  the  Scriptures  '  balm  of  Gilead.' 
This  is  also  obtained  from  a  tree  by  in- 
cision of  the  trunk  or  branches,  and  is 
sometimes  termed  'opobalsam;'  i.  e 
the  pitch  of  the  balsam  bush  or  tree. 
The  balsam  tree  which  yielded  it, 
though  not  a  native  of  Judea,  was  cul- 
tivated in  great  perfection  on  the  plain 
of  Jericho,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Jordan,  having  been  introduced,  accord- 
ing to  Josepiius,  in  the  reign  of  Solo- 
mon, by  the  queen  of  Sheba,  from. 
Arabia  Felix.  The  genuine  balm  was 
produced  in  small  quantities,  and  was 
exceedingly  valuable.  Pliny  says  that 
'  when  iMexander  the  Great  was  in 
Palestine,  a  spoonful  of  balm  was  all 
20* 


that  could  be  collected  on  a  summer's 
day,  and  in  the  most  plentiful  year  the 
great  royal  park  of  these  trees  yielded 
only  six  gallons,  and  the  smaller  only 
one  gallon.  It  was  consequently  so 
dear  that  it  sold  for  double  its  weight 
in  silver.'  According  to  Mr.  Bucking- 
ham, since  the  conquest  of  Palestine  by 
the  Romans,  the  balsam  tree  has  entire- 
ly disappeared  ;  not  one  is  now  to  be 
found.  Its  production  appears  to  be 
confirmed  principally  to  Arabia.  It  is 
chiefly  used  in  the  East  as  a  cosmetic, 
though  occasionally  given  as  a  medi- 
cine. 'Myrrh  ;'  alias  '  Ladanum  ;'  is  a 
gum-resin  which  exudes  from  a  shrub, 
the  Cistus  Ladaniferus,  abounding  in 
Arabia,  Candia,  and  in  some  parts  of  the 
Archipelago.  The  best  sort  is  in  dark- 
colored  masses  of  the  consistence  of 
hard  wax,  which  grows  softer  when 
handled.  It  has  an  agreeable  smell, 
and  a  light,  pungent,  bitter  taste.  Grand 
Cairo  in  Egypt  is  still  the  grand  mart 
for  the  myrrh  trade.  It  is  used  both  as 
an  aromatic  and  a  medicine.  The  prac- 
tice of  embalming  in  Egypt  probably 
created  a  market  for  all  these  diflferent 
kinds  of  spices. 

26.  And  Judali  said  unto  his  brethren. 
What  profit,  &c.  The  passing  by  of  the 
caravan  of  Ishmaelites  at  this  particular 
jucture,  is  to  be  attributed  to  that  over- 
ruling Providence  which  was  secretly 
bringing  its  purposes  to  pass  by  the  un- 
witting and  unwilling  agency  of  the  va- 
rious actors  employed.  The  same  di- 
vine Providence  inspired  Judah  with 
tlie  proposal  to  sell  Joseph  to  these  trav- 
elling merchants,  and  disposed  thehearts 
of  his  brethren  to  approve  of  the  sug- 
gestion. We  do  not  read  that  Judah  at 
first  opposed  the  motion  for  killing  Jo- 
seph, but  it  may  be  supposed  that  he 
soon  relented,  and  proposed  to  have  the 
ser.tence  of  death  exchanged  for  a  sen- 


234 


GENESIS. 


[13.  C.  1729 


27  Come,  and  let  us  sell  hira  to 
the  Ishmaelites,  and  "  let  not  our 
hand  be  upon  him  ;  for  he  is  ^  our 
brother,  and  y  ouc  flesh :  and  his 
brethren  were  content. 

28  Then  there  passed  by  ^  Mid- 
ianites,  merchant-men ;  and  they 
drew  and  lifted  up  Joseph  out  of  the 

"ISam.  18. 17.        xch.42.21. 
y  ch.  29. 14.         »  Judg.  6.  3.    ch.  45.  4,  5. 


tence  of  perpetual  slavery.  This  meas- 
ure he  broaches  by  asking  what  profit, 
that  is,  what  advantage,  there  would  be 
in  killing  Joseph  and  concealing  .  his 
blood.  '  Our  hands  will  still  be  stained 
with  blood,  though  he  should  die  of 
starvation.'  Yet  there  may  have  been, 
as  others  suggest,  a  mixture  of  cove- 
tousncss  in  the  proposal,  though  we 
imagine  his  drift  is  mainly  to  intimate 
that  it  would  be  better  to  sell  him  than  to 
slay  him.  If  a  balance  were  struck, 
the  advantage  would  be  found  to  be  in 
the  issue  on  the  side  of  his  preservation. 
It  was  well  that  this  consideration  had 
some  degree  of  influence  upon  their 
hard  hearts.  Their  consciences  and 
their  feelings  told  them  that -they  ought 
not  to  kill  Joseph.  But  their  envy  told 
them  that  they  must  at  least  sell  him, 
that  they  might  remove  him  to  a  distance 
from  themselves  and  their  father's  house. 
Their  consciences  had  leave  to  dictate 
as  far  as  their  envy  would  permit,  and 
no  farther. 

27.  His  brethren  were  content.  Heb. 
15?;^"I."^  yishmeu,  hearJcened ;  which  in 
the  original  is  equivalent  to  consented 
and  obeyed. 

23.  Then  there  passed  by  Midianites, 
merchant-men.  The  proposal  of  Judah 
and  the  deliberations  of  his  brethren 
probably  took  place  in  the  interval  be- 
tween their  fir.st  espying  the  caravan  and 
its  coming  up.  These  words  bring  the 
parties  together.  It  cannot  be  doubted 
that  these  Midianites  are  the  same  com- 
pany as  that  before  alluded  to  under  the 
title   of  Ishmaelites.      See  Note  on  v. 


pit,  ^  and  sold  Joseph  to  the  Ish- 
maelites for  ^twenty  pieces  of  sil- 
ver :  and  they  brought  Joseph  into 
Egypt. 

29  IT  And  Reuben  returned  un- 
to the  pit ;  and  behold,  Joseph  was 
not  in  the  pit:  and  he  =  rent  his 
clothes. 

"  Ps.  105.  17.     Acts  7.  9.         b  Matt.  27.  9. 
c  Job  1.20. 


25. ^  Sold  Joseph — -for  twenty  pieces 

of  silver.  The  value  of  this  sum  waa 
about  five  dollars  of  our  money.  A 
goodly  price  at  which  to  value  the  son 
of  a  patriarch  !  How  many  thousand 
pieces  of  silver  would  Jacob  have  given 
for  his  redemption,  had  he  known  that 
his  beloved  son  was  become  a  slave  ? 
But  we  cannot  forget  that  he  who  was 
infinitely  greater  than  Joseph,  was  sold 
by  one  of  his  brethren,  and  of  his  disci- 
ples, for  a  price  not  much  greater. 

29.  And  Reuben  returned  unto  the  pit^ 
&c.  From  this  it  is  evident  that  Reu- 
ben was  absent  when  Josepti  was  sold, 
and  consequently  did  not  consent  at  the 
time  to  the  deed,  however  he  might 
have  done  so  aftervvard,  in  order  to  con- 
ceal his  fate  from  hi.s  father.  He  had 
perhaps  withdrawn  himself  from  his 
brethren  with  the  design  of  going  by  a 
circuitous  route  to  the  pit,  taking  him 
from  thence,  and  sending  him  home  in 
safety  to  his  father.  His  intentions 
were  good,  and  his  plan  seemed  to  be 
well  concerted,  but  it  was  not  success- 
ful. It  was  not  by  Reuben  that  Joseph 
was  to  be  delivered.  He  must  yet  pass 
through  a  deep  scene  of  affliction,  be- 
fore he  obtains  that  glory  for  which  he 
was  destined.  God  often  blasts  those 
designs  that  are  formed  for  the  good  ot 
his  people,  not  because  he  frowns  upon 
them,  but  because  the  whole  work  is 
not  yet  accomplished  which  he  intends 
to  accomplish  by  their  afflictions.  They 
must  pass  from  one  trouble  to  another, 
that  they  may  be  made  meet  for  those 
honors  and   felicities   that   God   ha.s  in 


B.  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


235 


30  And  he  returned  unto  his  bre- 
thren, and  said,  The  child  ^  is  not : 
and  I,  whither  shall  I  go  ? 

31  And  they  took  ^  Joseph's  coat, 
and  killed  a  kid  of  the  goats,  and 
dipped  the  coat  in  the  blood  : 

32  And  they  sent  the  coat  of  Tna- 
ny  colours,  and  they  brought  it  to 

1  ch.  42. 13,  36.    Jer.  31. 15.        «  ver.  23. 


store  for  them. ^  And  he  rent  his 

clothes.  As  Reuben  appears  to  have 
loved  and  sincerely  pitied  the  child,  it 
was  natural  that  he  sliould  mourn  bit- 
terly on  finding  his  plan  defeated.  Jo- 
seph, he  tliinks,  is  now  lost  to  his  father 
forever,  and  he  pictures  to  himself  the 
anguish  of  that  new  affliction  which 
threatened  to  fall  upon  the  good  old 
man  after  the  severe  griefs  which  he 
had  already  sustained  from  his  own  mis- 
behavior and  that  of  his  brethren.  He 
pours  out  his  bitter  complaints  to  bis 
hard-hearted  brethren,  but  to  little  pur- 
pose. They  could  not  well  undo  what 
was  done,  nor  had  they  any  wish  to 
undo  it.  At  another  time  Reuben  will 
be  better  heard  bj?-  them,  when  their 
consciences  are  awakened  to  take  a 
just  and  painful  review  of  their  conduct, 
Gen.  42.  22. 

31,  32.  And  they  tool:  Joseph's  coat, 
&c.  Though  they  feel  not  for  Joseph 
nor  for  Reuben,  yet  they  have  some 
concern  for  themselves.  They  know 
that  they  must  again  meet  their  father, 
and  to  him  some  reason  must  be  as- 
signed for  the  non-appearance  of  his  be- 
loved son.  If  the  truth  be  told,  how 
can  they  escape  his  resentment  ?  They 
therefore  make  lies  their  refuge.  They 
dip  the  variegated  coat  in  the  blood  of 
a  kid,  and,  as  if  not  daring  themselves 
to  witness  the  effect  upon  their  father's 
breaking  heart,  send  it  to  him  with  the 
message,  'Know  now  whether  this  be 
thy  son's  coat  or  no.'  They  pretended 
not  to  know  with  certainty  what  they 
knew  too  well,  and  insult  their  fatlier 
with  a  question  which  one  would  almost 


their  father ;  and  said.  This  have 
we  found  ;  know  now  whether  it  be 
thy  son's  coat  or  no. 

33  And  he  knew  it,  and  said,  It 
is  my  son's  coat ;  an  <"  evil  beast 
hath  devoured  him  :  Joseph  'is  with- 
out doubt  rent  in  pieces. 

f  ver.  20.    ch.  44.  28. 


think  was  designed  to  upbraid  him  with 
the  envied  mark  of  his  partiality  to  Jo- 
seph  IT  And  they  brought  it.      That 

is,  not  the  sons  themselves  in  their  own 
persons,  for  it  is  said  that  they  '  sent'  it ; 
but  it  was  carried  by  their  agents,  as 
men  are  said  to  do  that  which  they  pro- 
cure or  order  to  be  done- 

33.  And  he  knew  it,  and  said,  &c.  How 
exquisitely  cruel  the  conduct  of  these  men 
to  their  venerable  father,  who  loved 
them  so  much  better  than  they  deserv- 
ed !  With  what  anguish  did  they  rend 
his  soul!  He  knew  too  well  the  coat 
of  his  beloved  boy,  and  the  conclusion 
to  which  he  came  was  the  most  natural 
that  could  be.  There  appeared  to  be 
no  reason  for  calling  it  in  question.  It 
would  have  been  a  flagrant  breach  ot 
charity  to  suspect  the  truth,  while  there 
was  no  evidence  on  which  suspicion 
could  rest.  He  can  only  sit  down  un- 
der the  overwhelming  conviction  that 
his  dear  child  has  been  torn  to  pieces 
by  ravenous  wild  beasts  !  What  were 
all  his  former  afflictions  compared  with 
this  ?  They  were  griefs  that  admitted 
of  consolation.  They  were  more  direct- 
ly from  the  hand  of  Cod  ;  they  were  in 
the  course  of  nature  ;  they  might  be 
cured  or  endured.  But  tliis  wound 
w.Ts  mortal.  It  defied  medicine  ;  it  re- 
fused assuaging;  it  mocked  at  length  of 
time.  He  would  be  continually  prompt- 
ed  to  say  with  Reuben,  'The  cliild  is 
not;  and  I,  whitl.ier  shall  I  go  ?'  In 
view  of  such  accumulated  misery  rend- 
ing the  heart  of  the  father,  we  cannot 
but  feel  that  it  was  a  gracious  Provi- 
dence   which     liad     previously    taken 


236 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


34  And  Jacob  ^  rent  his  clothes, 
and  put  sackcloth  upon  his  loins, 
and  mourned  for  his  son  many  days. 

35  And  all  his  sons  and  all  his 
daughters  ^  rose  up  to  comfort  him  ; 

gver.29.    2Sam.3.31.     •>  2  Sam.  12.  17. 


but  he  refused  to  be  comforted  ; 
and  he  said,  Fur  '  I  will  go  down 
into  the  grave  unto  my  son  mourn- 
ing.    Tlius  his  father  wept  for  him. 

1  c.h.  42.  38.  &  44.  29,  31. 


away  the  mother  from  the  evil  to  come. 
The  sight  of  Joseph's  vesture  dipped  in 
blood,  if  it  had  not  proved  at  once  fatal, 
would  at  least  have  been  attended  with 
pang.s  more  agonizing  than  those  which 
had  ushered  him  into  life.  Our  sympa- 
thy, indeed,  in  reading  the  story,  is  re- 
lieved of  its  pungency  by  knowing  that 
Jacob's  sorrows  were  founded  on  a  mis- 
take, as  he  himself  afterwards  learned  ; 
and  the  incident  may  serve  to  show  that 
the  sorest  griefs  of  God's  people,  often 
have  no  other  than  imaginary  grounds. 
But  they  are  no  less  wisely  or  kindly 
ordered  on  this  account.  The  present 
concealment  of  many  things  contributes 
not  aUttle  to  the  augmentation  of  future 

joys. ^  Joseph  is  inthout  doubt  rent  in 

pieces.  The  original  here  is  very  ener- 
getic, and  may  be  literally  rendered 
'rent,  rent  in  pieces  is  Joseph.' 

34.  Rent  Jiis  clothes  and  put  sacJicloth 
upon  his  loins.  These  were  among  the 
well-known  modes  of  expressing  grief 
among  the  ancient  orientals.  The 
'  sackcloth'  was  a  coarse  rough  garment, 
made  sometimes  of  C!?mels'  hair.  Rev. 
G.  12 ;  and  from  its  being  said  to  have 
been  '  put  on  the  loins,'  it  was  probably 
worn  inwardly,  next  the  skin,  both  as  a 
sign  and  an  instrument  of  humiliation. 
It  was  made  in  the  form  of  a  sack  with 
arm-holes.  After  every  allowance  on 
the  score  of  his  poignant  sorrow,  we 
cannot  still  avoid  the  impre.«sion  that 
Jacob,  on  this  occasion,  scarcely  be- 
haved like  him.self.  Although  he  had 
borne  many  afflictions  of  the  most 
grievous  kind  with  unshaken  fortitude, 
yet  he  is  here  quite  unmanned,  and 
mourns  for  Joseph  almost  like  one  that 
had  no  hope.  He  speaks  of  going  to  the 
grave  mourning  and  weeping  through 


the  whole  remainder  of  his  life.  Emi- 
nent saints  may  be  sometimes  over- 
whelmed with  sorrow,  but  they  do  not 
demean  themselves  like  saints  when 
they  speak  of  their  affliction.s  as  if  they 
were  insupportable.  God  had  before 
this  dispelled  many  dark  clouds  from 
Jacob's  horizon,  and  he  ought  not  to 
have  given  way  to  such  deep  despon- 
dency now.  But  we  would  not  sit  in 
severe  judgment  upon  the  deportment 
of  a  father,  whose  heart  was  crushed  by 
such  a  blow  as  had  now  fallen  upon 
Jacob.  We  are  yet  in  the  flesh,  and 
know  not  what  infirmities  we  should 
betray  were  the  hand  of  God  laid 
thus  heavily  upon  us. IT  Mourn- 
ed for  )iis  son  many  days.  It  was 
not  till  twenty-two  years  after  this 
that  Jacob  heard  of  Joseph's  being 
alive ;  and  though  it  cannot  be  sup- 
posed that  he  was  equally  afflicted 
during  that  whole  period,  yet  the  whole 
of  it  might  be  termed  a  mourning  period  ; 
and  nothing  can  show  more  clearly  the 
hard-hearted  cruelty  of  his  sons,  than 
the  fact  of  their  so  long  withholding 
from  him  the  truth,  when  their  conceal- 
ment of  it  was  the  occasion  of  so  much 
mental  sufTering. 

35.  All  his  S071S  and  all  his  daughters 
rose  up  to  comfort  him.  That  is,  under- 
took to  comfort  him ;  engaged  in  the 
work  of  consolation.  See  Note  on  the 
phrase  'to  rise  up,'  Gen.  22.  3.  The 
phraseology  implies  that  a  special  effort 
was  made  on  the  part  of  his  family  to 
dispel  the  gloom  which  had  settled  on 
his  spirits  and  probably  threatened  his 
life.  It  is  an  indirect  but  very  expressive 
mode  of  suggesting  to  us  the  greatriesi 
of  his  sorrow.  As  he  had  but  one 
daughter  (Dinah),  by  the  term  'daugh- 


B.  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


237 


36  And  ^  the  Midianites  sold  him 

into  Egypt  unto  Potiphar,  an  officer 

k  ch.  39>  1. 


ters'  here  must  be  understood  his  daugh 
ters-in-lavv,  together  with  his  grand- 
daughters, if  he  had  any.  Jacob's  sons 
acted  very  hypocritically  when  they 
endeavored  to  comfort  him.  They 
were  themselves  the  wild  beasts  that 
had  devoured  Joseph.  Had  they  been 
sincere,  they  would  have  confessed 
the  truth,  and  tried  every  possible 
means  to  find  out  their  brother,  that 
they  might  redeem  him  from  slavery. 
As  it  was,  he  refused  to  be  com.forted. 
He  did  not  know  what  they  had  done 
against  Joseph,  but  he  was  not  ignorant 
of  their  ill-will  towards  him  ;  and  this 
probably  was  a  chief  reason  why  he 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  that  they  could 
say  for  his  comfort.  We  may  suppose 
too  that  he  was  the  more  inconsolable 
from  thinking  that  he  had  reason  to  re- 
flect with  remorse  upon  himself  for 
sending  him  away  without  attendants 
to  travel  where  he  would  be  exposed  to 

wild  beasts.: -IT  I  will  go  down  into  the 

grave  unto  my  son  mourning.  Heb. 
n^j^'J  skeolah,  to  Sheol ;  i.  e.  to  the 
state  of  the  dead,  to  the  invisible  world. 
Gr.  aJr/j,  Hades.  Vulg.  Infernum,  hell. 
The  word  in  the  original  is  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  that  usually  rendered  grave^ 
which  is  ^np  keher.  Here  the  Heb.  is 
bli^-3  sheol^  from  ^5^"^  shaal,  to  ask,  hav- 
the  import  of  craving,  requiring,  insatia- 
bly longing,  from  its  being  one  of  the 
four  things  which  Solomon  says  are 
never  satisfied,  Prov.  30.  15,  16.  Though 
sometimes  translated  'grave,'  sometimes 
'pit,'  and  sometimes  'hell,'  still  it  legi- 
timately denotes  the  state  of  the  dead  in 
general,  without  implying  either  the 
place  of  torment  or  the  place  of  bliss. 
Jacob  surely  did  not  suppose  that  Joseph 
had  gone  to  the  abodes  of  wo,  nor  did 
he  expect  to  follow  him  thither. — Jacob 
renounced  the  hope  of  seeing  any  more 
good  in  this  world,  when  his  choicest 


of  Pharaoh's,   ana  captain   of  the 
guard. 


comfort  in  life  was  taken  away.  Ho 
had  the  prospect  of  no  days  of  gladness, 
when  Joseph,  the  joy  of  his  heart,  was 
torn  in  pieces  by  wild  beasts.  But  he 
did  notknow  what  joys  were  yet  before 
him  in  the  recovery  of  his  long-lost 
son.  We  know  not  what  joys  or  what 
sorrows  are  before  us  in  the  coming 
periods  of  our  existence.  It  is  rash, 
therefore,  to  prejudge  the  allotments  of 
Providence,  to  infer  the  permanence  of 
what  we  now  feel.  At  any  rate,  we 
have  no  reason  to  despond  while  God's 
throne  continues  firm  and  stable  in 
heaven. 

36-  And  the  Midianites  sold  him  into 
Egypt.  Heb.  ai3~[?2n  hammedajiim,  the 
Medanites,  These  were  the  descen- 
dants of  Medan,  the  son  of  Abraham, 
Gen.  25.  2.  Both  these  and  the  Midian- 
ites seem  to  have  lived  intermingled 
with  the  Ishmaelites,  by  which  general 
name  they  are  called,  v.  25. — Little  did 
the  Egyptians  dream  that  their  future 
lord  was  come  to  be  sold  in  their  noim- 
try,  when  the  3Iidianites  brought  down 
Joseph  to  be  exposed  to  sale.  Still 
less  did  they  know  the  dignity  and  glory 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  when  he  was 
brought  into  their  country  by  another 
Joseph,  and  by  Mary  his  wife.  Time 
brings  the  real  characters  and  dignity  of 
some  men  to  light.  There  are  still  more 
whose  real  glory  will  remain  unknown 

till  the  last  day. T  Unto  Potiphar,  an 

officer  of  Pharaoh's.  Heb.  'Q^^^'O  saris, 
an  eunuch.  But  as  he  had  a  wife,  the 
hteral  sense  can  hardly  hold  in  this  in- 
stance. The  reason  of  this  application 
in  the  passage  before  us  is  probably  to 
be  traced  to  the  fact  that  the  word  di- 
verged from  its  original  import  oi  keeper 
of  the  harem,  and  came  gradually  to  de- 
note officers,  or  court-ministers  in  gene- 
ral.  ^  Captain  of  the  guard.    Heb. 

fi'^^Swtl  "y^sarhattahbahim,  prince  of  the 


238 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


A 


CHAP.  XXXVIII. 

ND   it   came  to   pass   at  that 
time,  that  Judah  werxt  down 


slaughter-men  or  executioners.  The  na- 
ture of  the  office  designated  by  this 
term  is  not  very  obvious.  By  some  it 
IS  taken  as  equivalent  to  captain  of  the 
body-guard,  or  palace-guard  of  the  king, 
who  were  always  ready  to  execute  his 
orders  upon  rebels  or  other  malefactors, 
upon  whom  the  royal  indignation  might 
fall.  Such  a  guard  is  always  in  attend- 
ance upon  oriental  monarchs,  and  the 
head  of  them  might  very  properly  be 
styled  the  '  prince  of  the  executioners.' 
By  others  a  hint  is  taken  from  the  Gr. 
which  renders  it  af)%(/*a^£ipos,  chief  cooJi, 
and  the  original  supposed  to  mean  eith- 
er one  that  had  charge  of  the  king's  ta- 
ble, or  the  president  of  the  sacrifices. 
But  whatever  his  office  was,  he  now 
bebarae  the  master  of  one  who  was  one 
day  to  become  his  lord.  What  Joseph 
now  thought  of  his  dreams,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  say ;  but  certainly  he  was  un- 
der a  great  temptation  to  think  that  the 
word  of  the  Lord  had  failed  forever- 
more.  Yet  it  is  wrong  to  judge  of  God's 
word  by  his  providence  ;  let  us  rather 
judge  of  his  providence  by  his  word. 
We  must  not  think  that  the  promise  of 
a  crown  o.^  glorv  is  made  void  because 
we  are  at  present  subjected  to  the  cross. 
Many  promises  have  seemed  to  be  for- 
gotten by  the  promiser,  and  yet  have 
been  exactly  fulfilled  in  their  season. 


from  his  brethren,  and  ^  turned  in 
to  a  certain  Adullamite,  whose  name 
ivas  Hirah. 

a  ch.  19.  3.    2  Kings  4.  8. 


CHAP.   XXXVIII. 

The  story  of  Joseph  is  interrupted  at 
this  point  for  the  purpose  of  introducing 
some  particulars  in  the  family  history  of 
Judah,  which  are  mainly  important  as 
having  a  bearing  on  the  genealogy  of  our 
Lord.  The  Saviour  was  to  derive  his 
origin  from  the  tribe  of  Judah,  and  the 
spirit  of  inspiration  sees  fit  to  afford  us  the 
means  of  most  exactly  authenticating  his 
human  extraction,  even  though  some 


links  in  the  chain  were  far  from  being  of 
!  a  reputable  character.  But  we  learn 
fromthis  that  Christ  derives  all  his  glory 
from  himself  and  not  from  his  ancestry, 
and  that  his  condescension  is  the  more 
to  be  admired,  the  lower  he  descended 
in  tne  scale  of  worldly  honor  in  taking 
our  nature  upon  him. 

L  It  came  to  pass  at  that  time.  That 
is,  not  at  or  about  the  time  of  Joseph's 
being  sold  into  Egypt,  but,  in  a  larger 
sense,  in  the  interval  between  Jacob's 
return  from  Mesopotamia  and  the 
events  recorded  in  the  foregoing  chap- 
ter. For  it  appears,  on  examining  the 
age  of  Joseph,  as  shown  in  different 
passages  of  the  history,  that  he  was 
about  thirty-nine  years  old  when  Jacob 
and  his  family  went  down  into  Egypt. 
And  it  is  stated.  Gen.  40.  8,  12,  that 
Pharez,  the  son  of  Judah,  whose  birth 
is  mentioned  at  the  end  of  this  chapter, 
had  at  that  time  two  sons  born  to  him, 
Hezron  and  Hamul.  But  as  Joseph  was 
seventeen  when  he  was  sold  into 
Egypt,  this  leaves  only  the  space  of 
twenty-two  years  for  Judah  to  beget 
three  sons,  to  have  them  grow  up  and 
be  married,  and  their  wife  Tamar  to 
have  sons  and  grandsons.  This  period 
is  evidendy  too  short  for  the  occurrence 
of  all  these  events,  and  we  are  therefore 
necessitated  to  refer  the  commence- 
ment of  them  at  least  as  far  back  as 
to  about  the  lime  of  Jacob's  coming  to 
Shechem,  Gen.  33.  18. ;  but  the  inci- 
dents are  related  here,  because  there 
was  no  more  convenient  place  for  them. 
In  like  manner,  according  to  Aben-Ez- 
ra,  the  phrase  '  at  that  time,'  Deut.  10. 
8,  is  used  in  the  same  large  and  inde- 
finite sense ;  for  the  historian  having 
mentioned,  v.  7,  that  they  came  to  Gud- 
godah,  goes  on  to  say  that  '  at  that  time 
the  Lord  separated  the  tribe  of  Lev    to 


B.  C.  1729.1 


CHAPrER  XXXVIII. 


239 


2  And  Judah  ^  saw  there  a  daugh 
ter  of  a  certain  Canaanite,  wliose 
name  was  "  Shuah ;    and  he  took 
her,  and  went  in  unto  her. 

3  And  she  conceived,  and  bare  a 
eon  ;  and  he  called  his  name  '^  Er. 

4  And  she  conceived  again,  and 
bare  a  son ;  and  she  called  his 
name  «  Onan. 

.5  And  she  yet  again  conceived 
and  bare  a  son  ;  and  called  his  name 

!>  ch.  34.  2.  c  1  Chrnti.  2.  3.  <!  ch  46.  12. 
x\uiiib.25.  19.      ech.  46.  12.  Numb.  26.  19. 


bear  the  ark  of  the  covenant,'  whereas 
it  appears  elsewhere  that  this  separation 
took  place  on  the  second  year  from 
their  coming  out  of  Egypt,  which  was 
forty  years  before  their  arrival  at  Gud- 
godah.  Le  Clero  also  remarks  that 
several  instances  occur  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament where  the  phrases  '  then' — '  in 
those  days' — 'at  that  time' — must  be 
taken  with  very  considerable  latitude  of 
meaning.  Apparent  difficuUies  and 
discrepancies  of  this  nature  arise  of  ne- 
cessity from  the  very  structure  of  the 
Mosaic  books,  which  are  by  no  means 
a  systematically  connected  history  of 
the  world,  from  the  creation  to  the  times 
of  Moses  himself;  but  rather  a  series  of 
detached  accounts,  with  one  grand  bond 
of  connexion  running  through  them  all, 
viz.  their  relation  to  the  chosen  seed  and 
the  promised  Messiah.  Whatever  is 
written  we  may  assure  ourselves  is 
true,  and  might  no  doubt  he  shown  to  be 
perfectly  consistent,  were  we  sufficient- 
ly acquainted  with  all  the  circumstan- 
ces.  IT  Judah  went  dA)wnfro;n  his  breth- 
ren, &,c.  Here  was  the  beginning  of  evil. 
Whatever  were  his  motives,  he  now 
leaves  a  family  and  a  spot  where  the 
true  God  was  known  and  honored,  and 
wandering  towards  the  south,  enters  the 
house  of  a  native  Canaanite,  with  whom 
he  forms  an  intimate  acquaintance. 
And  not  content  with  sojourning 
amongst  idolaters,  he  must  needs  mar- 
ry into  one  of  their  families.      Though 


'  Shelah :  and  he   was  at  Chezib, 
when  she  bare  him.  ' 

6  And  Judah  s  took  a  wife  for  Er 
his  first-born,  whose  name  was  Ta- 
mar. 

7  And  h  Er,  Judah's  first-born, 
was  wicked  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord  ;  >  and  the  Lord  slew  him. 

8  And  Judah  said  unto  Onan,  Go 
in  unto    ^  thy  brother's  wife,   and 

fch.  46.  12.  Numb.  26.  20.  g  ch.  21.  21. 
h  ch.  46.  12.  Numb.  26.  19.  J  1  Chron.  2.  3, 
^Deut.25.  5.    Matt.  22.  24. 


he  had  joined  in  objecting  to  his  sister's 
marriage  with  Shechem,  yet  he  makes 
no  scruple  of  taking  this  Canaanitish  wo- 
man to  be  his  wife  ;  and  that  without  at 
all  consulting  his  father.  In  all  this  his 
conduct  to  human  view  was  that  of  one 
who,  weary  of  the  restraints  of  rehgion, 
had  yielded  hirnself  too  much  to  the 
control  of  his  evil  propensities.  Tlis 
children  were  such  as  might  be  expect- 
ed from  such  a  parentage. 

5.  And  lie  was  at  Chezib  when  she  bare 
him.  Called  also  Achzib,  Josh.  15.  44,  a 
place  that  fell  to  the  tribe  of  Judah.  Gr. 
Xaa/3i,  Chasbi.  The  original  ^'iti  hezib^ 
comes  from  the  root  itj  hazab,  to  lie, 
hence  the  prophet  3Iicah,  ch.  1. 14,  by 
a  play  upon  words  alludes  to  it  thus. 
The  houses  of  Achzib  shall  be  a  lie  to 
the  Kings  of  Israel.  (Heb.  ^fiii^  ^'^TlTii 
akzib  leakzdb).'' 

7.  And  the  Lord  slew  him.  It  is  clear 
that  he  was  cut  off  by  some  special 
stroke  of  divine  judgment  on  account  of 
his  highdianded  wickedness.  The  lan- 
guage is  not  usually  applied  even  to 
those  who  die  by  sudden  death  in  the 
prime  of  their  days.  The  character 
given  of  Er  fixes  upon  him  the  brand 
of  some  enormous  guilt,  the  punishment 
of  which  was  to  be  read  in  the  manner 
of  his  death.  He  was  too  wicked  to 
live ;  and  God  took  the  work  of  ven- 
geance immediately  into  his  own  hand. 

8.  Marry  her,  and  raise  up  seed  to  thy 
brother.    That  is,  raise  up  offspring.   The 


240 


GENESIS. 


TB.  C.  1727. 


marry  her,  and  raise  up  seed  to  thy 
brother. 

9  And  Onan  knew  that  the  seed 
should  not  be  ^  his :  and  it  came  to 
pass,  when  he  went  in  unto  his  bro- 
ther's wife,  that  he  spilled  it  on  the 
ground,  lest  that  he  should  give 
seed  to  his  brother. 

10  And  the  thing  which  he  did 

1  Deut.  2j.  g. 


original  word  for  marry  (ti'i  yabbem)  is 
not  the  ordinary  Heb.  term,  used  to  sig- 
nify the  forming  of  the  marriage  con- 
nexion. It  is  a  term  of  restricted  im- 
port, being  applied  exclusively  to  mar- 
riage with  a  brother's  widow.  It  is  a  de- 
nominative verb  from  the  noun  Q^n 
yabam,  hushancCs  brother,  corresponding 
with  which  we  have  filZH"^  yebemeth, 
brother's  wife.  The  requisition  of  Judah 
here  is  remarkable,  as  affording  us  the 
earliest  trace  of  the  singular  law  after- 
wards incorporated  into  the  Jewish  code, 
and  frequently  termed  by  modern  writ- 
ers the  Levirate-law,  from  the  word 
Levir,  which,  though  it  appears  not  in 
the  ancient  classic  authors,  but  only  in 
the  Vulgate  and  the  Pandects,  is  really 
an  old  Latin  word,  and  is  explained  by 
Festus  to  signify  a  husband's  brother. 
By  this  law,  which  is  expressly  given, 
Deut.  25.  5,  when  a  man  died  without 
issue,  his  brother  was  obliged  to  marry 
the  widow  he  had  left,  and  that  with 
the  express  view,  that  the  first  son  pro- 
duced from  such  marriage  should  be 
ascribed,  not  to  the  natural  father,  but  to 
his  deceased  brother,  and  become  his 
heir.  In  every  other  case  marriages  of 
this  description  were  absolutely  forbid- 
den. See  Note  on  Ruth,  4.  10.  A  fur- 
ther account  of  the  Levirate-law  may 
be  seen  in  Michaelis'  Comment,  on 
Laws  of  Moses,  vol.  2.  p.  21—23. 

9,  10.  It  came  to  pass  when  he  icent 
in,  &c.  The  motive  of  Onan's  perverse 
conduct  is  clearly  intimated  in  the  first 


displeased  the  Lord  :  wherefore  lie 
slew  •"  him  also. 

11  Then  said  Judah  to  Tamar 
his  daughter-in-law,  °  Remain  a 
widow  at  thy  father's  house,  till 
Shelah  my  son  be  grown  ;  (for  he 
said.  Lest  peradventure  he  die  also 
as  his  brethren  did)  :  and  Tamar 
went  and  dwelt  °in  her  father's 
house. 

^  ch.  46.  12.  Numb.  2G.  19.    »  Ruth,  1.  13. 
0  Lev.  22.  U. 


clause  of  the  verse.  He  was  actuated 
by  a  fixed  and  apparently  a  malignant 
opposition  both  to  his  brother's  interests, 
and  his  father's  will.  Although  fully 
aware  of  the  strong  instinctive  desire  in 
the  hearts  of  all  men  to  have  their  name 
and  their  lineage  preserved  when  they 
are  no  more.,  yet  he  sets  himself  with 
unfeeling  pertinacity  against  the  com- 
mon usage,  which,  in  the  defect  of  one's 
own  issue,  provided  for  such  an  exigen- 
cy. Suppose  that  his  lot  and  that  of 
his  brother  had  been  reversed — that  he 
had  died  and  Er  survived — would  he  not 
have  accounted  it  a  favor  to  have  his 
line  perpetuated  in  this  way  by  the  sub- 
stituted seed  of  his  brother?  Viewed 
in  this  light,  how  ungenerous,  invidious, 
and  mean  does  his  conduct  appear  ? 
Such  a  conduct,  moreover,  in  the  pre- 
sent instance  was  peculiarly  aggravated 
from  the  fact,  that  the  3Iessiah  was 
to  descend  from  the  stock  of  Judah,  and 
for  aught  he  knew,  from  himself,  as  we 
know  he  certainly  did  from  this  very 
Tamar,  Mat.  1.  3.  Was  it  not  then 
doing  despite  to  the  covenant-promise 
thus  to  crush  in  embryo  the  most  sacred 
hopes  of  the  world  ?  Did  he  not  act  an 
impious  as  well  as  unbrotherly  part  1 
Can  we  wonder,  therefore,  that  '  the 
thing  which  he  did  displeased  the  Lord,' 
so  that  '  he  slew  him  also  ?' 

11.  Then  said  Judah  to  Tamar,  &.C. 
This  injunction  would  seem  to  intimate 
that  Tamar  was  not  to  consider  herself 
free  to  marry  into   another  fansily,  so 


B.  C.  1727.J 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


241 


12  IF  And  in  process  of  time,  the 
daughter  of  Shuah,  Judah's  wife 
died :  and  Judah  p  was  comforted, 
and  went  up  unto  his  sheep-shear- 
ers to  Timnath,  he  and  his  friend 
Hirah  the  Adullamite. 

13  And  it  was  told  Tamar,  say- 
ing. Behold  tliy  father-in-lav/  goeth 
up  "J  to  Timnath,  to  shear  his  sheep. 

p  2  Sam.  13.  39.      q  Josh.  15.  10,  57.    Judg. 
14- 1. 


long  as  Judah  saw  fit  to  retain  her  under 
his  control,  which  he  here  did  with  the 
promise  of  bestowing  her  in  due  lime 
upon  his  youngest  son.  In  this  he  was 
probably  sincere  i  for  we  have  no  evi- 
dence that  he  did  not  intend  to  give  her 
in  marriage  according  to  his  word.  But 
he  delayed  the  solemnization  of  it  appa- 
rently from  the  vague  apprehension  of 
some  strange  fatality  attending  the 
conjugal  bed  of  his  daughter-in-law, 
against  which  his  son  could  better  guard 
when  he  became  fully  grown.  In  this 
he  was  evidently  mistaken,  imputing  to 
an  innocent  woman  a  calamity  which 
had  befallen  him  solely  on  account  of 
the  flagrant  wickedness  of  liis  children. 
His  delaj'',  however,  proved  too  severe 
a  trial  to  Tamar's  patience,  and  she  was 
prompted  to  resort  to  the  stratagem  re- 
lated, V.  12 — 23.  However  culpable 
this  expedient  may  be  deeTned  when 
viewed  by  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  it  is 
probable  that  according  to  the  notions 
and  manners  of  the  age,  she  considered 
herself  justified  in  doing  as  she  did.  Ju- 
dah's conduct  does  not  admit  of  the 
same  palliation ;  for  in  vv.  23,  26,  he 
acknowledges  it  to  have  been  morally 
wrong. 

12.  And  in  process  of  time.  Heb. 
13*^)3^0  lil'^T  va-yirhu  hayamim,  and 
ihe  days  were  multiplied.  Meaning  prob- 
ably that  several  years  had  elapsed.  See 

Note  on  Gen.  4.  3. ^  Was  comforted. 

That  is,  had  passed  through  the  usual 
ceremonies  of  mourning,  and  become 
restored  to  his  ordinary  state  of  mind. 

VOL.  IN 


14  And  she  put  her  widow's 
garments  off  from  her,  and  covered 
her  with  a  vail,  and  wrapped  her- 
self, and  '  sat  in  an  open  place, 
which  is  by  the  way  to  Timnath  : 
for  she  saw  *  that  Shelah  was  grown, 
and  she  was  not  given  unto  him  to 
wife. 


e  PfOV.  7. 12. 


ver.  11, 26. 


IF  He  and  his  friend  Hirah.    As  the 

season  of  sheep-shearing  among  the  Is- 
raelites was  one  of  great  festivity,  it 
seems  to  have  been  customary  for  them 
to  invite  their  friends  to  be  present  on 
the  occasion.  Thus,  2  Sam.  13.  23, 
'  And  it  came  to  pass  after  two  full 
years,  that  Absalom  had  sheep-shearers 
in  Baal-hazor,  which  is  beside  Ephraim  ; 
and  Absalom  invited  all  the  king's  sons.' 
Timnath  was  a  city  in  the  tribe  of  Ju- 
dah, Josh.  15.  57,  not  far  from  the  sea, 
Ror  far  from  Adullam..  It  was  for  a  long 
time  in  possession  of  the  Philistines. 

11.  Covered  her  ivith  a  veil.  As  we 
have  no  historical  documents,  except  the 
present,  extending  back  to  this  ancient 
period,  wc  know  not  how  far  the  inci- 
dents here  mentioned  were  common  in 
those  days.  But  thus  much  it  seems  fair 
to  infer  from  vvhatis  here  said ;  that  there 
were  public  v/omenof  this  description  ; 
that  they  generally  veiled  themselves  ; 
satin  public  places  by  the  highway  side ; 

and  received  a  certain  hire. IT  Satin 

^an  open  place.  Heb.  Q^i^^JJ  V1r&'2l>^he- 
thah  enayim,  at  the  opening,  or  door  of 
the  eyes,  or  of  the  two  fountains.  A  very 
obscure  expression,  and  variously  ren- 
dered in  the  old  versions.  (1.)  TheGr. 
takes  the  last  word  as  a  proper  name, 

I  and  gives  irpog  raig  TruXatj  Kivav,  at  the 
gates  of  Enan.  This  is  approved  by 
Le  Clerc,  who  thinks  she  sat  at  the  gate 
of  a  little  town  called  Enayim  from  two 
fountains  that  happened  to  be  near. 
This  opinion  is  favored  also  by  Gese- 

Inius.      '2,)  Others  take  the  phrase  to 
21 


242 


GENESIS. 


[B.C.  1727. 


15  When  Judah  saw  her,  he 
thought  her  to  be  a  harlot ;  because 
she  had  covered  her  face. 

16  And  he  turned  unto  her  by 
the  way,  and  said,  Go  to,  I  pray 
thee,  let  me  come  in  unto  thee  ; 
(for  he  knew  not  that  she  was  his 
daughter-in-law  ;)  and  she  said, 
What  wilt  thou  give  me,  that  thou 
mayest  come  in  unto  me  1 

17  And  he  said,  "  I  will  send  thee 
a  kid  from  the  flock  :  and  she  said, 
^  Wilt  thou  give  me  a  pledge,  till 
thou  send  it  ? 

18  And  he  said.  What  pledge  shall 
I  give  thee  ?  And  she  said,  ^  Thy 
signet,  and  thy  bracelets,  and  thy 
staff  that  is  in  thy  hand  :  and  he 
gave  it  her,  and  cam-e  in  unto  her, 
and  she  conceived  by  him. 

u  Ezek.  16.  33.        w  ver.  20.        ^-  ver.  2.5. 

signify  literally  the  opening  of  the  eyes, 
and  to  indicate  a  place  conspicuous  to 
ike  eyes  of  all  that  passed  by,  or  one  of 
large  prospect,  commanding  an  exten- 
sive view  on  every  side.  (3.)  Several 
of  the  Jewish  interpreters  understand  it 
of  a  place  where  two  ways  meet,  where 
the  traveller  had  to  turn  his  eyes  in  two 
directions  in  order  to  determine  which 
to  choose.  But  the  Hebrew  generally 
terms  such  a  place  the  mother  of  the  way, 
or  the  beginning  of  two  ways,  as  Ezek. 
21.  24,  upon  which  see  the  commenta- 
tors. (4.)  RosenmuUer  gives  the  pre- 
ference to  a  fourth  rendering,  viz.  the 
opening  of  two  fountains,  i.  e.  a  place 
where  two  fountains  burst  forth.  But  as 
it  is  by  no  means  clear  that  the  Heb. 
word  for  opening  ever  signifies  issuing, 
we  are  compelled  to  regard  this  con- 
struction as  doubtful  as  any  of  the  rest, 
and  to  say  of  the  whole  that  they  are 
unsatisfactory.  It  is  happily  one  of 
those  critical  points  of  minor  moment 
which  we  can  afford  to  leave  unsolved. 
15—22.  When  Judah  saw  her,  &c. 
The  narrative  reflects  greatly  on  the 
character  of  Judah,  in  whom  it  might 


19  And  she  arose  and  went  away 
and  y  laid  by  her  vail  from  her,  and 
put  on  the  garments  of  her  widow- 
hood. 

20  And  Judah  sent  the  kid  by 
the  hand  of  his  friend  the  Adullam- 
ite»  to  receive  Ins  pledge  from  the 
woman'^s  hand :  but  he  found  her 
not. 

21  Then  he  asked  the  men  of 
that  place,  saying,  Where  is  the 
harlot  that  was  openly  by  the  way- 
side 1  And  they  said.  There  was  no 
harlot  in  this  place. 

22  And  he  returned  to  Judah^ 
and  said,  I  cannot  find  her ;  and  al- 
so the  men  of  the  place  said,  that 
there  was  no  harlot  in  this  place. 

23  And  Judah  said.  Let  her  take 
it  to  her,  lest  we  be  shamed :  be- 

7  ver.  14. 

have  been  expected  that  the  memory  of 
the  past,  if  not  a  more  advanced  age, 
would  have  cooled  or  extinguished  the 
fires  of  unholy  passion.  On  the  contra- 
ry, it  would  seem  that  he  was  transport- 
ed beyond  the  bounds,  not  of  reason  and 
religion  only,  but  even  of  sense  ;  for  he 
evidently  did  not  recognise  the  voice  of 
Tamar,  though  he  must  have  been  fa- 
miliar with  her  for  years.  No  doubt 
God  had  suffered  bim  to  fall  under 
somewhat  of  a  judicial  infatuation,  as  a 
punishment  ofbis  perverseness  ;  for  how 
else  should  he  have  been  so  precipitate 
as  to  give  into  the  hands  of  a  strange 
woman  a  pledge  for  the  kid,  which  she 
would  naturally  consider  far  more  valua- 
ble than  the  kid  itself,  and  therefore  be 
very  certain  to  retain  ?  '  He  appears,' 
says  Calvin,  sternly,  '  to  have  been  de- 
prived of  all  discretion  ;  nor  are  these 
facts  recorded  by  Moses  to  any  other 
end  than  to  show  us  how  the  just  judg- 
ment of  heaven  had  darkened  the  mind 
of  this  miserable  man,  who  by  heaping 
sins  upon  sins,  had  quenched  the  light 
of  the  Spirit.' 
23  Let  ler  tale  it  to  her,  lest  toe  le 


B.  C.  1727.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


243 


hold,  I  sent  this  kid,  and  thou  hast 
not  found  her. 

24  IT  And  it  came  to  pass  about 
three  months  after,  that  it  was  told 
Judah,  saying,  Tamar  thy  daughter- 

shamed.  Heb.  tlib  iT^TO  *^5  P^n  nihyeh 
labuz,  lest  we  he  for  a  contempt.  The  mean- 
ing is,  let  her  take  or  keep  the  pledge  to 
herself;  let  us  give  ourselves  no  farther 
concern  about  it.  I  have  acted  up  to 
my  agreement  by  sending  the  kid,  but 
as  she  is  not  to  be  found,  it  will  be  bet- 
ter to  hush  up  the  affair  entirely,  as 
otherwise  we  shall  expose  ourselves 
to  scorn  and  derision  for  being  outwitted 
and  deceived  by  a  harlot.  He  had  rather 
lose  the  bracelets  and  the  signet  than 
run  the  risk,  by  making  much  ado  about 
it,  of  blazoning  abroad  his  own  scandal. 
'  Judah  now  fears  lest  he  shall  be  beaten 
with  his  own  staff,  lest  his  signet  shall 
he  used  to  seal  his  reproach ;  resolving 
not  to  know  them,  and  wishing  they 
were  unkno  wn  of  others.  Nature  is  not 
more  forward  to  commit  sin,  than  wil- 
ling to  hide  it.'  Bp.  Hall.  This  fear 
of  shame,  this  anxious  wish  to  guard 
against  publicity  being  given  to  a 
vile  act.  shows  that  God  has  infixed  in 
the  minds  of  men  an  instinctive  con- 
demnation of  it,  a  sentiment  which  must 
have  violence  done  to  it  before  the 
deed  can  be  perpetrated. 

24.  Let  her  behurnt.  It  is  to  be  borne 
in  mind  that  the  crime  for  which  Taraar 
was  adjudged  to  this  severe  punishment, 
was  not  fornication,  but  adultery ;  she 
being  considered  the  wife  of  Shelah, 
though  the  marriage  had  not  yet  taken 
full  effect.  Except  in  the  case  of  a 
priest's  daughter  who  was  to  be  burnt. 
Lev.  21.  9,  the  usual  punishment  under 
the  Law  of  this  crime  was  stoning,  Deut. 
22.  23,  2L  As  the  former  law  could 
not  apply  to  Tamar,  Michaehs  supposes 
that  the  sentence  here  passed  upon  her 
by  Judah  is  to  be  understood  of  posthu- 
mous burning — that  she  was  first  to  be 


in-law  hath  ^  played  the  harlot ; 
and  also,  behold,  she  is  with  child 
by  whoredom.  And  Judah  said, 
Bring  her  forth,  *and  let  her  be 
burnt. 

'  Judg.  19.  2.      >  Lev.  21.  9.    Deut.  22.  21. 


stoned  to  death  and  then  burnt.  This 
idea  he  thinks  strongly  supported  by 
what  is  related  of  the  fate  of  Achan, 
Josh.  7.  15  and  25,  as  also  by  the  drift  of 
John,  8.  5—7,  when  the  Jews  say  of  the 
woman  taken  in  adultery,  that  '  Moses 
in  the  law  commanded  that  such  should 
be  stoned  ;'  and  our  Saviour  himself  re- 
cognising that  mode  of  punishment  says, 
'  He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let 
him  first  cast  a  stone  at  her.'  From  this 
it  would  seem  that  s<07im^  and  nolhurn- 
ing,  was  the  ordinary  practice  of  the 
Jews  in  such  cases  in  our  Saviour's 
time.  Yet  in  the  present  instance  the 
language  of  the  text  is  so  expHcit  and 
unqualified,  that  we  do  not  feel  it  safe 
to  depart  from  it,  especially  as  we  find 
the  punishment  of  burning  inflicted 
upon  the  wife  of  Samson,  Judg.  15.  6, 
who  had  married  another  man,  and 
learn,  moreover,  Jer.  29.  22,  23,  that  the 
King  of  Babylon  roasted  two  Jews  in 
the  fire  for  committing  adultery.  These, 
it  is  true,  w-ere  not  Jewish  instances, 
but  they  show  that  that  punishment  for 
that  crime  prevailed  more  or  less  among 
other  nations,  and  the  probabihty,  there- 
fore, is,  that  it  obtained  among  the 
chosen  people  also.  In  later  times,  in 
Europe,  the  punishment  of  burning  has 
been  mostly  confined  to  offences  of  a 
religious  character,  particularly  heresy. 
But  it  is  now  almost  every  where  dis- 
used, having  been  banished  by  the 
more  humane  and  merciful  codes  which 
have  sprung  up  under  the  g'enume  influ- 
ences of  Christianity.  The  question 
has  been  asked,  how  Judah  came  to 
possess  the  power  which  is  imphed  in 
his  passing  such  a  sentence  upon  his 
daughter-in-law  ?  Were  parents,  in  the 
patriarchal    times,   invested    with    the 


244 


GENESIS. 


25  When  she  was  brought  forth, 
she  sent  to  her  faiher-in-law,  say- 
ing, By  the  man  Vv'hose  these  are, 
ami  with  child:  and  she  said, 
^  Discern,  I  pray  thee,  whose  are 
these,  nhe  signet,  and  bracelets, 
and  staff. 

b  ch.  37.  23.        c  ver.  18. 


power  of  life  and  death  over  their  fami- 
lies ?     To  this  we  answer,  that  although 
there  is  no  doubt  that  fathers   in    the 
East  have  always  governed  their  wo- 
men,  children,  and  slaves   with   a  far 
more  despotic  authority  than  is  usual  in 
the  West,  yet  we  are  not  probably  to 
understand  Judab's  words  in  the  text  as 
implying  any  thing  more  than  that  he  con- 
sented that  the  ordinary  law  in  such  cases 
should  go  into  effect.     As  he  was  dwel- 
ling among  the  Canaanites  merely  as  a 
sojourner,   w^e   can    scarcely   conceive 
him  to  be  here  speaking  in  a  judicial  or 
magisterial  character,  but  as  a  private 
citizen,  simply  saying  that  he  not  only 
had  nothing  to  object  to  her  being  dealt 
with  after  the  usual  manner,  but  that  as 
a  friend   of  good  order  in  society,  he 
could  not  but  approve  of  it.     No  doubt 
there  were  then  public  courts  and  tri- 
bunals before  which  such  cases  were 
tried,  and  when  Judah  says,  '  Bring  her 
forth,  &c.'  it  is  equivalent  to  expressing 
his   willingness    that  she   should,   like 
other  criminals,  be  arraigned  and  pun- 
ished according  to  her  deserts.    Yet,  as 
not  unfrequently  happens,  in  thus  con- 
senting to   the   sentence   passed   upon 
her,  he  was  really  condemning  himself. 
25.  By  the  man  whose  these  are,  &c. 
It  is  obvious  that  Tamar  might  before 
this  have  exposed  Judah,  had  she  been 
so  inclined.     But  she  defers  it,  probably 
under  a  secret  prompting  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,  till  matters  come  to  a  crisis  when 
she  can  make  the  disclosure  to  the  most 
effect.     In  this,  however,  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  she  was  influenced  by  vindic- 


[B.  C.  1727. 

26  And  Judah  <^  acknowledged 
them,  and  said, '  She  hath  been  more 
righteous  than  I;  because  that  <"  I 
gave  her  not  to  Shelah  my  son: 
and  he  knew  her  again  &  no  more. 

27  '^  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the 

d  ch.  37,  33.      e  1  Sam.  24.  17.       f  ver.  14. 
g  Job.  34.  31,32. 


own  conduct;  while  God,  in  the  mean 
time,  was  carrying  on  his  purpose  to 
bring  the  offender,  by  this  means,  to  a 
penitent  confession  of  his  fault.  In  fact, 
Tamar  appears  to  have  managed  the 
affair  with  great  delicacy.  Instead  of 
boldly  summoning  him  into  her  presence, 
and  requiring  of  iiim  to  stand  forth  as  her 
accuser  before  the  judges,  she  does  not 
even  name  him,  nor  seek  an  interview, 
but  sends  to  him  the  pledged  articles, 
leaving  it  to  his  own  conscience  to  re- 
buke him  before  God.  Jt  is  well  when 
injured  innocence  can  rest  satisfied  with 
the  vindication  of  itself,  without  pursu- 
ing the  offending  party  to  the  extreme 
point  of  justice  or  revenge.  In  many 
cases  much  may  be  left  to  the  inward 
self-inflicted  corrections  of  an  ingenuous 
mind. 

26.  Judah  acknowledged  them,  and 
said,  &c.  Heb.  'i^i  yokker,  knew,  dis- 
cerned, recognised;  the  same  word  in 
the  original  with  that  which  occurs 
above,  v.  25,  and  is  rendered  '  discern.' 

^  She  hath  been  more  righteous  than 

I.  That  is,  less  culpable.  The  conduct 
of  neither  had  much  to  commend  it,  on 
the  score  o(  righteousness,  nor  does  he 
perhaps  intend  to  say  that  she  had  in  this 
matter  committed  a  less  sin  than  him- 
self, but  that  his  wrong-dcring  in  another 
instance  had  beeii  the  occasion  of  hers,  at 
tliis  time.  This  fact  gave  her  the  advan- 
tage ;  it  attached  more  blame  to  his  con- 
duct, in  common  estimation,  however 
it  might  be  in  the  sight  of  God,  than  to 
hers.  He  had  broken  his  word  to  her, 
but  she  had  kept  her  faith  with  him. 


live  feelings  towards  Judah,  or  that  she  '  living  patiendy  in  a  state  of  widowhood, 
had  any  wish  to  hold  him  up  to  public  I  year  after  year,  till  she  saw  no  prospect 
abhorrence,  but  sirnply  to  vindicate  her  of  her  hopes  being  reaUsed.     '  God  will 


15,  C.  1727.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


245 


lime  of  her  travail,  that  behold,  twins 
were  in  her  womb. 

28  And  it  came  to  pass  when  she 
travailed,  that  the  one  put  out  Ms 
hand  ;  and  the  midwife  took  and 
bound  upon  his  hand  a  scarlet 
thread,  saying,  This  came  out  first. 

find  a  time  to  bring  his  children  on  their 
knees,  and  to  wring  from  them  penitent 
confessions ;  and  rather  than  he  will  not 
have  them  soundly  ashamed,  he  will 
make  them  the  trumpets  of  their  own 

reproach.'     Bp.  Hall. IT  He  knew  her 

again  no  more.  This  seems  to  be  insert- 
ed as  a  sort  of  seal  and  assurance  of  the 
sincerity  of  Judah's  repentance.  A  gen- 
uine sorrow  for  sin  is  inconsistent  with 
again  relapsing  into  it. 

28.  And  it  came  to  pass  when  she  tra- 
vailed, &c.  The  circumstance  here 
mentioned  is  extraordinary,  and  shows 
her  parturition  to  have  been  hard  and 
perilous.  But  it  is  not,  perhaps,  a  matter 
of  surprise,  that  in  the  righteous  provi- 
dence of  Ciod  she  should  have  been  thus 
chastened  for  her  waywardness  ^  that 
a  sinful  conception  should  be  followed 

by   a   bitter   travail. ^  The  midwife 

look  and  hound,  &c.  This  was  done  to 
distinguish  the  first-born,  as  many  im- 
portant privileges  belonged  to  primo- 
geniture. The  word  here  rendered 
'Icarlet,'  (^^'i^^  shani),  .signifies  a  worm- 
color,  coming  from  an  excrescence  made 
in  a  kind  of  oak,  by  a  fly,  as  the  com- 
mon galls  are  produced.  The  color 
was  a  beautiful  crimson,  and  retained 
its  lustre  for  ages. 

29.  How  hast  thou  broken  forth  ?  &c. 
Ileb.  r^"iD  \172  mahparatzta.  Wheth- 
er these  are  to  be  understood  as  the 
words  of  Tamar  or  the  midwife  is  not 
clear.  They  seem  to  be  an  exclama- 
tion of  wonder  that  when  Zarah  was 
apparently  upon  the  point  of  being  born 
first,  Pharez  had,  as  it  were,  forced  his 
way  through  his  brother,  as  if  he  had 
broken   through   an   fntervening   wall, 

91* 


29  x\nd  it  came  to  pass  as  he 
drew  back  his  hand,  that  behold, 
his  brotiier  came  out ;  and  she  said, 
How  hast  thou  broken  forth  1  this 
breach  he  upon  thee  :  therefore  his 
name  was  called  ''  Pharez. 

•>  ch.  46. 12.  Numb.  26.  20.  ]  Chron.  2. 
4.    Matt.  J.  3. 


and  preceded  him  in  birth.  It  plainly 
denotes  something  extraordinary  in  the 
manner  of  his  emerging  into  hfe,  and 
from  the  renderings  of  the  ancient  ver- 
sions it  would  seem  that  the  circum- 
stance was  considered  like  Jacob's  tak- 
ing Esau  by  the  heel,  as  portending 
something  important  in  his  future  for- 
tunes. Gr.  '  Why  is  the  partition  divid- 
ed for  thee  ?'  Chal. '  What  great  strength 
was  in  thee  that  thou  hast  prevailed?' 
Targ.  Jon.  'With  how  great  strength 
hast  thou  prevailed  ! — and  thine  it  is  to 
prevail,  for  it  shall  come  to  pass  that 
thou  shalt  possess  the  kingdoms.'  Arab. 
'  How  hast  thou  prevailed  ! — thy  strength 
is  upon  thee.'  These  versions  no  doubt 
recognise  a  mystical  import  in  the 
words,  as  pointing  mainly  perhaps  to 
David  and  the  Messiah,  who  both  des- 
cended in  a  direct  line  from  Pharez. 

■^  This  breach  he  upon  thee.  Ileb.  "V^'j'^ 
yiS  aleka  paretz.  That  is,  the  breach 
is  thine  ;  thou  hast  made  it ;  and  thou 
shalt  carry  the  memorial  of  it  upon  thee. 
By  breach  or  eruption  has  thy  birth  been 
marked ;  breach  or  eruption  shall  be  thy 
name.  At  the  same  time  it  may  be  re- 
marked, that  if  the  sense  of  prevalence 
be  rightly  attributed  to  the  root  in  the 
former  clause,  it  may  also  be  retained 
here,  and  then  the  words  may  be  un- 
derstood as  a  prophetic  announcement, 
Xh^Uhe  pre-eminence, the  ascendancy,  or  in 
other  words,  the  chief  distinction  of 
the  birthright,  should  pertain  to  Pharez 
over  his  brother.  Accordingly,  the 
Jewifch  writers  say,  '  In  Pharez  the 
strength  of  David's  house  was  portend- 
ed :  and  therefore  from  him  proceedeth 
the  kingdom  of  the  hou.se  of  David.'  See 


246 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


30  And  afterward  came  out  his 
brother  that  had  the  scarlet  thread 
upon  his  hand ;  and  his  name  was 
called  Zarah. 


A 


CHAP.   XXXIX. 

ND  Joseph  was  brought  down 
to  Egypt :  and  ^  Potiphar,  an 


ch.  37.  36.    Ps.  105.  17. 


Ainsworth  in  loc.  This  interpretation 
affords  a  reason  for  the  particular  men- 
tion of  an  incident  which  otherwise  we 
should  scarcely  have  thought  worthy  of 
a  place  in  the  sacred  record. 


CHAP.  XXXIX. 

The  sacred  writer  now  resumes  the 
suspended  history  of  Jo.seph,  and  it 
would  seem  as  if  the  leading  event  of 
this  chapter,  viz.  the  signal  triumph  of 
Joseph's  virtue,  were  designed  to  be  set 
in  contrast  with  the  opposite  weakness 
of  his  brother  Judah,  detailed  in  all  its 
humihating  particulars  in  the  preceding. 
Of  the  various  incidents  of  his  lot  in 
Egypt  prior  to  his  temptation,  litde  is 
said,  and  nothing  at  all  of  the  grief  of  mind 
which  he  undoubtedly  felt,  both  on  his 
own  and  his  father's  account.  The 
thoughts  of  the  distress  which  his  mys- 
terious absence  must  have  occasioned  to 
the  heart  of  his  doting  fadier,  no  doubt 
constituted  one  of  the  sharpest  pangs 
that  pierced  his  own.  But  apart  from 
this,  his  affliction  was  very  severe.  A 
youth  of  seventeen,  accustomed  to  eve- 
ry indulgence,  suddenly  torn  away  from 
his  paternal  home,  enslaved  to  all  ap- 
pearance for  life,  and  that  among  a  na- 
tion of  idolaters  wholly  ignorant  of  the 
God  of  his  fathers — what  allotment  can 
we  conceive  more  bitter  and  trying  to 
the  spirit  of  an  affectionate  and  pious 
child  like  Joseph !  Yet  from  all  that 
can  be  inferred  from  his  history,  he 
bore  his  sufferings  with  the  most  exem- 
plary meekness,  presenting  at  this  time 


officer  of  Pharaoh,  captain  of  the 
guard,  an  Egyptian,  ^  bought  him  of 
the  hands  of  the  Ishmaelites,  which 
had  brought  him  down  thither. 

2  And  *=  the  Lord  was  with  Jo- 
sepli,  and  he  was  a  prosperous 
man  :  and  he  was  in  the  house  of 
his  master  the  Egyptian. 

b  ch.  .37.  23.  c  ver.  21 .  ch.  21. 22.  &  2(5. 24, 
28.  &  28.  15.  1  Sain.  16.  18.  &  18.  14,  28. 
Acts  7. 9. 


the  spectacle  of  a  mind  unsubdued  by 
the  deepest  distress,  as  he  afterwards 
did  of  one  uncorrupted  by  the  highest 
elevation.  In  humble  submission  to  the 
will  of  God  and  the  calm  of  an  unruffled 
conscience,  he  found  a  balm  for  the 
wound  of  the  arrows  with  which  the 
cruel  archers  so  sorely  grieved  him. 

1.  Aiid  Joseph  was  brought  down  to 
Egypt.  Heb.  l^^n  hurad.  was  made  to 
descend.  For  the  reason  of  this  pecu- 
liar diction  in  reference  to  a  journey  to 
Egypt,  see  Note  on  Gen.  12.  10.  In 
order  to  view  aright  a  dispensation  of 
Providence  which  involved  the  selling 
and  removal  of  Joseph,  as  if  he  had 
been  a  beasi  or  a  captive  taken  in  war, 
we  must  advert  to  his  own  interpreta- 
tion of  the  affair  at  a  subsequent  period, 
Gen.  45.  5,  7,  '  Now,  therefofe,  be  not 
grieved  nor  angry  with  yourselves  that 
ye  sold  me  hither — for  God  sent  me  be- 
fore you  to  preserve  to  you  a  posterity 
in  the  earth,  and  to  save  your  lives  by 
a  great  deliverance.'  All  the  ways  of  a 
good  man  are  ordered  of  the  Lord,  and 
his  eyes  are  upon  his  people  for  good  at 
the  very  times  when  they  seem  to  be 
forgotten. 

2.  And  the  Lord  was  with  Joseph,  &c. 
Chal.  'The  Word  of  the  Lord  was  his 
help.'  From  this  source  he  had  an  infal- 
lible security  of  happiness.  Though 
withdrawn  from  under  the  shadow  of  a 
fond  father's  wing,  though  a  stranger 
in  a  strange  land,  and  subject  to  the  ca- 
price of  a  heathen  master,  yet  he  was 
blessed.     How   could   it  be  otherwise, 


B.  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


247 


3  And  his  master  saw  that  the 
Lord  was  with  him,  and  that  the 


when  '  the  Lord  was  with  him  ?' — when 
he  enjoyed  the  preeence,  the  protection, 
the  favor  of  the  Lord  Almighty  ?  We 
are  too  ready,  when  met  by  adverse 
events,  or  when  not  speedily  delivered 
from  our  afRictions,  to  doubt  of  God's 
favor ;  as  if  outward  prosperity  were  a 
sign  of  his  love,  and  adversity  a  sure 
sign  of  his  hatred.  But  how  clear  is  the 
Scripture  declaration,  that  'whom  the 
Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  even  as  a  fa- 
ther the  son  in  whom  he  delighteth.' 
God  could  easily  have  restored  Joseph 
at  once  to  his  father's  bosom,  yet  he 
did  it  not,  but  left  him  many  years  in  a 
state  of  slavery,  where  '  the  iron  enter- 
ed his  soul.'  Let  us  cease  then  to 
judge  of  his  ways  by  ours.  Though  all 
his  dispensations  towards  his  people  are 
prompted  by  infinite  love,  yet  his  love 
does  not  sliow  itself  in  the  way  of  the 
weak,  fond  favoritism  of  inany  earthly 
parents,  who  spare  their  cliildren  the 
present  smart,  even  at  the  expense  of 
the  future  joy.  Joseph  might  have 
been  raised  at  once  to  all  the  dignity 
which  he  afterwards  possessed,  but 
where  then  would  have  been  the  pre- 
cious fruits  of  meekness  and  continence, 
<}f  wisdom  and  patience,  which  were  ma- 
turing under  his  unparalleled  trials? 

IT  And  he  was  a  prosperous  man.  Heb. 
n"'bl2?3  CIA  ish  matzliah,  a  man  caus- 
ing to  prosper.  This  may  be  understood 
aetivelj'-,  viz.  that  Joseph  was  a  man 
making  Potiphar's  house  to  prosper,  and 
this  is  perhaps  more  in  accordance  with 
the  ordinary  usage  of  the  word.  See 
my  Note  on  Ps.  L  3.  Yet  it  will  admit 
of  the  sense  ordinarily  put  upon  it,  that 
the  Lord  made  Joseph  to  succeed  and 
prosper  in  all  his  undertakings,  so  that 
he  soon  obtained  the  esteem,  the  love, 
and  the  confidence  of  his  master.  Pros- 
perity is  not  always  a  sign  of  God's  spe- 
cial favor,  yet  his  hand  is  always  to  be 


Lord  ^  made  all  tliat  he  did  to  pros- 
per in  his  hand. 


I  Pa.  1.  3 


recognised  in  it  by  his  people,  upon 
whom  he  confers  it  when  he  sees  it 
would  be  better  for  them  than  adversi- 
ty, or  when,  by  means  of  it,  he  purposes 
to  make  them  blessings  to  others. 
From  Joseph's  prosperity  we  draw  one 
very  interesting  inference,  viz.  that  he 
submitted  himself  cheerfully  to  his  lot ; 
that  he  studied  to  make  himself  not 
only  useful,  but  agreeable  to  his  mas- 
ter ;  that  instead  of  sinking  into  a  torpid 
melancholy  under  his  sudden  change  of 
condition,  he  applied  himself  with  alac- 
rity and  spirit  to  the  discharge  of  his 
duties,  as  a  diligent  servant ;  for  in  no 
other  way  would  it  seem  possible  for 
him  to  have  commended  himself  so  ef- 
fectually to  the  good  graces  of  Potiphar. 
No  doubt  in  all  this  the  joy  of  the  Lord 
was  his  strength.  He  saw  the  love  of 
God  mitigating  and  sweetening  his  sor- 
rows, and  the  more  clearly  we  can  dis- 
cern the  same  love  ruling  in  the  events 
of  our  lives,  the  greater  pleasure  shall 
we  take  in  the  discharge  of  our  duties. 

IT  And  he  was  in  the  house   of  his 

master  the  Egyptian.  That  is,  he  pa- 
tiently continued  in  the  house,  or  family, 
faithfully  discharging  the  duties  of  a 
household  servant,  without  attempting 
to  escape,  distinctly  recognising  the 
hand  of  providence  in  his  present  lot. 

3.  And  his  master  saw  that  the  Lord 
was  with  him.  The  prosperity  of  Joseph 
was  manifest.  The  blessing  of  God 
upon  his  labors  was  so  conspicuous,  that 
his  master  him.self  observed  and  ac- 
knowledged it.  It  is  not  probably  to  be 
understood  that  Potiphar  knew  God  by 
the  name  of  '  Jehovah,'  or  called  him 
so.  But  he  saw  that  Joseph  was  the 
object  of  supernatural  care  and  favor ; 
and  this  Moses,  and  not  Potiphar,  as- 
cribes  to  its  true  source.  He  prospered 
because  Jehovah,  and  not  any  imagina- 
ry deity,  blessed   hira.     This  is  a  cir- 


248 


GENESIS. 


[B.C.  1729. 


4  And  Joseph  *  found  gi-ace  in 
his  sight,  and  he  served  him :  and 
be  made  him  ^  overseer  over  his 
house,  and  all  that  he  had  he  put 
into  his  hand. 

5  And  it  came  to  pass  from  the 

e  ch.  18. 3.  &  19.  19.    ver.  21.    f  Gen.  2-1.  2. 

cumstance  not  a  little  to  Joseph's 
credit,  inasmuch  as  it  imphes  that  he 
made  no  secret  of  his  religion.  Had  he 
dissemhled  on  this  score,  had  he  dis- 
guised his  real  faith,  and  apparently 
countenanced  the  Egyptian  idolajries, 
he  certainly  could  not  have  looked  for 
those  tokens  of  the  divine  favor  which 
he  received.  We  must  suppose,  there- 
fore, that  he  firmly,  though  probably 
without  ostentation,  avowed  himself  a 
worshipper  of  Jehovah,  and  as  his  con- 
duct in  every  other  respect  was  per- 
fectly exemplary  and  satisfactory  to 
Potiphar,  he  made  no  objection  to  it. 
This  affords  a  most  encouraging  exam- 
ple to  religious  servants  to  recommend 
the  gospel  by  their  fidehty  and  diligence. 
Servants,  it  is  true,  cannot  command 
success  and  prosperity ;  and  God  does 
not  absolutely  bind  liimself  to  grant 
success  to  the  best-conducted  affairs. 
But  it  is  undoubtedly  the  duty  of  ser- 
vants to  study  to  promote  the  prosperity 
of  their  masters,  and  to  seek  the  divine 
blessing  upon  all  the  interests  entrusted 
to  them  ;  and  from  the  example  of  Jo- 
seph we  learn  what  fruits  they  may  ex- 
pect to  reap  from  such  deportment. 
The  circumstances  are  moreover  an 
admonition  to  all  Christians  to  be  faith- 
ful to  their  heavenly  Master,  even 
when  there  are  no  religious  friends 
about  them  to  watch  over  them. 

4.  And  he  served  him,  &c.  Ileb. 
iri^  riTU'i  yesharelh  oiho,  ministered  io 
him;  not  as  a  slave,  but  as  a  steward. 
The  ensuing  clause  is  explanatory  of 
the  phrase.  He  '  ministered,'  by  acting 
in  the  capacity  of  an  '  overseer.'  He  had 
before  served  him  menially ;   but  this 


time  tJiat  he  had  made  him  overseer 
in  his  house,  and  over  all  that  he 
had,  that  ^  the  Lord  blessed  the 
Egyptian's  house  for  Joseph's  sake  ; 
and  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  vv^as 
upon  all  that  he  had  in  the  house, 
and  in  the  field. 

g  di.  30.  27. 


kind  of  service  was  the  first  step  of  his 
preferment.  The  Gr.  has  cvapsarrjaev 
avTM,  he  pleased  him,  which  lacks   the 

requisite   precision. IT  And  he  made 

him  overseer.  Rather,  '■for  he  made  him 
overseer.'  The  words  are  designed  to 
explam  the  manner  in  which  he  minis- 
tered to  liim.  The  original  has  here  but 
a  single  word  '-^''^ptj'^yaphJdd^sigmfying 
literally  to  maJ;e  io  visit ;  i.  e.  to  clothe 
with  a  visitorial  or  superintending  pow- 
er. The  Gr.  renders  it  KareaTiiaEf,  con- 
stituted him  over  his  house,  parallel  to 
which  the  Evangelist  says,  '  Of  a  truth 
I  say  unto  you  that  he  will  inaJie  him 
ruler  {Gr.  Karaarrjaei,  will  constitute  him) 
over  all  that  he  hath ;'  i.  e.  he  will 
honor  him  as  Potiphar  did  Joseph.  The 
meaning  is,  that  he  made  him  his  chief 
steward ;  and  it  is  the  business  of  a 
steward  to  have  charge  of  a  household 
establishment.  Having  been  faithful 
over  a  few  things,  he  is  now  made  ruler 
over  many  things.  Thus  was  God  grad- 
ually fulfilling  his  own  word, '  Them  that 
honor  me  I  will  honor,'  and  at  the  samt 
time  bringing  about  his  ultimate  pur 
poses  of  mercy  to  the  house  of  Jacob. 

5.  And  it  came  to  pass  from  the  time^ 
&c.  The  blessing  of  heaven  previous 
to  Joseph's  advancement  to  the  steward- 
ship had  rested  more  especially  upon 
himself  and  his  doings.  He  had  been 
made  to  prosper  in  a  signal  manner,  and 
Potiphar  was  constrained  to  acknow- 
ledge it.  But  now  from  this  lime  the 
blessing  of  the  Lord  was  upon  Poti- 
phar, upon  all  that  he  had,  whether 
in  the  house  or  the  field,  but  still  for 
Joseph's  sake.  As  Potiphar  had  shown 
himself  disposed  to   favor  the    Lord's 


B.  C.  1729.] 


6  And  he  left  ail  that  he  had  in 
Joseph's  hand;  and  he  knew  not 
aught  he  had,  save  the  bread  which 
he"  did  eat :  and  Joseph  ^  was  a 
goodly  person,  and  well  favoured. 

7  IF  And  it  came  to  pass  after 
these  things,  that  his  master's  wife 
cast  her  eyes  upon  Joseph  :  and  she 
said,  '  Lie  with  me. 

8  But  he  refused,  and  said  unto 


CHAPTER  XXX!X. 


249 


J>  1  Sara.  16. 12. 


2  Sam.  13.11. 


servant,  the  Lord  will  repay  his  kind- 
ness by  favoring  and  blessing  hira. 
How  desirable  is  it  to  be  connected 
with  those  who  are  beloved  of  God ! 
How  highly  are  they  to  be  prized,  whe- 
ther as  servants  or  as  friends  !  The 
kindness  of  the  Most  High  towards  his 
people  overflows  to  all  with  whom  they 
are  related.  Pious  stewards,  and  pious 
servants  of  every  class,  are  a  blessing  to 
their  raasiters,  not  only  because  they 
are  faithful,  and  manage  their  affairs 
vv-ith  discretion,  but  because  they  draw 
down  the  special  blessing  of  God  upon 
the  households  to  which  they  belong. 
Masters  may  learn  hkewise  from  this 
passage,  what  treatment  is  due  to  faith- 
ful servants.  They  ought  to  trust,  to 
honor,  and  to  love  them.  When  men 
are  precious  in  God's  sight  they  are 
honorable,  whatever  be  their  station  in 
life.  If  they  are  at  present  undervalued 
or  despised  by  men,  they  are  honored 
by  angels ;  and  when  God,  by  signal 
proofs  of  his  favor,  makes  it  known  that 
he  loves  them,  he  will  make  them  hon- 
orable in  the  eyes  of  those  who  former- 
ly despised  them.  Christian  masters 
who  do  not  honor  faithful  servants,  do 
what  in  them  lies  to  falsify  the  words 
of  Solomon,  Prov.  27.  18,  '  As  he  who 
keepelh  the  fig-tree  shall  eat  the  fruit 
thereof,  so  he  that  waiteth  on  his  mas- 
ter shall  be  honored.' 

6.  Kneu)  not  aughl  he  had,  save  the 
bread  which  he  did  eat.  Heb.  ^J^i  j^^ 
in>^  n?21H>2  io  yada  meumuh  iilo,  knew 


his  master's  wife,  Behold,  my  mas- 
ter wotteth  not  what  is  with  me  in 
the  house,  and  he  hath  committed 
ail  that  he  hath  to  my  hand. 

9  There  is  none  greater  in  this 
house  than  I ;  neither  hath  he  kept 
back  any  tiling  from  me,  but  thee, 
because  thou  art  his  wife :  ^  how 
then  can  I  do  this  great  wickedness, 
and  ^  sin  against  God  ] 

1^  Prov.  6.  23,  3e.  i  ch.  23.  G.      Lev.  G 

2.    2  Sam.  12.  13.    Ps.  r»l.  4. 


not  any  thing  with  him.  That  is,  he  took 
no  cognizance  or  care  of  any  thing  that 
was  entrusted  to  Joseph  ;  he  required 
him  not  to  render  an  account  of  his  ex- 
pences  or  receipts  ;  he  left  every  thmg 
to  his  exclusive  management ;  he  sur- 
rendered every  thing  so  entirely  into 
his  hands,  that  he  took  no  care  for  any 
thing  but  to  eat  and  drink  what  was  set 
before  him.  This  was  the  highest  pos- 
sible expression  of  confidence,  and  how 
well  it  was  bestowed  is  evident  from  the 

sequel. ^    Goodly   and  well-favored. 

The  former  of  these  words  has  refer- 
ence to  the  form  or  shape  of  the  whole 
person,  the  latter  to  the  countenance. 
Beauty  of  person  and  face  is  a  quality 
which  gains  love,  and  ought  to  make  the 
possessor  of  it  thankful ;  but  it  easily 
proves  a  snare  to  the  possessor  himself 
or  to  others.  It  was  Joseph's  comfort 
that  he  was  beloved  by  his  master,  but 
it  was  his  misfortune  that  he  was  too 
well  beloved  by  his  mistress.  He  had 
an  attractive  countenance  that  she  could 
not  behold  without  conceiving  a  regard 
for  him,  which  proved  for  a  time  preju- 
dicial to  Joseph,  but  infinitely  more  pre- 
judicial to  herself. 

7 — 9.  And  it  cams  to  pass  after  these 
things,  &o.  A  new  and  severe  trial  is 
now  appointed  for  Joseph.  Raised  by 
his  good  conduct  to  a  high  post  of  honor 
and  trust,  possessing  the  unlimited  con- 
fidence and  approbation  of  his  master, 
we  are  ready  to  congratulate  him  upon 
his  happy  lot,  and  could    fain  wish  to 


250 


(ii^lNL^SiS. 


[13.  C.  1729 


see  him  continued  long  and  uninterrupt- 
edly in  the  enjoyment  of  it.      But  God 
only  knows  what  degree  of  trouble  is 
necessary  for  his  people,  or  how  long  it 
is    proper    they    should   continue    un- 
der its  pressure.  When  we  should  plead 
for  rest  and  peace,  he  often  sees  fit  to 
summon  us  to  labor  and  conflict ;  and 
in  tracing  the  course  of  his  providence, 
nothing  is  more  obvious  than  that  sea- 
sons of  advancement  and  prosperity  are 
usually  the  seasons  when  the  most  vio- 
lent temptations  befal  his  children.      So 
it  was  with  Joseph,      From  a  quarter 
whichhe  httle  expected,  a  storm  of  temp- 
tation   was   coming   upon  him    which 
threatened  to   make   shipwreck  of  all 
that  w-as  precious  and  dear  to  him,  in 
time  and  eternity.     But  by  the  grace  of 
God  he  was  enabled  to  resist. the  fierce 
assauh,  and  to  baffle  a  plot  against  his 
innocence   more   formidable    than  the 
cruel     machinations     of   his    brethren 
against  his  life.     He  achieved  a  victory 
over  himself,  such  as  has  seldom  been 
witnessed  in  this   fallen   vi^orld.      And 
nothing  related  of  him    speaks    more 
highly  for  the  lessons  of  piety  and  puri- 
ty, of  honor,  integrity,    and   universal 
rectitude  with  which  his  mind  had  been 
early  imbued,  than  his  conduct  on  this 
occasion.      His   unprincipled   mistress 
lost  to  the  modesty  and  every  other  vir 
tue  of  her  sex,  cast  an  eye  of  unhallow 
ed  desire  upon  the  amiable  inmate  of 
hfer  house,  and  by  various  wanton  looks 
and   gestures  signified  too   plainly  the 
criminality  of  her  intentions.      It  is  not 
perhaps  to  be  understood  by  the  clause 
*she  said,  &c.'  that  her  vile  solicitation 
was  actually   expressed    in    so    many 
words.      But  this  was  the  language  of 
her  conduct,  and  conduct  in  the  eye  of 
the  Scriptures  is  virtual  speech.     Thus, 
Eccl.   10.   3,   'When  he  that  is  a  fool 
walketh  by  the  way,  his  wisdom  faileth 
him,  and  he  sailh  to  every  one  that  he 
IS  a  fool ;'  i.  e.  his  conduct  declares  him 
to  be  a  fool.     See  Note  on    Gen.  15.  1. 
But  however  this  may  be,  the  narrative 


is  too  plain  to  admit  a  doubt  that  her  de 
meanor  towards  Joseph  was  marked  by 
a  most  shameless  effrontery.  Not 
only  was  the  sacredness  of  the  marriage 
compact  lost  sight  of,  but  all  the  decor- 
ous, timid  reserve  which  distinguishes 
the  sex,  except  among  the  most  aban- 
doned, had  disappeared.  Alas,  how  few 
young  men  w^ould  have  resisted  the 
strong  temptation  which  Joseph  was 
now  called  to  encounter  !  How  easily 
did  his  brother  Judah,  in  a  more  advan- 
ced period  of  life,  fall  before  a  tempta- 
tion, w^hich,  in  the  comparison,  was  very 
small !  But  the  lure  in  Joseph's  case 
was  unavailing.  He  held  fast  his  integ- 
rity, and  woiild  not  let  it  go,  for  his 
heart  was  strongly  fortified  by  the  fear 
of  God,  and  he  was  powerfully  support- 
ed by  that  grace  '  w-hich  is  able  to  keep 
us  from  falling,  and  to  present  us  fault- 
less before  the  divine  glory  with  ex- 
ceeding joy.' IT  But  he  refused,  and 

said,  &c.  He  not  only  refused  to  com- 
ply with  his  mistress,  but  gave  his  rea- 
sons for  refusing ;  and  these  reasons 
were  well  adapted  to  cure  her  of  her 
madness,  had  it  not  been  incurable.  He 
begins  by  a  modest  but  severe  remon- 
strance, exactly  suited  to  his  situation. 
Without  expressly  adverting  to  the 
wickedness  of  the  tempter,  or  reproach- 
ing her  with  the  indelicacy,  the  infideli- 
ty, and  the  baseness  of  her  proposal,  he 
confines  himself  to  what  respected  his 
own  obligation,  and  what  would  be  Jiis 
own  sin.  He  alludes  to  the  responsible 
station  to  which  he  had  been  raised  by 
his  master,  and  intimates  that  his  obli- 
gation was  in  exact  proportion  to  the 
trust  reposed  in  him.  'He  hath  com- 
mitted all  that  he  hath  to  my  hand ; 
there  is  none  greater  in  this  house  thar. 
I.'  Confidence  will  always  beget  in  e. 
well-disposed  mind  a  disposition  to  re 
pay  it  with  fidelity  ;  and  one  who  be- 
trays trust  is  justly  regarded  as  a  fla 
grant  transgressor  of  the  laws  of  society 
Joseph  displays  the  lofty  integrity  of 
his  soul  by  pleading  this  consideration- 


B.  C.  1721).] 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


251 


10  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  she 


Men  of  perverse  minds  would  have  been 
emboldened  by  the  very  idea  which  ex- 
ercised such  a  restraint  upon  the  mind 
of  Joseph.  But  not  so  with  the  noble- 
spirited  captive  in  the  house  of  Potiphar. 
To  the  glory  of  Joseph  it  is  recorded 
that  the  very  largeness  of  the  trust  and 
authority  reposed  in  him,  witheld  him 
from  the  guilty  abuse  of  it.  It  is  ob- 
vious that  he  was  influenced  by  other 
motives,  but  he  dwells  at  greatest  length 
upon  this,  because  the  force  of  it  would 
be  best  understood  and  perhaps  felt,  by 
his  mistress.  How  base  was  her  conduct, 
when  she  tempted  her  husband's  favorite 
servant  to  betray  him  in  the  most  cruel 
manner,  and  to  repay  the  greatest  fa- 
vors with  an  irreparable  shame  !  But 
he  pleads  also  the  obligation  arising 
from  the  generosity  and  kindness  of  his 
master,  who  had  witheld  nothing  from 
him  but  her,  and  that  because  she  was 
his  wife.  These  words  ought  to  have 
pierced  her  heart  like  daggers.  She 
was  his  wife,  and  a  man's  wife  ought  to 
be  his  alone,  and  not  another's  with 
him.  The  most  confidential  servant, 
the  most  esteemed  friend,  must  consid- 
er a  man's  wife  as  a  sacred  reservation, 
and  regard  and  treat  her  as  his  exclusive 
treasure.  The  more  favored  they  are 
in  other  respects,  the  more  careful  must 
ihey  be  to  hold  this  possession  inviola- 
ble. A  man's  wife  is  a  part  of  his  own 
flesh.  To  separate  between  one's  soul 
and  body  is  scarcely  a  greater  injury 
than  to  separate  between  parties  thus 
closely  related.  This  Joseph  deeply  felt 
and  strongly  urged.  Penetrated  with  a 
sense  of  the  favors  heaped  upon  him,  he 
would  not  behave  in  a  manner  so  unwor- 
thy of  them.  And  if  Joseph,  a  poor  slave, 
had  such  a  grateful  sense  of  Potiphar's 
favors,  how  monstrously  ungrateful  was 
the  wife  of  his  bosom,  who  wished  to 
repay  his  love  with  the  blackest  stain  to 
his  honor !  But  he  rises  to  a  considera- 
tion of  still  higher  and  holier  import. 
'How  can  I  do  this  great  wickedness, 


spake  to  Joseph  day  by  day,  that  he 


and  sin  against  God  ?'  It  will  not  only 
be  treachery  to  my  master  on  earth, 
but  daring  wickedness  against  my  mas- 
ter in  heaven.  The  offence  against 
Potiphar  would  be  very  inexcusable, 
but  it  was  a  small  thing  compared  with 
the  offence  which  would  have  been 
given  to  God.  God  is  our  maker  and 
our  judge ;  and  if  honor  required  Jo- 
seph to  be  faithful  to  his  master,  much 
more  did  religion,  which  ia  a  far  strong- 
er principle  than  honor,  oblige  him  to  be 
faithful  to  God.  If  gratitude  bound 
him  not  to  sin  against  the  former,  how 
much  more  strong  ought  that  feeUng  to 
be  towards  God  ?  If  the  reverence 
which  he  owed  to  his  master's  station, 
ought  to  secure  him  from  insult,  how 
much  more  ought  the  majesty  of  God  to 
restrain  every  offence  against  Him ! 
It  is  all-important  that  in  circumstances 
of  temptation  we  should  fix  our  eye  up- 
on the  evil  to  which  we  are  tempted. 
If  we  suffer  our  thoughts  to  dwell  on  its 
agreeableness,  as  Eve  did  in  regard  to 
the  forbidden  fruit,  its  sinfulness  will 
insensibly  diminish  in  our  sight,  many 
specious  pleas  and  excuses  vnW.  suggest 
themselves,  and  we  shall  in  all  likeli- 
hood be  carried  away  by  it.  But  if  we 
direct  our  view  steadfastly  to  the  holy 
will  of  God,  and  the  strong  obligations 
we  are  under  to  him,  that  which  would 
otherwise  appear  a  little  thing  will  be 
accounted  what  it  truly  is,  a  great  wick- 
edness, and  we  shall  revolt  at  the  idea 
of  sinning  against  God.  This  was  the 
view  of  things  which  weighed  with  Jo- 
seph, and  he  therefore  speaks  as  if  it 
had  been  impossible  (or  him  to  bring  him- 
self under  the  guilt  of  such  atrocious  in- 
gratitude, injustice  and  impurity.  He 
could  not  do  it  without  at  once  divest- 
ing himself  of  piety  as  well  as  of  hu- 
manity, and  therefore  his  language  is 
that  of  unconquerable  reluctance  to  such 


10.  As  she  spake  to  Joseph  day  by  day, 
Slc.    Had  Joseph  resisted  but  a  single 


252 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


hearkened  not  unto  her,  to  lie  by 
her,  or  to  be  with  her. 

11  And  it  came  to  pass  about 
this  time,  that  Joseph  went  into  the 
house  to  do  his  business  ;  and  there 
was  none  of  the  men  of  the  house 
there  within. 


assault  from  this  source  in  the  manner 
related  above,  it  would  still  have  been 
a  most  signal  triumph  of  principle  over 
passion,  of  the  fear  of  God  over  the 
promptings  of  evil.  But  it  enhances 
greatly  the  merit  of  Joseph's  constancy, 
that  it  was  proof  against  an  oft-repeated 
and  long-continued  solicitation  to  sin. 
We  all  know  the  effect  of  persevering 
importunity  in  any  thing.  We  know- 
that  it  is  not  every  one  who  withstands 
a  temptation  In  the  first  instance,  that 
holds  out  to  the  end.  Eve  repelled  the 
tempter  on  the  first  onset,  but  was  car- 
ried away  by  the  second.  Samson  re- 
fused for  a  longtime  to  satisfy  Delilah's 
insidious  questions,  but  at  last  the 
mighty  man  was  conquered  by  the  tears 
and  importunities  of  a  fair  woman. 
And  thus  in  all  ages  sinners  refuse  for  a 
time  to  comply  with  the  great  enemy 
of  souls,  but  at  last,  tired  of  resistance, 
they  yield  to  the  destroyer,  and  plunge 
themselves  in  aggravated  guilt  and  mis- 
ery. But  Joseph  stood  firm  against  a  pro- 
longed series  of  urgent  temptations.  None 
of  the  tempter's  arts  or  blandishments 
succeeded  in  inducing  him  to  swerve 
from  his  integrity  ;  nor  if  she  could  have 
given  him  all  the  treasures  of  Egypt,  as 
the  price  of  his  virtue,  could  she  have 
accomplished  her  object.  The  inward 
operation  of  faith,  love,  fear,  and  duty 
were  more  than  a  match  for  the  seduc- 
tive influences  which  bore  upon  him 
from  without.  But  doubtless  where  Jo- 
seph stood,  thousands  would  have  fal- 
len.  T  He  hearkened  not  unto  her  to 

lie  by  her,  or  to  he  with  her.  This  passage 
affords  an  instance  of  a  very  important 
shade  of  meaning  being  lost  to  the  Eng- 
lish reader,  by  the  translators'  not  hav- 


12  And  ""  she  caught  him  by  his 
garment,  saying,  Lie  with  me  :  and 
he  left  Lis  garment  in  her  hand, 
and  fled,  and  got  him  out. 

13  And  it  came  to  pass,  \vhen 
she  sav/  that  he  had  left  his  gar- 

mProv.  7.  13,  &c. 


ing  adverted  to,  perhaps  not  being  ac- 
quainted with,  the  genuine  force  of  the 
original.  When  we  read  that  Joseph 
refused  to  hearken  to  his  mistress's  soli- 
citations, or  '  to  be  with  her,'  we  natu- 
rally understand  the  meaning  to  be, 
that  he  declined  being  in  her  company, 
that  he  shunned  her  presence,  and  es- 
pecially that  he  avoided,  as  much  as 
possible,  being  alone  with  her.  All  this 
may  indeed  have  been  so  ;  we  think  it 
very  probable  that  it  was ;  still  this 
does  not  by  any  means  represent  the 
true  sense  of  the  original  phrase.  The 
'  or'  is  not  found  in  the  Hebrew,  and  its 
insertion  in  our  translation  prevents  the 
precise  drift  of  the  writer  from  being 
apprehended.  The  true  rendering 
results  from  the  omission  of  the  particle 
— '  he  hearkened  not  unto  her  to  He  by 
her  to  be  with  her' — and  the  import  of 
'being  with  her'  unquestionably  is, 
being  united,  and  as  it  were  identified 
with  her,  so  as  in  a  sense  to  co-exist 
with  her  by  a  constructive  reciprocation 
of  being.  This  sense  is  clearly  devel- 
oped by  the  words  of  the  Apostle,  1  Cor. 
6.  16,  17,  'What?  know  ye  not  that  he 
which  is  joined  to  an  harlot  is  onebody  7 
for  two,  sailh  he,  shall  be  one  flesh. 
But  he  that  is  joined  to  the  Lord  is  one 
spirit.''  To  be  with  one,  therefore,  in  this 
sense,  is,  in  the  eye  of  the  Scriptures, 
to  have  a  community  of  being.  This  is 
the  nature  of  the  conjugal  union,  which 
is  trenched  upon  and  invaded  by  every 
act  of  unlawful  commerce,  such  as  that 
meditated  by  Potiphar's  wife. 

11 — 13.  And  it  came  to  pass  about  this 
time,  &c.  Undoubtedly  in  most  cases 
it  would  be  the  duty  of  one  circum- 
stanced as  Joseph  was  to  seek  safety  by 


B.  C.  17:29. J  CUAFJ^Kil  XXXlX 

in   her  hand,  and   was   fled 


253 


ment 
forth, 

14  That  she  called  unto  the  men 
of  her  house,  and  spake  unto  them, 
saying-,  See,  he  hath  hrought  in  an 
Hebrew  unto  us  to  mock  us  :  he 
came  in  unto  me  to  he  with  me, 
and  1  cried  with  a  loud  voice  : 


flight.  Some  kinds  of  temptations  are 
to  be  boldly  encountered,  whatever 
may  be  the  result.  Others  are  to  be 
overcome  only  by  removing  ourselves 
bej'ond  their  reach.  But  in  Joseph's 
case  this  would  appear  to  have  been 
impossible.  He  was  a  bought  servant, 
however  exalted,  and  therefore  was  not 
at  liberty  to  leave.  Nor  could  he  speak 
on  the  subject  to  his  master  without 
ruining  his  peace  forever.  He,  there- 
Tore,  keeps  the  whole  matter  a  profound 
secret  to  himself,  and  goes  steadily  for- 
ward in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  in- 
wardly leaning  upon  God  for  support  in 
the  conflict.  On  one  occasion  the  busi- 
ness of  his  calHng  brought  him  alone 
into  her  presence.  She  suffered  not  the 
opportunity  to  pass  neglected.  She  re- 
newed her  solicitations ;  and  finding 
that  words  vi'ere  vain,  proceeded  to 
further  extremities.  Joseph  was  now  in 
a  critical  situation.  By  his  superior 
strength  or  swiftness,  it  was  indeed  pos- 
sible for  him  to  escape  from  the  presence 
of  this  wicked  woman  ;  but  how  will  it 
be  possible  for  him  to  escape  the  effects 
of  her  fierce  resentment  ?  He,  however, 
did  not  at  this  time  think  of  her  resent- 
ment? His  engrossing  care  is  to  get 
away  from  her  hated  presence.  In  so 
doing  he  left  his  garment  in  her  hand. 
The  danger  incurred  by  this  was  very 
obvious.  Her  resentment  might  im- 
prove it  as  the  instrument  of  his  destruc- 
tion ;  or  if  she  endeavored,  for  her  own 
sake,  to  conceal  it,  an  accident  might 
probably  discover  it,  and  raise  very 
dark  suspicions  against  him.  But  con- 
vinced that  sin  was  an  infinitely  worse 
evil  than  disgrace  or  death,  he  is  deter- 
VOL.  II. 


15  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he 
heard  that  I  lifted  up  my  voice  and 
cried,  tliat  he  left  his  garment  with 
me,  and  fled,  and  got  him  out. 

16  And  she  laid  up  his  garment 
by  her,  until  his  lord  came  home. 

17  And  she  "  spake  unto  him  ac- 

nExod.  23.  1.    Ps.  120.  3. 


mined  to  fly  at  all  hazards.  The  conse- 
quences were  such  as  might  be  expect- 
ed from  a  lascivious  and  abandoned 
woman.  Disappointed  and  defeated  in 
her  vile  intentions,  the  demon  of  lust  is 
suddenly  converted  into  that  of  rago 
and  revenge.  She  could  not  ruin  Jo- 
seph's soul,  but  she  will,  if  possible, 
ruin  his  body,  and  will  spare  no  lies  or 
hypocrisy  to  attain  her  purpose.  Jo- 
seph himself,  in  his  haste  to  escape,  has 
furnished  her  with  the  means  ;  and  her 
genius  is  fruitful  in  expedients  to  im- 
prove them.  '  This  second  time  is  Jo- 
seph stripped  of  his  garnieht :  before  in 
the  violence  of  envy,  now  of  lust ;  be- 
fore of  necessity,  now  of  choice  ;  before 
to  deceive  his  father,  now  his  master; 
for,  behold,  the  pledge  of  his  fidelity, 
which  he  left  in  those  wicked  hands,  is 
made  an  evidence  against  him  of  that 
which  he  refused  to  do.  Therefore,  did 
he  leave  his  clonk,  because  he  would 
not  do  that  of  which  he  is  accused  and 
condemned,  because  he  left  it.  What 
safety  is  there  against  great  adversaries, 
when  even  arguments  of  innocence  are 
used  to  convince  of  evil  ?  Lust  is  a  des- 
perate madness  when  it  is  opposed  ;  no 
hatred  burns  so  furiously  as  that  which 
arises  from  the  quenched  coals  of  love.' 
Bp.  Hall. 

14 — 17.  She  called  unto  the  men  of  her 
house,  &c.  If  we  were  amazed,  in  read- 
ing the  foregoing  narrative,  to  find  this 
woman  so  brazen-faced,  we  are  now 
astonished  at  her  infernal  artifices.  She 
scrupled  at  nothing  that  was  wicked. 
She  not  only  dissembles  and  lies,  but 
she  plots  the  destruction  of  the  best  of 
I  men,  for  no  other  reason  but  his  incom- 
9r> 


254 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  172y. 


cording  to  these  words,  saying, 
Tlie  Hebrew  servant  which  thou 
hast  brought  unto  us,  came  in  unto 
me  to  mock  me  : 

18  And  it  came  to  pass  as  I  lifted 
up  my  voice  and  cried,  that  he  left 
his  garment  with  me,  and  fled  out. 

19  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
his  master  heard  the  words  of  his 
wife,   which   she  spake  unto  him, 


parable  virtues.  She  first  calls  the  ser- 
vants and  makes  bitter  complaints  to 
them,  as  if  her  lord  had  intended  to  af- 
front her  by  bringing  the  young  Hebrew 
into  the  bouse.  That  she  should  ex- 
press herself  in  language  so  disrespect- 
ful to  her  husband,  half  attributing  the 
pretended  insult  to  him,  shows  the  es- 
trangement of  her  heart  from  its  proper 
object,  and  nothing  could  have  tended 
more  directly  to  set  the  servants 
against  their  master.  But  all  manner  of 
minor  wickednesses  are  apt  to  cluster 
about  a  larger,  and  so  it  was  here. 
From  her  own  account,  Joseph  was  a 
monster  of  iniquity,  and  herself  a  pat- 
tern of  purity.  And  it  must  be  admitted 
that  the  presumptive  evidence  against 
him  was  very  strong,  and  her  language 
was  calculated  to  inflame  their  an- 
ger towards  him.  By  employing  the 
plural '  us'—'  hath  brought  in  an  Hebrew 
unto  us  to  mock  hs' — she  no  doubt  in- 
tended to  represent  the  alleged  wrong 
as  done  against  the  whole  house,  that 
she  might  enUst  them  more  fully  in  her 
interest  in  seeking  revenge.  'Jf  he 
dare  be  so  bold  with  me,  what  baseness 
and  villany  would  he  not  practise 
against  any  of  you  ?'  In  all  this  we  are 
reminded  of  the  inspired  portraiture  of  a 
woman  of  this  description.  '  And  I  find 
more    bitter   than    death    the    woman 


saying,  After  this  manner  did  th}; 
servant  to  me  ;  that  his  °  wrath  was 
kindled. 

20  And  Joseph's  master  took 
him,  and  p  put  him  into  the  "» prison, 
a  place  where  the  king's  prisoners 
were  bound:  and  he  was  there  in 
the  prison. 

0  Prov.  6.  34.  35.  p  Ps.  105.  18.  1  Pet.  Si. 
19.    1  ch.  40.  3,  15.  &  41.  14. 


this  wicked  woman  is  permitted  to  suc- 
ceed. By  her  lying  speeches,  by  her 
fiendish  art,  she  deceives  her  husband 
and  draws  him  unwittingly  into  a  part 
nership  of  her  guilt.  The  man  whom 
no  consideration  of  pleasure  or  advan- 
tage could  for  a  moment  allure  from  the 
path  of  rectitude,  is  accused  of  attempt- 
ing  to  seduce  his  mistress,  and  the  ac- 
cusation is  believed!  The  story  was 
plausible,  and  if  Potipharhad  heretofore 
had  no  reason  to  doubt  his  wife's  fidel- 
ity, it  is  not  perhaps  surprising  that  he 
should  have  believed  it ;  and  believing  it, 
he  could  not  but  be  roused  to  the  highest 
pitch  of  indignation  on  account  of  it. 
Vet,  on  the  other  hand,  there  were 
some  things  calculated,  on  closer  inspec- 
tion, to  throw  suspicion  upon  his  wife's 
story.  It  was  in  itself  very  unlikely 
that  Joseph  should  have  left  his  garment 
in  the  hands  of  his  mistress  to  be  a  wit- 
ness against  himself,  if  he  had  really  in- 
sulted her.  His  strength  was  superior 
to  hers,  and  he  could,  no  doubt,  have 
recovered  the  robe  had  he  been  so  dis- 
posed, even  against  her  efforts  to  retain 
it.  No  explanation,  therefore,  but  the 
true  one  could  reasonahli/  account  for 
the  incident.  But  Potiphar  was  not  in 
a  mood  to  be  swayed  merely  by  what 
was  reasonable.  His  wife's  stalementa 
raised  a  storm  of  passion  in  his  breast, 


hose  heart  is  snares  and  nets,  and  her  i  which  prevented  him  from  listening  to 


hands  as  bands :  whoso  pleaseth  God 
shall  escape  from  her;  but  the  sinner 
shall  be  taken  by  her.' 

19,  20.    When  7iis    master  heard    the 


the  voice  of  equity  and  truth.  In  all 
this  he  plainly  did  wrong.  He  paid  too 
much  deference  to  his  wife.  He  ought 
not  to  have  believed  her  words  against 


words  of  his  xmfe,  &c.     The  scheme  of  Joseph,  without  investigating  the  affair 


B.  C.  1729.J 


CliAPTKR  XXXIX. 


255 


more  thoroughly.     A  man  ought  indeed 
to  love  his  wife  as  a  part  of  himself,  but 
however  dear  she  may  be  to  him,  truth 
and  justice   ought   to   be   still    dearer. 
The  consivleration  of  Joseph's  long  and 
faithful  services,  and  his  unexception- 
able deportment  iiitberto,  was  certainly 
entitled  to  some  weight  in  opposition  to 
her  testimony.     But  to    all  pleas  from 
this  quarter  he  seems  to  have  been  en- 
tirely  deaf,   and   accordingly,   without 
further  ceremony  Joseph  is  immured  in 
prison,  to  be  dragged  forth  in  due  time 
to  still  severer  punishment.     Truly  has 
the  wise  man  said,  Prov.  6.  26,  that '  the 
adulteress  will  huntfor  the  precious  life.' 
Joseph,  in  the  mean  time,  sterns  meek- 
ly and  silently  to  have  submitted  to  his 
hard  lot.     Had  he  told  his  own  story, 
could  he  have  expected  it  to  gain  cred 
it  ?    Who  would  have   believed  that  a 
young  man  could  have  exhibited  such 
a  rare   instance    of  self-denial?      And 
how  could  a  husband  be  expected  to 
believe  that  his  own  wife  was  so  utterly 
abardoned   as    the   truth   would   have 
made  her  out  to  be  ?     It  is  indeed  pos- 
sible that  he  may  have  wislied  and  en- 
deavored to  disabuse  Potiphar's  mind  by 
stating  the   truth,  but   that  the  lordly 
Egyptian  was  too  much  fired  with  an- 
ger to  give  an  ear  to  what  he  could  say 
in  his  own  behalf.     Yet,  as  nothing  is 
said  of  Joseph's  reply,  we  think  it  more 
likely  that  he  chose  rather  to  incur  his 
master's  displeasure,  and  sink  under  the 
weight  of  a  false   accusation,  than  to 
vindicate  his   honor    by   exposing   the 
shame   of  a  bad  woman.     So  that  he 
was   consulting  his   master's  peace  of 
mind  at  the  very  time  that  he  was  con- 
demning him  to  the  horrors  of  a  gloomy 
dungeon.     As  to  the  preservation  of  his 
life  and  the  clearing  up  of  his  injured 
character,  that  he  Will  leave  to  God,  in 
whose  hands  his  breath  is,  and  whose 
are  all  his  w-ays.     Except  in  the  case  of 
the  Saviour  himself,  where  do  we  find 
a  magnanimity  that  is  a  parallel  to  this  ? 
IT  Put  him.  into  t/ic  prison.     Heb. 


ino  Ti'-'ln  ^i^  el  heth  sohar.  It  would 
seem  that  Moses  himself  thought  that 
the  word  -ino  sohar,  which  occurs  only 
in  this  and  the  two  succeeding  verses, 
and  in  ch.  40.  3,  5,  stood  in  need  of  some 
kind  of  explanation  of  his  immediately 
adding — 'a  place  where  tlie  king's  pris- 
oners were  bound.'  It  properly  signi- 
fies roundness,  and  the  piirase  '  house  of 
roundness,'  or  'round-house'  probalily 
implies  an  edifice  mostly  subterranean, 
of  which  the  roof  or  vault  rising  imme- 
diately from  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
vvas  round  or  shaped  Hke  an  inverted 
bowl.  This  place  is  afterwards  called  a 
'dungeon,'  ch.  41.  15,  and  it  appears 
from  the  reports  of  eastern  travellers 
that  dungeons  so  constructed,  with  an 
aperture  at  the  top,  through  which  the 
prisoners  were  let  down,  are  still  found 
in  different  parts  of  Asia.  Comp.  Jer.  33. 

6. IT  Where  the  king's  prisoners  were 

bound.  Heb.  fi'^'IIG!^  Hbl^H  '^'Tl05% 
as  ere  hammelek  asurim,  where  the  bound- 
ones  of  the  king  were  bound.  The  terra  is 
derived  from  "^l^Jj^  asar,  to  bind,  to  re- 
strain, and  here  imphes  those  who  were 
restrained  of  their  hberty.  Whether 
in  ordinary  cases  their  limbs  were  literal- 
ly bound  in  addition  to  their  being  con- 
fined, is  not  clear,  but  we  learn  else- 
where that  this  was  the  case  with  Jo- 
seph, at  least  in  some  part  of  his  impris- 
onment ;  Ps.  105.  18,  '  Whose  feet  they 
hurt  with  fetters ;  he  was  laid  in  iron.' 
Thus  far  then  the  accursed  stratagem 
has  succeeded.  The  exemplary  He- 
brew youth,  the  faithful  steward,  the 
pattern  of  purity,  the  humble  fearer  of 
God,  the  heir  of  a  glorious  promise, 
the  future  lord  of  Egypt,  is  consigned  to 
the  dreary  walls  of  a  prison.  His  feel- 
ings under  this  affecting  reverse  of  con- 
dition must  have  been  most  pungently 
distressing.  A  stranger  in  a  strange 
land,  without  a  friend  to  sympathise 
with  him  or  intercede  for  him,  with 
what  a  heavy  heart  must  he  have  en- 
tered  the  gloomy  abode  which  not  his 
crimes  but  his  virtues  had  opened  for 


256 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1729. 


21  IT  But  the  Lord  was  with  Jo- 
seph, and  shewed  him  mercy,  and 


him  !  With  what  unutterable  emotions 
would  he  think  of  home  and  exclaim, 
•  O  if  my  poor  father  knew  of  this  !' 
Again,  with  what  deep  anxiety  would 
ho  reflect  upon  the  mysterious  ways  of 
Providence.  Kow  difficult,  with  his 
imperfect  light  and  knowledge,  to  re- 
concile an  inflexible  adherence  to  right, 
with  the  hard  lot  which  he  was  now 
called  to  experience.  But  .still,  in  the 
midst  of  alli  and  over  all,  his  faith  tri- 
umphed, and  with  meek  submission  to 
the  divine  will  he  bows  to  the  severity 
of  the  stroke.  It  is  doubtless  somewhat 
burprising  that  his  master,  having  so 
much  power  in  his  hands,  should  have 
satisfied  himself  with  the  punishment  of 
imprisonment,  instead  of  putting  him  at 
once  to  death.  We  know  that  'jealousy 
is  the  rage  of  a  man,  and  that  he  will 
not  spare  in  the  day  of  vengeance  ;'  but 
we  know  too  that  jealousy  and  every 
other  passion  is  under  the  control  of  the 
Most  High,  who  mightily  restrains  them, 
and  binds  them  to  a  compliance  with 
the  purposes  of  his  will.  Potiphar's 
former  regard  for  Joseph  may  have  so 
far  operated  upon  his  mind  as  to  prevent 
him  from  ordering  his  instant  execution, 
and  he  may  have  entertained  some 
faint  doubts  of  his  wife's  veracity.  But 
whatever  motives  witheld  him  from 
proceeding  to  extremities,  certain  it  is 
that  he  was  under  the  overruling  influ- 
ence of  God,  whose  set  time  for  Joseph's 
dissolution  was  not  yet  come.  He  had 
much  to  do  in  this  world  before  he  ob- 
tained his  dismission  to  another.  He 
was  to  become  '  the  shepherd  and  the 
stone  of  Israel.'  He  was  to  he  the  lord 
of  Pharaoh's  house,  according  to  the 
dreams  which  came  to  him  from  hea- 
ven. He  was  to  become  the  father  of 
two  powerful  tribes  in  Israel.  He  was 
to  see  good  and  glorious  days  on  earth  ; 
and  he  could  not  perish  while  the  pro- 


''  gave  him  favour  in  the  sight  of  the 
keeper  of  the  prison. 

r  Exod.  .•?.  21.  &  11.  3.  &  12.  36.      Ps.  106. 
46.     Prov.  16.  7.     Acts  7.  9,  10. 


mises  he  had  received  were  yet  unac- 
complished. All  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness combined  would  find  themselves 
unable  to  put  one  of  God's  servants  to 
death,  whilst  any  part  of  his  work  on 
earth  remained  unperformed.  It  was 
not  Joseph's  death,  but  his  imprisonment, 
that  was  to  be  the  means  of  his  eleva- 
tion ;  and  Potiphar,  and  even  Potiphar's 
wife,  served  providence  in  all  the  evil 
which  they  did  to  Joseph.  Whilst  they 
were  most  egregiously  violating  God's 
commandments,  they  were  fulfilling  his 
counsels.  What  can  man  do  against 
God  ?  Not  only  the  righteous  and  the 
wise,  and  their  works,  but  the  unrigh- 
teous, the  unwise,  and  the  worst  of  their 
works,  are  in  his  hand. 

21.  But  tlie  Lord  was  viith  Joseph,  &c. 
Joseph  is  incarcerated,  but  God,  who 
had  dehvered  him  from  the  pit,  accom- 
panies him  to  the  prison,  and  when  the 
iron  entered  his  soul,  he  prevented  him 
from  sinking  under  his  calamities. 
Where  providence  leads  us  into  diffi- 
culties and  hardships,  grace  can  sustain 
us  under  them  ;  and  if  we  suffer  for 
righteousness's  sake,  as  Joseph  did,  we 
may  be  assured  that  it  will  be  so.  All 
will  be  right  at  last.  Nothing  shall 
eventually  harm  us,  if  we  be  followers 
of  that  which  is  good.  It  was  not  long 
before  Joseph  obtained  favor  in  the  eyes 
of  the  keeper  of  the  prison,  as  he 
had  before  done  in  those  of  Potiphar. 
While  we  cannot  doubt  thai  his  charac- 
teristic meekness  and  modesty  tended 
strongly  to  work  upon  the  kindly  dis- 
positions of  the  jailer,  there  is  reason  to 
think  that  Potiphar's  rage  had  become 
softened  ;  for  the  jailer  could  not,  we 
should  suppose,  have  treated  Joseph 
with  so  much  humanity  without  Poti- 
phar's leave.  Upon  calm  reflection,  he 
might  see  reason  to  think  that  the  ac- 
cusation against  Joseph  was  not  to  be 


B,  C.  1729.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


257 


22  And  the  keeper  of  the  prison 
«  committed  t©  Joseph's  hand  ailtlie 
s  cli.  40.  3, 4. 

credited,  and  yet  he  might  think  it  im- 
prudent to  hherate  him  from  confine- 


ment.— 


-•r  Shewed  him  mercy.      Heb. 
5^  tj^l  vayet  alauv  hesed,  extend- 


ed kindness  to  him.  It  is  certain  that  the 
original  word  IDPI  hesed,  usually  carries 
with  it  the  idea  oi gratuitous  benefaction, 
and  we  know  not  that  it  is  at  ViW  forcing 
a  practical  inference  from  the  words,  to 
say  that  they  were  intended  to  inti- 
mate, that  Joseph  could  not  claim  the 
favor  which  was  shewn  him  in  prison 
as  the  reward  of  merit.  Even  when 
God  delivers  us  from  unrighteous  vio- 
lence, or  uids  us  in  a  good  cause,  we  are 
not  at  liberty  to  refer  his  dealings  to  the 
discharge  of  a  debt  which  he  owes  ns. 

![   Keeper  of  the  prison.      Heb.  '•|"l' 

'nnO  m"^  sar  beth  suher,  captain  of  the 
round-house. 

22.  Committed  to  Joseph's  hand  all 
the  prisoners,  &c.  It  was  scarcely  to  be 
expected  tbat  a  poor  prisoner,  condemn- 
ed to  a  dungeon  for  one  of  the  worst  of 
crimes,  should  find  sucli  favor  with  his 
keeper.  The  calling  of  a  jailer  is  not 
peculiarly  favorable  to  the  kindlier  sen- 
sibilities. It  is  a  business  which  implies 
sternness  and  severity.  But  tbere  is  a 
power  in  true  moral  excellence  to  con- 
ciliate and  captivate,  even  where  it  does 
not  convert ;  and  the  hearts  of  the  keep- 
ers of  prisons  are  in  tlie  hands  of  the 
Lord,  as  well  as  the  hearts  of  other  men. 
Paul  had  much  favor  shewn  him  in 
bonds  and  imprisonments,  for  which 
Christians  in  every  age  ought  to  be 
thankful  to  God.  He  was  in  prisons 
oft,  but  his  keepers  allowed  him  paper 
and  ink,  with  which  those  epistles  were 
written  that  will  be  read  with  pleasure 
and  edification  while  the  world  stands. 
Onesimus,  and  probably  others,  were 
begotten  by  Paul  in  his  bond.'.  The 
folfovving  remarks,  from  Jamieson's 
'  F.astern   Manners  illustrative   of    Old 

22-^ 


prisoners  that  were  in  the  prison 
and  whatsoever  they  did  there,  he 
was  the  doer  of  it. 


Testament  History,'  p.  93 — 97,  on  the 
general  police  of  prison  establishments 
among  the  Orientals,  will  perhaps  throw 
some  hght  on  this  part  of  the  narrative. 
'In  pas.sing  through  the  cities  and  villa- 
ges of  Asiatic  countries,  one  looks  in 
vain  for  the  gloomy  and  sequestered 
building,  whose  massy  walls  and  grated 
windows  point  it  out  as  the  cheerless 
residence  of  the  sons  of  crime  ;  and  talk 
to  a  native  of  the  East,  of  the  personage 
who,  with  awful  importance  in  his  face, 
and  a  ponderous  key  at  his  side,  is  mas- 
ter or  porter  at  the  gate,  and  he  will 
tell  you  that  such  a  character  and  such 
an  edifice  are  there  altogether  unknown. 
Scarcely,  indeed,  is  there  any  point  in 
which  the  notions  and  practices  of  the 
people  of  the  East  differ  so  essentially 
from  ours  as  in  those  which  relate  to  the 
treatment  of  criminals  :  for  while  in  Eu- 
rope there  are  places  reared  for  the  con- 
finement of  offenders,  and  officers  spe- 
cially appointed  to  have  the  custody  of 
them,  the  houses  of  the  highest  and 
greatest  persons  in  the  East,  are  not 
unfrequently  dedicated  to  the  purposes 
of  a  prison,  and  men  who  fill  public  and 
official  stations  of  the  greatest  dignity, 
perform  the  duties  of  an  office  which, 
in  our  estimation,  is  the  most  ignoble. 
From  the  earliest  times,  the  jails  in  the 
East  have  been  of  this  description,  and 
under  the  care  of  persons  of  elevated 
rank  :  and  as  it  is  highly  probable  that 
the  place  of  Joseph's  confinement  was 
some  dungeon,  or  secluded  part  of  the 
house  of  Potiphar,  who  was  the  princi- 
pal state  officer  of  Egypt  at  the  time, 
the  knowledge  of  this  circumstance 
furnishes  a  natural  way  of  accounting 
for  the  freedom  allowed  to  Joseph  by 
i  the  deputy  jailor,  who  might  have  ac- 
cess to  know  his  entire  innocence  of  the 
charge  that  led  to  his  being  incarcerat- 
eu  •  and  who,  from,  his  impression  of  the 


258 


GENESIS. 


[U.  C.  1729 


23  Thckeeper  of  the  prison  look- 
ed not  to  any  thing  that  icas  under 
his  hand  ;   because  •  the  Lord  was 
t  vcr.  2,  3. 

virtuous  and  honorable  character  of  the 
young  Hebrew  was  persuaded  he  ran 
no  risk  in  allowing  his  prisoner  to  go  at 
large.  Such  discretionary  power,  no 
doubf,  belonged  to  the  Egyptian  turn- 
key, as  it  does  still  to  all  jailers  of  the 
East,  who,  without  being  bound  by  any 
rules,  such  as  prevail  in  Europe,  or 
being  obliged  to  place  their  prisoners 
in  certain  cells,  according  to  the  magni- 
tude of  their  ofTences,  are  required  sim- 
ply to  produce  them  when  culled  for  by 
the  king  or  the  judges,  and  are  left  to 
the  exercise  of  their  own  discretion  to 
determine  whether  the  intermediate 
treatment  of  the  persons  under  their 
custody,  shall  be  of  a  mild  or  a  severe 
character.  If  the  jailer  be  a  man  of  a  hu- 
mane disposition,  he  will  accordingly 
extend  to  tliem  every  indulgence,  and 
keep  them  under  no  greater  restraints 
than  are  absolutely  necessary  to  the 
right  discharge  of  his  duties  ;  whereas, 
if  he  be  a  cruel  or  unjust  person,  he  has 
the  power  of  annoying  them  in  every 
possible  way,  with  a  view  to  extort  a 
bribe  from  them  or  their  friends.  Of 
the  former  kind  of  treatment,  Rauwolff 
gives  a  beautiful  instance  that  came 
within  his  knowledge  at  Tripolis  in 
Syria,  lie  had  some  friends  confined  to 
the  prison  of  that  city,  to  whom  he  was 
allowed  access  at  all  hours.  Sometimes 
he  was  permitted  to  remain  with  them  all 
night,  and  there  was  no  part,  either  of  the 
jail  itself,  or  of  the  extensive  gardens 
connected  with  it,  over  which  the  in- 
dulgent keeper  did  not  give  him  and  his 
friends  the  privilege  of  walking  ;  they 
were  even  entertained  in  the  jailor's 
own  apartment,  treated  as  members  of 
his  own  family,  and  enjoyed  such  un- 
restricted liberty  of  doing  whatever,  and 
going  wherever  they  pleased,  that  Rau- 
wolff could  see  no  difference  between 


with  him  :  and  tliat  which  he 
the  LoKD  made  ii  to  pjosper. 


did, 


their  condition  and  his  own.  A  very 
different  treatment  was  experienced  by 
an  Armenian  merchant,  who  is  men 
tioned  by  Chardin  as  having  been 
thrown  into  prison  for  some  cause  or 
other.  So  long  as  his  money  lasted, 
and  he  possessed  the  means  of  satisfying 
the  cupidity  of  the  jailer,  he  met  with 
the  greatest  humanity  and  kindness, 
but  the  moment  that  his  resources  fail- 
ed, and  on  his  adversary  who  purstied 
him  presenting  a  handsome  bribe  to  the 
jailer,  he  experienced  an  abatement  of 
the  kind  attentions  of  his  keeper.  His 
privileges  were  first  abridged  ;  he  was 
then  subjected  to  close  confinement, 
and  treated  with  so  great  rigor,  that  he 
was  not  allowed  any  water  but  once  in 
the  twenty-four  hours,  and  that,  too,  in 
the  sultriest  season  of  the  year;  and, 
last  of  all,  he  was  thrown  into  an  un- 
wholesome dungeon,  to  complete  the 
catastrophe  which  all  this  inhumanity 
was  designed  to  hasten.' ^  What- 
soever they  did  there  he  was  the  doer 
of  it.  That  is,  it  was  done  by  his  di- 
rection and  authoritj'.  dial.  'And 
all  that  was  done  there  was  done  ac- 
cording to  his  word.'  Thus  Pilate  is 
said  to  have  given  the  body  of  Christ 
unto  .Foseph,  Mark  15.  45,  when  he 
commnnded  it  to  be  given,  3Iat.  27.  58. 
23.  Looked  7w!  to  any  thing,  S:c.  Ileb. 
n'^'^i^'^  b-  r5<  r;i^'*l  roeh  eth  kol  vieu- 
mah,  saw  not  any  thing ;  i.  e.  did  not  at- 
tend to  or  concern  himself  with  any 
thing  that  was  under  his  (Joseph's)  hand. 
Nor  did  he  call  him  to  account,  or  ques- 
tion him  in  any  way  as  to  his  manage- 
ment of  whatever  was  submitted  to  his 
control.  So  unlimited  was  the  trust  re- 
posed in  him.  Let  a  man  be  inflexibly 
honest  and  true,  and  he  will  never  have 
reason  to  accuse  the  world  of  want  of 
confidence.  Disb.onestv  begets  distrust. 


B.  C.  1720.] 


CHAPTER  XL. 


259 


against  two  0/ his  officers,  against 

f,^^..^ ---    the    chief    of    the    butlers,    and 

that   the   *  butler   of  against  the  chief  of  the  bakers. 


CHAPTER  XL. 
A  ND  it  came  to  pass  after  these 
-^  things,    that    the    *t     ' 
the  king  of  Egypt  and  his   baker 
had   offended  their  lord  the  king 
of  Egypt. 

2  And    Pharaoh    was    ^  wroth 

a  Xeh.  1.  il.     b  Prov.  IG.  \i. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

The  present  chapter  carries  us  for- 
ward another  decided  step  towards  the 
winding  up  of  that  wonderful  drama, 
in  which  Joseph  was  at  this  time  such 
a  prominent  but  unconscious  actor. 
The  all-wise  Jehovah  is  laying  his 
plans,  marshaUing  his  forces,  prepar- 
ing his  instruments,  at  very  different 
times,  and  in  very  different  places.  The 
envy  of  Jacob's  sons,  the  lascivious- 
ness  of  Potiphar's  wife,  the  disobedi- 
ence of  Pharaoh's  servants,  the  anger 
of  the  king  himself— all  meet  by  a 
strange  concurrence  of  circumstances, 
in  one  point,  the  elevation  of  Joseph  to 
the  right  hand  of  the  llirone  1  Remove 
but  one  link,  and  the  chain  is  broken 
asunder.  Take  away  but  a  single  stone, 
and  the  whole  fabric  falls  to  the  ground. 

1.  And  it  carae  to  pass  after  these 
things,  &c.  Heb.  n'Z'i^n  ^'^""ili^"  '^,n^ 
ahar    haddeharlm  haelleh,   after  these 

uords.     See  note  on  Gen.  15.  1 IT 

Butler ;  i.  e.  cup-bearer;  one  who  us- 
ed to  give  the  cup  into  the  king's  hand, 
V.  13.  Thus  the  word  is  translated 
Neh.  1.  11,  '  For  I  was  the  king's  cup- 
hearer.^  The  Gr.  renders  it  aox^irnvo- 
■X^ooi  chief  wine-pourer,  implying  him 
who  had  charge  of  the  rest,  which,  as 
appears  from  v.  2,  is  the  true  meaning. 

^  Baker.     Gr.   aoyi(7iTo-:Toio<;  chief 

bread-maker. ^  Had  offended.  Heb. 

ll^I^n  hate-u,  had  sinned  {against). 
We  are  not  informed  either  of  the 
names  or  the  crimes  of  these  two  ser- 
vants of  the  king  of  Egypt ;  nor  have 
we  any  wish  to  know,  either  the  one 


3  "^Andhe  put  them  inward 
in  the  house  of  the  captain  of  the 
guard,  into  the  prison,  the  place 
where  Joseph  was  bound. 

c  ch.  39.  20,  23. 


or  the  other.  We  feel  no  interest  in 
what  concerns  them  any  farther  than 
as  iheir  lot  was  connected  with  that  of 
Joseph.  One  of  them  came  to  an  un- 
timely end,  and  perhaps  deserved  it. 
The  other  deserved  not  to  have  his 
name  recorded.  He  escaped  the  sword 
of  Pharaoh  ;  but  his  name,  if  it  had 
been  handed  down  to  us,  would  never 
have  been  mentioned  with  honor,  for 
he  could  receive  favors  without  return- 
ing them  when  it  was  in  the  power  of 
his  hand  to  do  it.  He  could  suffer  an 
innocent  youth  to  languish  in  prison, 
without  endeavoring  to  procure  his  re- 
lease, although  he  could  have  told  a 
story  that  would  probably  have  gained 
him  his  liberty.  He  did  indeed  tell 
this  story  to  the  king  a  long  time  after- 
wards, but  at  a  season  when  he  hoped 
to  recommend  himself,  by  doing  what 
he  long  before  ought  to  have  done  in 
gratitude  to  Joseph. 

2.  T\'as  wroth  against  two  of  his  offi- 
cers. That  is,  against  the  two  above- 
mentioned,  who  are  designated  in  the 
original  by  the  term  eunuchs ;  but  this 
as  we  have  seen,  is  a  term  of  large 
import  in  the  East. 

3.  He  put  them  in  ward.  That  is, 
in  custody.  It  often  happens  to  the 
righteous  according  to  the  wish  of 
the  wicked.  Here  we  find  two  men, 
who  sinned  against  their  lord,  the 
king  of  Egypt,  confined  in  the  same 
prison  with  Joseph.  Yet  the  same 
prison  is  not  the  same  thing  to  a  good 
and  to  a  bad  man.  The  two  offenders 
tremble  in  anxious  dread  of  some  wors? 


260 


GENESIS. 


[S.  C.  1718. 


4  And  the  captain  of  the  guard 
charged  Joseph  with  them,  and 
he  served  them  ;  and  they  con- 
tinued a  season  in  ward. 

5  TJ  And  they  dreamed  a  dream 
both    of    them,    each    man    his 


punishment ;  and  the  consciousness  of 
their  demerit,  if  they  were  really  guilty, 
was  more  painful  to  them  than  the 
irons  were  to  Joseph,  though  they  en- 
tered into  his  soul.  It  takes  away  the 
sting  of  such  calamities,  to  have  the 
testimony  of  a  good  conscience. 

4.  Charged  Joseph  with  them.  Heb. 
tD^»  fjDl"'  riJi  npS"'  yiphkod  eth 
Yoseph  ittam,  made  Joseph  to  risit 
them;  a  phrase,  as  before  remarked, 
equivalent  to  investing  one  with  author- 
ity.  IT.   Served  them.     Heb.    ^|-|'J1 

SlTiH  yeshareth  otham,  ministered  to 
them;  i.  e.  by  supplying  them  with 
food  and  other  necessaries.  The  cap- 
tain of  the  guard  had  the  command  of 
the  royal  prison ;  and  as  this  title  is 
more  than  once  before  given  to  Poti- 
phar,  it  is  probable  he  is  the  person 
here  alluded  to.  If  so,  he  was  in  all 
hkelihood  now  convinced  of  Joseph's 
innocence,  and  therefore  loosed  his  fet- 
ters, though  he  did  not  dismiss  him 
from  confinement.  But  why  did  he 
not  release  Joseph  entirely  from  the 
prison,  if  he  thought  him  fit  to  be  trust- 
ed with  the  care  of  other  prisoners  1  In 
this  his  conduct  is  inexplicable.  If  Jo- 
seph was  guilty  of  the  crime  imputed 
to  him,  the  closest  imprisonment  was 
too  good  for  him.  But  if  the  accusa- 
tion were  false,  he  ought  to  have  been 
brought  forth  with  honor,  and  to  have 
received  a  compensation  for  the  injury 
done  to  him  by  his  master  and  mis- 
tress. It  is  possible  that  private  rea- 
sons, springing  from  a  mistaken  sense 
of  honor,  or  a  too  partial  regard  to 
his  wife,  operated  to  overbalance  the 
consideration  of  justice.      But  though 


dream  in  one  night,  each  man 
according  to  the  interpretation 
of  his  dream  ;  the  butler  and  the 
baker  of  the  king  of  Egypt,  which 
ivere  bound  in  the  prison. 


Joseph  had  been  unjustly  enslaved, 
unjustly  imprisoned,  and  unjustly  de- 
tained in  prison,  yet  he  declined  not 
the  work  enjoined  by  his  master,  even 
though  that  master  confessed,  by  the 
trust  reposed  in  him,  that  he  deserved 
very  different  treatment.  He  was  a 
better  man  than  the  men  whom  he 
served,  and  could  not  but  have  some 
intimations  in  his  own  mind  that  he 
should  one  day  be  exalted  above  them, 
yet  at  this  time  he  cheerfully  perform- 
ed to  them  every  service  in  his  power. 
Let  us  learn  from  him  cheerfully  to  ac- 
commodate ourselves  to  those  circum- 
stances in  which  divine  providence  is 
pleased  to  place  us.  They  are  unwor- 
thy to  be  exalted,  who  cannot  bear  to 
be  humbled. 

5.  And  they  dreamed  a  dream  both 
of  them.  Dreams  for  the  most  are 
worthy  of  httle  attention  on  any  other 
account  than  as  they  indicate  the  pres- 
ent state  of  the  body  or  mind.  Yet 
God,  who  spake  in  divers  manners  to 
the  fathers  by  the  prophets,  was  pleas- 
ed occasionally  to  speak  to  other  men 
than  the  prophets  by  dreams  and  vis- 
ions. We  read  in  the  following  chap- 
ter of  a  prophetical  dream  presented  to 
the  imagination  of  Pharaoh,  king  of 
Egypt.  Here  we  have  an  account  of 
a  prophetical  dream  sent  to  two  of 
Pharaoh's  servants,  men  who  were 
probably  ignorant  of  the  Most  High. 
But  the  fancies  as  well  as  the  hearts  of 
those  that  know  not  God,  are  as  much 
under  his  control,  as  the  hearts  of  the 
saints,  and  he  makes  what  impres- 
sions upon  them  he  pleases.  When 
dreams  had  such  an  origin  there  is  no 


B.  C.  1718.] 


CHAPTER  XL. 


261 


6  And  Joseph  came  in  unto 
them  in  the  morning,  and  looked 
upon  them,  and  behold,  they 
were  sad. 


doubt  that  there  was  some  peculiar 
impression  made  upon  the  dreamer's 
mind  which  enabled  him  to  refer  it  to 
its  proper  source.  These  poor  men 
had  often  dreamed  upon  their  beds,  but 
none  of  their  dreams  had  taken  such 
hold  of  their  spirits  as  these.  By  a 
secret  suggestion  from  above,  they 
were  convinced  that  their  dreams  vjere 
supernatural,  and  portended  something 
that  was  to  happen  to  them,  though 
what  it  was  they  were  as  ignorant  of 

OS  before  their  dreams. IT  Each  man 

according  to  the  interpretation  of  his 
dream.  That  is,  answering  to  the 
event.  The  expression  implies  that  the 
dreams  were  not  vain,  empty,  and  un- 
meaning, as  dreams  usually  are,  but 
each  of  them  highly  significant,  and 
capable  of  a  sound  interpretation,  which 
Joseph  gave.  See  Note  on  Josh.  24.  5, 
where  the  peculiar  force  of  this  phrase- 
ology is  clearly  explained. 

6.  BeJiold  they  were  sad.  Gr.  Tcrepa- 
yfievoi  troubled.  The  original  t2iti>T 
zoaphimy  legitimately  implies  both 
mental  vexation  and  irritation,  and  a 
sombre,  lowering  countenance.  It  oc- 
curs elsewhere  four  times,  and  is  ren- 
dered, Dan.  1.  10,  '  worse  liking;'  i.  e. 
worse  looking;  Prov.  10.  3,  'fret- 
ting;' 2  Chron.  16.  19,  'wroth.'  Su- 
pernatural dreams  seem  usually  to  have 
left  an  impression  upon  the  minds  of 
their  recipients  amounting  to  a  violent 
agitation.  Thus,  Dan.  2.  1,  'Nebu- 
chadnezzar dreamed  dreams  wherewith 
his  spirit  was  troubled,  and  his  sleep 
brake  from  him.'  So  also  the  dream 
of  Pilate's  wife.  Matt.  27.  19.  We  see 
from  this  what  access  God  has  to  the 
spirits  of  men,  and  how  easily  he  can 


7  And  he  asked  Pharaoh's  offi- 
cers that  loere  with  him  in  the 
ward  of  his  lord's  house,  saying. 
Wherefore  look  ye  so  sadly  to- 
day ? 


arm  their  imaginations  against  their 
own  peace.  He  can  at  pleasure  send 
a  secret  panic  into  our  souls  and  scare 
us,  as  he  did  Job,  with  dreams  and  vis- 
ions, and  even  fill  our  days  and  nights 
with  terror  by  presages  and  forebodings 
of  uncertain  evils.  Let  us  then  endeav- 
or to  preserve  a  pure  conscience  and  a 
clear  judgment,  that  we  may  neither 
fear  where  no  fear  is,  nor  be  shaken  in 
our  minds  by  the  apprehension  of  those 
evils  that  cannot  be  avoided. 

7.  And  he  asked  Pharaoh's  officers, 
&c.  Their  melancholy  and  dejected 
appearance  excited  his  sympathy,  and 
he  kindly  inquires  into  the  cause  of  it. 
It  was  not  from  an  impertinent  curios- 
ity that  he  proposed  the  question,  but 
being  habitually  pitiful,  courteous,  and 
kindly  afTectioned,  he  would  fain 
know  what  ailed  them,  that  he  might 
administer  all  the  comfort  in  his  power. 
Joseph  indeed  had  private  griefs  of  his 
own  of  no  common  character,  and  we 
might  be  prompted  to  ask,  why  he 
was  not  as  sad  in  heart  and  aspect  as 
the  two  servants  of  Pharaoh.  But  he 
had  a  source  of  calm  and  even  cheerful 
resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  to  which 
they  were  strangers,  and  so  far  from 
sinking  under  the  weight  of  his  calam- 
ities, or  being  absorbed  in  his  own 
troubles,  he  generously  proposes  to  aid 
his  fellow-prisoners  in  bearing  the  bur- 
den of  theirs. IT  Wherefore  look  yc 

so  sadly  to  day?  Heb.  ^j^i^g  'STMZ 
Q'l^"!  maddua  penekem  raim,  where- 
fore are  your  faces  evil?  Gr. 
aKvOp'jira  from  aKvOpos  grim  and  wi// 
countenance ;  i.  e.  sad,  gloomy,  morose, 
desponding.  The  same  word  occurs 
in  a  similar  sense  in  the  New  Testa- 


262 


GENESIS. 


[B.C.  1718. 


8  And  they  said  unto  him, 
^We  have  dreamed  a  dream,  and 
there  is  no  interpreter  of  it.     And 

d  ch.  41.15. 


ment,  Mat.  6.  16,  '  When  ye  fast,  be 
not  as  the  hypociltes,  of  a  sad  coun- 
tenance' (Gr.  aKvQpoTToi,)  Luke  24.  17, 
'What  manner  of  communications  are 
these  that  ye  have  one  to  another,  as 
yc  walk  and  are  sad7^  (Gr.  <TKvdpo7:oi.) 
And  as  'evil'  signifies  sad,  so  on  the 
other  hand  'good'  is  sometimes  used  in 
the  sense  of  cheerful  or  merry.  Thus, 
Est.  1.  10,  '  On  the  seventh  day  when 
the  heart  of  the  king  was  merry  with 
wine.'  Heb.  '  good  with  wine.'  Is.  65. 
14,  '  Behold  my  servants  shall  s'mgfor 
joy  of  heart.'  Heb.  '  for  goodness  of 
heart.' 

8.  There  is  no  interpreter  of  it.  He 
found  upon  inquiry  that  they  had  each 
had  a  dream  which,  from  the  circum- 
stances attending  them,  and  the  im- 
pression left  upon  their  spirits,  they 
considered  extraordinary.  Both  of 
them  dreamed,  and  both  in  one  night. 
The  dreams  of  both  also  related  to  their 
past  employments,  and  they  could  not 
resist  the  belief  that  they  were  omin- 
ous of  something  which  was  to  happen 
to  them.  But  what  it  was  they  could 
not  divine,  and  having  neither  any  in- 
terpreter at  hand  to  instruct  them,  nor 
the  liberty  of  resorting  to  one,  they 
were  exceedingly  dejected.  So  miser- 
able a  thing  is  it  to  stand  in  dread  of 
uncertain  evils.  When  men  know  the 
worst  of  what  they  have  to  fear,  they 
will  makeup  their  minds  and  fortify 
their  spirits  to  bear  the  expected  shock. 
But  when  they  apprehend  themselves 
exposed  to  some  dreadful  evils  without 
knowing  distinctly  what  they  are,  how 
does  the  heart  sink  in  the  prospect ! 
Here  we  have  a  proof  of  the  inestima- 
ble value  of  our  religion,  that  it  furnish- 
es us  with  effectual  antidotes  against 


Joseph  said  unto  them,  *  Do  not 
interpretations  belong  to  God? 
Tell  me  ihem,  I  pray  you. 

e  ch.  41. 16.    Dan.  2.  11,  28, 47. 


every  sorrow,  and  every  fear.  The 
butler  and  baker  would  have  thought 
themselves  happy  could  they  have  pro- 
cured an  interpreter  to  set  their  minds 
at  rest  about  their  dreams.  But,  alas  ! 
what  could  they  reasonably  expect 
from  such  interpreters  of  dreams  as 
Egypt  afforded  'I  Were  they  sure  that 
the  interpreters  would  not  impose  upon 
them  some  groundless  imaginations  of 
their  own  hearts  7  Or  if  their  dreama 
portended  some  great  evils,  had  the  in- 
terpreters any  power  to  avert  them,  or 
to  furnish  them  with  any  adequate  sup- 
port under  them  7  How  vain  are  the 
wishes  and  hopes  of  minds  unenlight- 
ened by  revelation ! IT  Do  not  inter- 
pretations belong  to  God  ?  Gr.  '  la 
not  the  manifestation  of  it  by  God  7' 
Chal.  *  Surely  from  before  God  is  the 
interpretation  of  a  dream.'  By  this 
question,  which  was  a  tacit  reproof  to 
his  companions,  Joseph  aimed  to  call 
off  their  thoughts  from  the  lying  pre- 
tensions of  false  prophets,  diviners,  and 
magicians,  and  to  lead  them  to  place 
their  hope  in  the  true  God,  who  alone 
knows  what  is  to  befal  any  of  his  crea- 
tures, who  alone  can  avert  the  evils 
which  we  dread,  or  turn   them  to  our 

comfort. IT  Tell  me  them,  /  pray 

you.  Let  it  not  be  set  down  to  the  ac- 
count of  an  undue  presumption  in  Jo- 
seph that  he  here  seems  to  claim  for 
himself  the  prerogative  which  he  had 
just  before  ascribed  exclusively  to  God. 
He  merely  intimates  hereby  that  God 
would  make  him  an  organ,  by  which 
to  impart  to  them  the  information  they 
so  much  desired.  It  is  probable  that 
when  he  first  put  the  question  to  them 
respecting  the  cause  of  their  sadness  he 
thought  nothing  of  dreams  or  their  so- 


B.  C.  171S.J 


CHAPTER  XL. 


263 


9  And  the  chief  butler  told  his 
dream  to  Joseph,  and  said  unto 
him,  In  my  dream,  behold,  a  vine 
ivas  before  me  ; 

10  And  in  the  vine  were  three 
branches:  and  it  was  as  though 
it  budded,  and  her  blossoms  shot 
forth ;  and  the  clusters  thereof 
brought  forth  ripe  grapes  : 

11  And  Pharaoh's  cup  was  in 
mine  hand  :  and  I  took  the  grapes, 
and  pressed  them  into  Pharaoh's 
cup,  and  I  gave  the  cup  into 
Pharaoh's  hand. 


lution,  but  that  now  all  of  a  sudden  he 
was  conscious  of  an  extraordinary 
prophetic  impulse  upon  his  spirit,  en- 
abling him  to  act  the  part  of  an  inter- 
preter. Yet  he  required  that  the  dreams 
should  first  be  made  known  to  him. 
God  could  easily  have  saved  him  the 
trouble  of  learning  from  the  men  what 
they  had  dreamed.  The  same  Spirit 
that  taught  him  to  interpret  could  have 
made  known  to  him  the  dreams,  as  we 
know  was  the  case  with  Daniel  in  the 
court  of  Nebuchadnezzar.  But  in  this 
instance  the  dreams  had  not  been  for- 
gotten by  the  dreamers,  and  God  does 
not  impart  that  knowledge  supernat- 
urally  which  can  be  acquired  by  the 
ordinary  methods.  It  was  sufl&cient 
for  Joseph  to  be  enabled  to  show  the 
meaning  of  the  dreams  when  informed 
what  they  were.  And  even  this  was 
ultimately  rather  for  his  own  sake  than 
for  theirs. 

9.  Behold  a  vine  was  before  me,  <^c. 
It  was  not  strange  that  a  butler,  de- 
prived of  his  office  and  his  liberty, 
should  dream  of  wine,  and  grapes,  and 
cups,  and  of  putting  a  cup  into  his 
master's  hand.  Had  Joseph  been  left 
wholly  to  the  direction  of  his  native 
sagacity,  he  would  have  told  the  butler 
that  his  dream  was  the  pure  effect  of 
his  waking  thoughts ;  that  he  had  often  I 


12  And  Joseph  said  unto  him, 
'"This  is  the  interpretation  of  it: 
The  three  branches  ^are  three 
days : 

13  Yet  within  three  days  shall 
Pharaoh  '^lift  up  thine  head,  and 
restore  thee  unto  thy  place:  and 
thou  shalt  deliver  Pharaoh's  cup 
into  his  hand,  after  the  former 
manner  when  thou  wast  his  but- 
ler. 


f  ver.  13.  ch.  41. 12,  25.  .ludg.  7. 14.  Dan. 
2.  36.  &  4.  19.  g  ch.  41.  26.  h  2  Kings  25. 
27.    Ps.3.  3.    Jer.  52.  31. 


anxiously  wished  for  restoration  to  his 
former  ofiice ;  and  that  his  fancy,  in  the 
time  of  sleep,  had  gratified  him  with 
the  enjoyment  of  his  desires.  But  we 
shall  soon  see  that  there  were  other 
particulars  in  the  dream  which  would 
have  completely  b?ffled  his  unassisted 
reason. 

10.  In  the  vine  icere  three  branches. 
Heb.  tJ^'^-IS  sarigim.  By  this  term  is 
undoubtedly  meant  three  little  shoots 
just  perceptible  and  budding  on  the 
bark  of  the  stalk.  It  was  from  these 
that  the  clusters  grew.  The  design  is 
to  intimate  the  rapidity  of  the  growth. 
The  phraseology  in  the  original  is  in 
like  manner  exceedingly  brie^  broken, 

and  abrupt. IT  Her  blossoms    shot 

forth.  The  wonder  of  the  dream  was 
that  the  vine  came  so  soon  to  maturity ; 
that  a  process  which  usually  requires 
the  space  of  several  months  was  ap- 
parently completed  in  as  many  mo- 
ments. He  had  scarcely  time  to  con- 
template its  germinating  buds  before 
he  beheld  the  perfect  flower,  and  this 
with  equal  suddenness  gave  way  to  the 
ripened  clusters. 

12,  13.  This  is  the  interpretation  of  it, 
&c.  The  general  interpretation  given 
by  Joseph  of  the  dream  is  quite  obvious, 
and  one  that  in  all  likeUhood  would 
have  suggested  itself  to  any  of  the  pro- 


264 


GENESIS. 


LB.  C.  1718 


fessed  oneirocriilcs  whom  the  butler 
might  have  consulted.  He  would  na- 
turally infer  that  the  man  was  very  de- 
sirous of  being  restored  to  his  oflSce, 
and  he  would  be  very  apt  to  say  that 
such  was  the  drift  of  the  dream.  Still 
it  would  have  been  a  mere  guess. 
Nothing  short  of  divine  inspiration 
could  have  assured  Joseph  that  the 
dreajn  was  to  be  realized.  But  there 
was  another  circumstance  which  left 
no  room  to  doubt  whether  the  interpre- 
tation was  only  a  happy  conjecture  or 
a  divine  discovery.  The  time  was  spe- 
cified. The  three  branches  were  three 
days.  What  human  sagacity  could 
have  divined  that  the  branches  of  the 
vine  had  any  reference  to  time7~or,  if 
they  had,  whether  three  days,  or  three 
months,  or  three  years,  were  meant. 
Anacharsis  the  Scythian  said  that  a 
vine  had  three  branches,  the  first  of 
which  produced  pleasure,  the  second 
intoxication,  the  third  remorse.  Might 
not  some  such  interpretation  of  the 
three  branches  have  appeared  as  nat- 
ural as  that  which  Joseph  gave?  But 
it  was  wisely  ordered  that  one  part  of 
the  dream  should  require  a  divinely  in- 
spired interpreter.  It  was  God's  de- 
sign to  assure  the  butler  that  Joseph 
obtained  his  wisdom,  not  from  man, 
but  by  revelation  from  above.  And  as 
to  Joseph  himself,  he  would  certainly 
have  acted  a  very  foolish  part  had  he 
explained  the  three  branches  of  three 
days  that  were  to  elapse  before  the  ful- 
filment of  the  dream,  unless  he  had 
been  well  assured  that  God  spake  by 
his  mouth.  That  he  was  well  assured 
of  the  truth  of  his  prediction,  appears 
still  more  clearly  from  the  request 
which  he  made  to  the  butler.  This  re- 
quest must  have  exposed  him  to  con- 
tempt, if  his  prediction  had  not  been 

verified  by  the  event. IT  The  three 

branches  are  three  days.     That  is,  sig- 
nify three  days;  a  very  important  sense 


of  the  substantive  verb  are,  is,  afibrd- 
ing  a  clue  to  the  real  import  of  numer- 
ous passages  like  the  following;  Rev. 
1.  20,  'The  seven  candlesticks  which 
thou  sawest  are  (i.  e.  signify)  the  seven 
churches;'  Rev.  17.9,  10,  'The  seven 
heads  are  (signify)  seven  mountains, 
and  there  (or,  they)  are  seven  kings;' 
i.  e.  kingdoms;  by  which  is  implied 
that  the  'heads'  and  the  'mountains' 
were  equivalent  symbols,  both  signify- 
ing 'kingdoms.'  Luke  22.  19,  'This  is 
my  body;'  i.  e.  signijies  my  body;  an 
interpretation  subversive  of  the  doc- 
trine of  transubstantiation.  So  v.  20, 
'This  cup  is  (signifies)  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  my  blood.'  Gen.  28.  22,  'And 
this  stone  shall  be  (shall  signify)  God's 

house.' IT  Shall  lift  up  thine  head. 

This  implies  more  than  the  mere  fact 
of  releasing  from  bondage.  It  is  equiv- 
alent to  promoting,  preferring,  raising 
to  honor,  or  in  this  case  restoring  to  a 
former  office.  Thus,  Ps.  3.  3,  'But 
thou  Lord  art  a  shield  for  me,  my 
glory,  and  the  lifter  up  of  mine  head.^ 
Jer.  52.  31,  'Evilmerodach,  king  of  Bab- 
ylon, lifted  up  the  head  of  Jehoiachin, 
king  of  Judah,  and  brought  him  forth 
out  of  prison.'  This,  from  v.  32,  seems 
to  be  equivalent  to  '  setting  his  throne 
above  the  throne  of  the  kings  that  were 
with  him  in  Babylon.'  The  phrase  'to 
lift  up  the  head'  is  used  also  in  the  sense 
of  reckoning,  enumerating,  or  taking 
the  sum,  as  in  a  census.  Thus,  Ex.  30. 
12,  'When  thou  takest  the  sum  of  the 
children  of  Israel.'  Heb.  '  When  thou 
liftest  up  the  headJ  Understood  thus, 
the  import  of  the  present  passage  i» 
this;  'In  the  review  or  survey  of  tht 
officers  of  the  court,  thou  shalt  be 
enumerated  and  have  a  place  as  for- 
merly.' Gr.  'Pharaoh  shall  remember 
thy  principality.'  Chal.  'Shall  re- 
member thee.' 

14.   Think  on  me  when  it  shall  be 
well  with   thee.      Heb.    ^nx   l2n^2T 


B.  C.  1718.1 


CHAPTER  XL. 


265 


14  But  i  think  on  me  when  it 
shall  be  well  with  thee,  and  ^  shew 
.kindness 
and 

Pharaoh,  and  bring  me  out  of  this 
house : 

i  Luke  23.  42.     k  Josh.  2.  12.     1  Sam.  20. 
14,  15.    2  Sam.  9.  1.    1  Kings  2.  7. 


,    I   pray  thee,  unto  me, 
make  mention   of  me  unto 


zckartani  itteka,  remember  me  iclth 
thee.  In  the  enjoyment  of  the  sweets 
of  recovered  liberty,  do  not  forget  me. 
Although  Joseph  patiently  bore  his 
confinement,  yet  he  earnestly  desired 
deliverance,  and  felt  entirely  justified  in 
using  all  proper  means  for  obtaining  it. 
The  terms  in  which  the  request  is  made 
are  exceedingly  tender  and  pathetic, 
and  they  recognise  one  of  the  great 
principles  by  which  God  is  governed  in 
visiting  afiiictions  upon  men.  It  is 
that  they  may  be  able  to  enter  into  the 
feelings  of  those  who  are  in  trouble, 
and  hiay  be  ready  to  weep  with  those 
who  weep,  and  to  dry  up  their  tears  by 
offices  of  kindness.  The  chosen  peo- 
ple were  required  to  shew  kindness  to 
the  stranger,  because  they  knew  the 
heart  of  a  stranger,  from  what  they 
themselves  had  suffered  as  strangers  in 
the  land  of  Egypt.  So  here  Joseph 
might  presume  that  the  butler,  who 
had  known  the  heart  of  a  prisoner, 
would  kindly  remember  and  intercede 
for  his  poor  companion  in  bonds.  He 
could  not  indeed  by  his  ov/n  authority 
bring  Joseph  out  of  prison,  but  he 
might,  by  his  influence  with  Pharaoh, 
obtain  his  release.  We  may  do  much 
good  by  the  hands  of  others,  where  our 
own  personal  power  cannot  be  put 
forth,  and  in  so  doing  we  not  only 
make  a  debtor  of  him  to  whom  the 
benefit  is  shewn,  but  of  him  also  who 
is  excited  by  us  to  perform  the  benefit. 
Indeed  the  last  is,  of  the  two,  more  in- 
debted to  us  than  the  first;  for  'it  is 
more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.' 

IT  Make  mention  of  me  to   Pha- 

2?> 


15  For  indeed  I  was  stolen 
away  out  of  the  land  of  the  He- 
brews :  '  and  here  also  have  I 
done  nothing  that  they  should  put 
me  into  the  dungeon. 


1  cb.  39.  20. 


raoh.  Let  him  know  that  I  foretold 
thine  advancement,  by  giving  thee  a 
true  interpretation  of  thy  dream.  Such 
a  proof  of  wisdom  more  than  human 
might  of  course  be  expected  to  gain 
the  favor  of  the  king,  as  soon  as  it 
should  be  represented  to  him.  Pha- 
raoh might  have  his  dreams  as  well  as 
his  servants,  and  he  might  be  glad  to 
have  a  man  in  his  court  who  could 
one  day  perhaps  perform  for  him  a 
similar  useful  and  acceptable  service. 

?[  And  bring  me  out  of  this  house. 

That  is,  cause  me  to  brought  out;  a 
common  idiom.  See  Note  on  Gen. 
xli.  13.  Gr.  'Thou  shalt  bring  me  out 
of  this  prison.' 

15.  For  indeed  I  icas  stolen  away^ 
&c.  Heb.  ^r*"3  S33  gunnob  gun- 
jiabti,  stealing  I  icas  stolen.  The  but- 
ler might  perhaps  have  been  afraid  to 
recommend  Joseph  to  the  favor  of 
Pharaoh,  because  he  might  think  that 
his  imprisonment  was  the  just  punish- 
merxt  of  his  crimes.  Joseph,  to  ob- 
viate this  suspicion,  tells  him,  that 
neither  his  slavery  nor  his  imprison- 
ment were  the  just  reward  of  his  own 
conduct.  He  was  by  birth  an  Hebrew, 
and  had  been  stolen  away  from  his 
native  country.  But  was  this  a  true 
statement  of  the  matter  of  fact  1  Did 
not  the  IshmaeUtes  buy  him?  True 
indeed,  they  did ;  but  it  was  of  them 
that  had  no  right  to  sell  him;  them 
that  had  as  it  were,  robbed  him  of  him- 
self;  and  therefore  he  was  in  reality 
stolen.  The  charge  holds  good  of  his 
brethren.  Such  all  will  admit,  would 
be  the  purchase  by  a  kidnapper  of  a 


266^ 


^E-NESIS. 


[B.  C.  1718. 


16  When  the  chief  baker  saw 
that  the  interpretation  was  good, 
he  said  unto  Joseph,  I  also  was 
in  my  dream,  and  behold,  /  had 
three  white  baskets  on  mine  head : 


child  from  an  unprincipled  nurse ;  and 
such  is  the  purchase  of  slaves  to  this 
day  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  But  while 
Joseph  afSrms  himself  to  havs  been 
stolen  from  his  country,  he  does  not 
tell  by  whom.  Deeply  as  his  brethren 
had  injured  him,  he  does  not  choose  to 
publish  their  fault.  In  employing  the 
term  stolen  without  any  particulars,  he 
seems  generously  to  have  intended  to 
throw  a  veil  over  their  iniquitous  con- 
duct ;  and  the  same  noble  spirit  is  dis- 
covered in  what  he  says  of  his  treat- 
ment in  Egypt.  "Wishing  only  to  jus- 
tify hunself,  and  not  to  criminate  others, 
he  forbears  to  relate  by  what  wicked 
arts  his  mistress  had  procured  his  im- 
prisonment, or  to  vent  any  reproaches 
upon  her.  He  is  content  with  simply 
asserting  his  innocence.  Any  thing  far- 
ther was  in  fact  unnecessary.  Within 
three  days  he  was  to  receive  a  virtual 
testimonial  from  God  himself;  for  if  he 
were  the  man  his  mistress  represented 
him  to  be,  was  it  supposeable  that  God, 
who  bates  all  wickedness,  would  have 
given  him  the  knowledge  of  those  se- 
crets that  were  hidden  from  other  men  ? 
Yet  who  can  help  admiring  the  exam- 
ple here  displayed  of  forbearance,  under 
the  foulest  and  most  injurious  treat- 
ment !  If  ever  a  human  being  had  oc- 
casion to  complain  of  wrong  and  to 
expose  the  most  crying  injustice,  it 
was  Joseph  in  view  of  his  present  hard 
lot.  Yet  waving  the  prerogatives  of 
injured  innocence  he  meekly  commits 
himself  to  him  that  judgeth  righteous- 
ly, and  leaves  it  to  infinite  Wisdom  to 
vindicate  and  deliver  him  as  it  should 

seem  to  him  good. ^  Out  of  the 

land  of  Ihc  Hebrews,    That  is,  the  land 


17  And  in  the  uppermost  bas- 
ket there  was  of  all  manner  oi 
bake-meats  for  Pharaoh:  and  the 
birds  did  eat  them  out  of  the  bas- 
ket upon  mine  head. 


of  the  descendants  of  Abraham,  the 
Hebrew.  It  is  by  faith  founded  on  the 
divine  promises,  that  he  gives  it  this 
appellation,  as  the  country  then  gene- 
rally went  by  the  name  of  the  'land  o5 

Canaan.' ^  Into  the  dungeon.    Heb. 

^\M'2  babbor,  into  the  pit,  or  cistern  ;  the 
same  word  as  that  apphed  to  the  pit 
into  which  Joseph  was  cast  by  hi& 
brethren.  It  is  to  be  inferred  from  the 
narratrve  that  the  gift  of  prophecy 
vouchsafed  to  Joseph  was  bestowed 
only  at  particular  times,  for  though  he 
could  foretel  the  deliverance  of  the  but- 
ler from  prison  he  was  not  enabled  to' 
foresee  his  own. 

16,  17.  When  the  chief  baksr  saw, 
&c.  The  chief  butler  v/a»  now  a  hap- 
py man.  It  is  true,  he  might  still  be  in 
some  d3ubt  what  credit  was  due  to  the 
young  man  who  gave  him  such  hope&. 
But  men  are  strongly  disposed  to  be- 
lieve what  they  wish  to  be  true.  The 
exposition  of  the  dream  was  at  least 
very  plausible.  The  young  man  spoke 
like  one  assured  of  the  truth  of  what 
he  said;  and  his  countenance  helped 
to  procure  credit  to  the  truth  of  his 
words.  At  any  rate,  the  terrors  raised 
by  the  dream  were  at  an  end.  If  any 
thing  was  portended  by  it,  it  was  good 
and  not  evil.  The  countenance  of  the 
butler  was  brightened,  as  if  a  warrant 
had  already  been  issued  from  the  court 
for  his  liberation,  and  his  companion  in 
misery  ardently  wished  to  participate 
in  his  good  fortune.  Seeing  that  tho 
interpretation  of  the  butler's  dream  was 
good,  that  is,  that  it  carried  an  air  of 
intrinsic  plausibility,  and  that  it  por- 
tended good,  he  is  induced  to  relate  hia 
own  dream  also,  in  hopes  that  it  might 


B.  C.  1718.] 


CHAPTER  XL 


267 


receive  as  favourable  a  solution.  We 
naturally  desire  to  be  as  happy  as  our 
neighbours,  especially  if  they  were  once 
as  unhappy  as  ourselves,  and  it  is  hard 
not  to  give  way  to  the  promptings  of 
that  hope,  which  is  the  great  sweeten- 
er of  the  miseries  of  life.  Yet  it  will 
be  our  wisdom  to  suppress  those  eleva- 
tions of  hope  which  may  terminate  in 
cruel  disappointment.  Let  us  remem- 
ber thai  divine  providence  is  under  no 
obligation  to  be  equally  kind  to  us  all, 
and  that  prosperity  and  adversity,  life 
and  death,  are  distributed  to  men  by 
One  who  has  a  right  to  do  what  he  will 
^vith  his  own.  Whilst  then  we  hope 
for  the  best,  let  us  fear  the  worst,  and 
be  prepared  for  any  event  that  may  oc- 
cur, for  any  ddings  that  we  may  hear. 

^  1  also  was  in  my  dream.     I  was 

transfused,  as  it  were,  into  a  dreaming 

state. IT    Three    white    baskets    on 

minehead.  Heb. 'I'ln  '^'^'0  salle  hori ; 
a  phrase  of  very  doubtful  import.  Lex- 
icographers and  critics  differ  greatly  as 
to  the  signification  of  the  latter  term 
1"in  hori;  some  understanding  it  of 
the  baskets  themselves,  others  of  the 
contents  of  the  baskets.  In  the  for- 
mer case,  it  is  to  be  referred  to  the  root 
Tin  horoxhury  conveying  the  sense  of 
the  Lat.  /oramen,  a  hole,  an  aperture, 
a  perforation,  and  to  be  understood  of 
the  holes  or  interstices  in  the  twigs  of 
which  the  baskets  were  composed.  In 
other  words,  the  phrase  implies  that 
the  baskets  were  made  of  wicker-work, 
reticulated  hke  nets.  On  the  second 
supposition,  the  root  is  Tin  havar,  to 
he  white;  and  ^"^n  hori  is  then  taken 
to  imply  the  white  loaves,  rolls,  or  cakes 
contained  in  the  baskets.  This  is  con- 
firmed by  most  of  the  ancient  versions. 
Gr.  '  Three  baskets  of  fine  bread.' 
Chal.  '  Three  baskets  full  of  the  princi- 
pal (or  best)  bread.'  Targ.  Jon.  'Three 
baskets  of  pure  bread.'  Vulg.  'Three 
baskets  of  fine  flour.'  But  as  it  is  l 
said  in  the  next  verse  that  the  upper-  j 


77iost  of  the  three  baskets  contained  all 
the  various  work  of  the  baker,  tho 
whole  three  could  not  be  very  well 
named,  from  the  eatables  which  they 
contained,  baskets  of  white  bread.  On 
the  whole,  therefore,  the  former  render- 
ing seems  most  to  be  preferred,  and 
this  is  countenanced  by  Symmachus, 
who  gives  Tpia  Kava  Qa'iva  three  baskets 
of  branches.  Jarchi  combines  the  two 
senses,  explaining  the  phrase  of  wicker- 
baskets,  made  of  twigs  which  were 
white  from  having  the  bark  peeled  off. 
But  this  seems  far-fetched  and  forced. 
The  little  importance  of  the  subject 
would  perhaps  have  excused  still  less 
being  said  upon  it.  The  dreamer  in  this 
case,  however,  had  very  Httle  reason  to 
hope  for  a  favourable  interpretation  of 
his  dream.  It  was  a  very  difTerent  one 
from  that  of  the  butler.  The  butler 
pressed  the  grapes  into  the  king's  cup, 
and  put  it  into  his  hand ;  bui  the  bake- 
meats  which  the  chief  baker  carried  in 
his  basket  never  went  to  the  king'3 
table ;  they  were  eaten  from  off  his 
head  by  the  hungry  birds.  Yet  the 
poor  man  hoped  his  dream  might  have 
as  favourable  a  meaning  given  to  it  as 
his  neighbor's.  We  have  no  reason  to 
be  surprised  at  his  vain  expectation. 
How  often  do  we  see  sick  persons 
promising  themselves  life,  when  their 
physicians  see  nothing  but  symptoms 

of  their  approaching  death. IT  All 

manner  of  bake-meats.  Heb.  '  Of  all 
manner  of  food  of  Pharaoh,  the  work 
of  a  baker.'  It  is  giving  the  original 
too  restricted  a  sense  to  confine  it  to 
that  of  baked  meats,  unless  meats  he 
taken  in  the  old  English  sense  of  meals, 
as  explained  in  Gen  4.  3.  The  term 
means  properly  baked  food  in  general. 
Gr.  'Of  all  kinds  which  Pharaoh  did 
eat  of  the  work  of  the  bread-maker.' 
Chal.  'All  which  was  made  by  tho 
baker's  art.' 

18,    19.    This  is   the  interpretation 
thereof.    As  far  as  their  baskets  wera 


iJtS 


GEi\E:SlS.  [B.  C.  1718. 


18  And  Joseph  answered,  and 
said,  »"  This  is  the  interpretation 
thereof:  The  three  baskets  are 
three  days : 

m  ver.  12, 


concerned  the  interpretation  agreed 
with  that  of  the  dream  of  tlie  but- 
ler. How  anxiously  did  the  poor  baker 
wait  for  the  next  words  of  the  inter- 
preter! How  fondly  did  he  hope  that 
the  third  day  might  bring  the  same 
happy  changeof  circumstances  to  him- 
self, which  was  already  promised  to 
his  companion  !  But  alas  !  his  hope 
was  soon  turned  to  despair. TT  Pha- 
raoh shall  lift  up  thine  head  from  off 
thee.  The  expression  in  the  original  is 
the  same  as  that  respecting  the  butler, 
V.  13,  implying  that  he  also  should  be 
reckoned  among  the  officers,  but  inti- 
mating by  the  additional  phrase,  'from 
off  thee,'  that  the  enumeration  would 
be  fatal  to  him.  It  is  probable  that  be- 
heading in  the  first  instance  is  the  pun- 
ishm.ent  here  predicted,  after  which  his 
decapitated  body  was  to  be  hung  up 
'on  a  tree,'  i.  e.  a  gallows-tree,  gibbet, 
or  cross,  to  become  prey  to  carniverous 
birds.  The  flesh  with  which  the  birds 
were  to  bj  fed,  was  not  of  his  bake- 
meats,  but  of  his  own  body.  If  'hope 
deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick,'  how 
dreadful  is  it  to  have  hope  entirely  ex- 
tinguished. Yet  such  was  the  melan- 
choly lot  of  the  baker  when  he  heard  the 
interpretation  of  his  dream.  Although 
he  did  not  kpow  what  was  meant  by 
it  till  this  moment,  yet  the  words  of 
Joseph  must  have  carried  conviction 
with  them  to  a  man  already  possessed 
with  the  firm  belief  that  his  dream  was 
significant  of  what  was  to  befall  him. 
Whether  he  were  to  suffer  justly  or  un- 
justly, we  are  not  informed  ;  but  as 
his  death  was  so  near,  it  was  perhaps 
an  advantage  to  him  to  know  it.    Had 


19  "Yet  within  three  days 
shall  Pharaoh  lift  up  thine  head 
from  off  thee,  and  shall  hang  thee 
on  a  tree;  and  the  birds  shall  eat 
thy  flesh  from  off  thee. 

n  ver.  13. 


he  been  rightly  affected,  he  had  now 
an  opportunity  of  learning  at  the  hand 
of  a  servant  of  God,  what  kind  of  prep- 
aration it  behoved  him  to  make  for 
death.  At  any  rate,  let  it  not  be  thought 
any  disparagement  to  the  kindly  feel- 
ings of  Joseph  that  he  thus  plainly  de- 
clared a  message  of  such  terrible  im- 
port to  a  fellow-creature.  It  was  no 
doubt  a  source  of  inexpressible  grief  to 
him,  io  be  obliged  to  be  the  organ  of 
such  heavy  tidings.  But  a  necessity 
was  laid  upon  him  to  interpret  the  dream. 
He  had  in  effect  promised  to  do  it. 
Had  he  now  refused  to  satisfy  the  ba- 
ker's desire,  his  silence  would  either 
have  been  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
falsity  of  the  claims,  or  it  would  have 
been  Httle  better  than  the  words  in 
which  the  fatal  sentence  was  pronoun- 
ced. But  if  he  broke  silence  at  all  he 
must  tell  the  truth.  He  could  not  but 
speak  what  was  made  known  by  God 
to  be  communicated  to  his  compan- 
ions; and  the  unfortunate  man  must 
at  any  rate  have  heard  his  sentence 
within  three  days  at  farthest,  even 
though  Joseph  had  been  silent.  Be- 
sides this,  there  was  no  doubt  another 
reason  why  Joseph  declared  plainly 
what  he  had  learned  from  God.  He 
wished  to  have  it  known  among  the 
Egyptians  that  interpretations  belonged 
to  the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  and  that 
he  alone  could  shew  things  that  wero 
to  come  to  pass,  Joseph  afterward  re- 
ceived the  name  of  Zaphnath-paaneah, 
the  revealer  of  secrets ;  but  it  was  his 
desire  to  have  it  known,  that  his  God 
was  the  fountain  of  all  his  knowledge, 
that  confidence  in  any  other  God,  or 


B.  C.  1718.] 


CHAPTER  XL. 


269 


20  11  And  it  came  to  pass  the 
third  day,  which  was  Pharaoh's 
°birth-day,  that  he  p  made  a  feast 
unto  all  his  servants :  and  he 
1  lifted  up  the  head  of  the  chief 
butler  and  of  the  chief  baker 
among  his  servants. 

21  And  he  «•  restored  the  chief 


o  Mat.  14.  C.    p  Mark  6.  21. 
Mat.  25.  19.    r  ver.  13. 


q  ver.  13,  19. 


in  any  other  way  of  coming  to  the 
knowledge  of  futurity,  but  by  revela- 
tion from  him,  was  vain  and  idle. IT 

Tlie  birds  shall  eat  thy  Jlesh  from  off 
thee.  The  terror  of  approaching  death 
would  be  aggravated  to  the  poor  man, 
by  the  prospect  of  the  indignities  with 
which  his  body  was  to  be  treated. 
Here  we  have  an  infinite  advantage 
over  the  benighted  heathen.  Our  reli- 
gion furnishes  us  with  effectual  conso- 
lation, not  only  against  the  fear  of 
death,  but  against  all  that  the  wrath  of 
man  can  do  against  either  our  bodies 
or  our  names,  after  the  stroke  of  death. 
VVe  read  of  the  bodies  of  the  saints 
having  been  cast  out  to  the  wild  beasts 
of  the  earth,  and  to  the  fowls  of  heav- 
en. But  were  the  bodies  of  Christians 
to  be  swallowed  up  by  the  most  abhor- 
red of  God's  creatures,  they  sleep  in 
Jesus,  and  God  will  bring  them  with 
him  at  the  day  of  his  appearance  and 
kingdom. 

20.  And  it  came  to  pass,  &c.  It  is  a 
custom  of  long  standing  with  kings 
and  other  great  men,  particularly  in 
eastern  countries,  to  celebrate  their  birth- 
days with  feasts  and  gladness.  And 
we  have  all  reason  to  rejoice  at  the  re- 
membrance of  our  birth  into  the  world, 
if  our  lives  have  been  employed  for  the 
purposes  for  which  they  were  given. 
Yet  Job,  the  most  patient  of  men,  was 
at  a  certain  period  of  his  life  over- 
whelmed with  such  dreadful  calamities, 
that  he  cursed  the  day  of  his  birth,  and 
23* 


butler  unto  his  butlership  again; 
and  « he  gave  the  cup  into  Pha- 
raoh's hand  : 

22  But  he  t  hanged  the  chief 
baker,  as  Joseph  had  interpreted 
to  them. 

23  Yet  did  not  the  chief  butler 
remember  Joseph,  but  "forgat  him. 

s  Neh.  2. 1.  t  ver.  19.  u  Job  19. 14.  Ps, 
31,  12.    Eccl.  9.  15,  16.    Ames  6.  6. 


the  night  in  which  it  was  said,  'There 
is  a  man-child  brought  into  the  world.' 
Let  us  endeavour  so  to  live,  that  we 
may  always  rejoice  in  our  existence. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  Pharaoh,  on 
this  festive  occasion,  wished  to  perform 
some  signal  act  of  grace,  that  all  his 
people  might  rejoice  in  the  clemency  of 
his  government.  With  this  view  he 
lifted  up  the  head  of  the  chief  butler,  by 
raising  him  again  to  his  former  station. 
But  at  the  same  time  to  warn  his  ser- 
vants against  provoking  his  displeas- 
ure, he  lifted  up  the  head  of  the  chief 
baker  in  a  very  different  sense,  by  de- 
priving him  of  life.  What  reason  he 
had  to  make  this  difference  between 
his  two  servants,  we  cannot  say  ;  but 
we  know  that  he  fulfilled  the  will  of 
God,  and  verified  the  prediction  of  his 
servant  Joseph. 

21.  And  he  restored  the  chief  butler, 
&c.  '  The  desire  accomplished  is 
sweet  to  the  soul.'  The  chief  butler's 
deliverance  would  give  him  double  joy, 
when  he  considered  that  his  fate  might 
have  been  the  same  with  that  of  his 
unhappy  companion.  Pain  and  fear 
are  the  objects  of  great  aversion  while 
they  are  present,  but  some  of  the 
sweetest  pleasures  of  life  would  be  want- 
ing if  they  were  never  felt. 

22.  He  hanged  the  chief  baker,  aa 
Joseph  had  interpreted  to  them.  If 
both  these  men's  dreams  had  portend- 
ed pardon,  the  interpretation  given  by 
Joseph    might    have  been  considered 


270 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1718. 


merely  as  a  lucky  conjecture.  Tt  was 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  on  the  ap- 
proaching festivity  of  the  king's  birth- 
day, he  would  signahze  his  clemency 
by  some  acts  of  grace  to  offenders.  But 
who  could  have  foreseen  that  he  would 
make  one  of  his  servants  to  feel  the  se- 
verity of  his  displeasure  on  the  happy 
day,  whilst  he  pardoned  the  other ;  or 
that  he  would  execute  his  displeasure 
by  hanging  his  dead  body  on  a  tree 
and  exposing  it  as  a  prey  to  the  fowls 
of  heaven  1  Every  circumstance  tend- 
ed to  estabUsh  the  credit  of  Joseph, 
as  a  man  that  enjoyed  intercourse  with 
heaven;  and  just  in  proportion  to  the 
evidence  on  this  score,  was  the  inex- 
cusableness  of  the  Egyptians  in  refu- 
sing to  acknowledge  the  God  of  heav- 
ed and  earth.  In  like  manner  the  per- 
fect accomplishment  of  the  various 
prophecies  of  the  Scriptures  leaves  us 
without  excuse  if  we  withhold  our  be- 
lief of  its  divine  inspiration. 

23.  Yet  did  not  the  chief  butler  re- 
member Joseph.  We  should  now  have 
expected  to  read  of  the  chief  butler's 
intercession  to  the  king  in  behalf  of  the 
amiable  and  injured  youth  at  whose 
hands  he  had  received  so  signal  a  fa- 
vour. True  indeed  it  was  Pharaoh 
and  not  Joseph  who  had  delivered  him 
from  prison,  but  how  could  he  drop 
from  his  memory  the  high  obligations 
under  which  he  lay  to  one  who  had,  by 
interpretinghisdreams,relieved  his  mind 
of  the  tormenting  apprehensions  which 
had  preyed  upon  it  1  Every  thought  of 
his  former  unhappy  condition,  and  of 
its  joyful  reverse,  we  should  suppose, 
would  have  reminded  him  of  his  prison- 
companion.  Yet  alas,  for  the  black  in- 
gratitude of  the  human  heart !— no  soon- 
er is  he  released  from  prison  than  he 
loses  all  remembrance  of  his  kind  ben- 
efactor! No  doubt,  in  the  first  tran- 
sports of  his  joy,  at  learning  the  im- 
port of  his  dream,  he  intended  to  show 
his  gratitude  to  the  Hebrew  youth.   But 


becoming  soon  swallowed  up  in  his 
own  concerns,  he  forgot  one  who  had 
turned  his  sorrow  into  joy  and  glad- 
ness, and  left  him  for  two  long  years 
to  pine  amidst  the  horrors  of  solitary 
confinement,  and  to  feel  the  pang  of 
unmerited  neglect.  How  strangely 
does  prosperity  intoxicate  the  mind, 
and  what  callousness  does  it  some- 
times bring  over  the  finer  feelings  of 
our  nature  !  How  common  is  it  for 
persons  in  high  life  to  forget  the  poor, 
even  those  to  whom  they  have  been 
under  the  greatest  obligations!  The 
ingratitude  of  the  butler  was  marked 
by  a  special  enormity.  Even  had  he 
owed  nothing  to  Joseph,  it  was  cer- 
tainly a  duty  imposed  by  the  laws  of 
humanity  to  do  what  he  could  for  his 
relief,  when  he  knew  him  to  be  un- 
justly enslaved  and  imprisoned.  But 
he  was  utterly  mexcusable,  after  what 
Joseph  had  done  for  him,  when  he  did 
not  so  much  as  open  his  mouth  to  Pha- 
raoh on  his  behalf.  Our  own  instinc- 
tive sense  of  right,  teaches  us  to  repro- 
bate his  conduct.  His  memory  will 
be  held  in  detestation  while  the  world 
lasts.  The  word  of  God  has  recorded 
his  infamy,  that  others  may  be  warn- 
ed to  shew  proper  returns  of  gratitude 
to  their  benefactors.  As  for  ourselves, 
we  can  indeed  be  under  no  apprehen- 
sions that  the  book  of  God  will  trans- 
mit our  character  to  future  ages.  The 
chief  butler  felt  just  as  little  fear  of  that 
perpetual  dishonor  to  which  his  mem- 
ory was  to  be  subjected  by  a  book  that 
should  be  read  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
But  let  us  not  forget  that  there  is  anoth- 
er book  of  God  which  contains  the  rec- 
ord of  every  individual's  life — a  book 
which  shall  be  opened  before  the  as- 
sembled world  !  What  confusion  v>'ill 
then  cover  the  faces  of  those  who  shall 
be  found  to  have  been  insensible  to  the 
favors  done  them,  either  by  their  fel- 
low-men or  their  Maker !  If  all  men 
abhor  those  who  return  not  good  for 


n  C.  1715.] 


CHAPTER  XLl. 


271 


A 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

ND  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end 
of  two  full  years,  that  Plia- 


food,  when  it  is  in  the  power  ef  their 
band  to  do  it ;  how  black  is  our  ingrat- 
itude if  we  are  net  penetrated  with 
ardent  love  to  him,  who  not  only  pitied 
as  in  our  io>v  estate,  but  wrought  re- 
demption for  us  by  a  life  of  eorrow, 
and  by  an  accursed  death  1 

CHAPTER   XLI. 

1.  11  came  to  pass  at  the  end  cf  two 
full  years,  that  Pharaoh  dreamed. 
Whether  we  are  to  date  the  two  full 
years  from  the  time  that  Joseph  was 
put  into  the  prison,  or  rather  from  the 
time  that  the  butler  was  taken  out  of 
it,  which  was  the  event  last  spoken  of, 
the  mention  of  the  time  is  designed  to 
point  out  the  length  of  Joseph's  con- 
finement. Two  years  of  imprisonment 
svill  appear  a  much  longer  time  to  one 
who  has  not  learned  to  bear  the  evils 
of  life  with  an  uncommon  degree  of 
fortitude.  In  fact,  it  is  not  so  much 
the  intenseness  of  our  trials,  as  the 
duration  of  them,  that  is  the  greatest 
test  of  our  patience.  Even  those  who 
liavebeen  taught  of  God  are  strongly 
tempted,  under  long  continued  afflic- 
tions, to  weary  of  the  Lord's  correc- 
tion. In  regard  to  Joseph,  too,  it  is  to 
be  recollected,  that  he  was  now  in  the 
vigor  and  prime  of  life,  the  period 
which  to  men  in  ease  and  health  is  the 
most  pleasant  of  all  others;  for  he  was 
thirty  years  eld  v*^hen  his  troubles  came 
to  an  end.  He  might  think  it  a  severe 
allotment  to  live  all  the  best  of  his 
days  in  a  prison,  when  he  had  done 
nothing  to  deserve  it;  and  the  prison 
would  be  the  more  wearisome  to  him, 
chat  his  hopes  of  deliverance  founded 
upon  God's  word  and  providence  seem- 
ed to  fail  forevermore.  From  the  gift 
of.  interpretation  bestowed  upon  him, 


raoh   dreamed :   and   behold,   he 
stood  by  the  river. 
2  And  behold,  there  came  up 


as  well  as  from  his  own  youthful 
dreams  which  remained  uninterpreted, 
he  could  scarcely  doubt  that  something 
extraordinary  was  intended  for  him, 
yet  how  severely  was  he  tried  by  being 
suffered  to  languish  week  after  week, 
and  month  after  month,  in  his  dreary 
prison  house.  But  though  the  butler 
had  forgotten  him,  God  had  not;  and 
his  plans  were  ripening  apace  for  his 
servants'  deliverance.  The  clouds 
which  have  so  long  darkened  his  pros- 
pects are  just  beginning  to  disperse, 
end  a  brighter  and  more  cheering  ho- 
rizon about  to  open  upon  him.  Though 
he  v/ould  gladly  have  been  indebted 
both  to  Pharaoh  and  the  butler  for  his 
release,  yet  God  will  so  order  it  that  he 
shall  be  obliged  to  neither  of  them. 
Kings  are  hable  to  hunger  and  thirst, 
like  other  men ;  kings  must  sleep,  and 
their  sleep  may  be  disturbed  by  dreams, 
like  that  of  other  men ;  and  here  we 
find  the  sovereign  of  Egypt  induced, 
from  the  effect  of  his  nocturnal  visions, 
to  send  for  Joseph  for  his  own  sake,  ia 
order  to  receive  a  favor  from  him  in- 

etead  of  conferring  one  upon  him. 

5r  Behold,  he  stood  by  the  river.  Gr. 
Mtro  errravai  he  thought  he  stood.  The 
river  meant  was  the  Nile,  so  called  by 
v/ay  of  emphasis  without  specification, 
as  being  of  course  understood  when 
mentioned  in  connexion  with  Egypt. 
In  like  manner  the  Euphrates,  from  its 
celebrity,  is  called  simply  'the  river:' 
Ps.  72.  8,  'He  shall  have  dominion 
from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto 
the  ends  of  the  earth.'  As  rain  never 
falls  in  Egypt,  and  the  fertility  of  the 
soil  has  in  all  ages  depended  upon  the 
annual  overflow  of  the  Nile,  we  may 
hence  see  the  propriety  of  associating 
the  images  of  plenty  and  famine,  im 


272 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1715, 


out  of  the  river  seven  well-fa- 
voured kine  and  fat-fleshed ;  and 
they  fed  in  a  meadow. 

3  And  behold,  seven  other  kine 
came  up  after  them  out  of  the 
river,  ill-favoured  and  lean-flesh- 
ed ;  and  stood  by  the  other  kine 
upon  the  brink  of  the  river. 

4  And  the  ill-favoured  and 
lean-fleshed  kine  did  eat  up  the 
seven  well-favoured  and  fat  kine. 
So  Pharaoh  awoke. 


the  dream  of  Pharaoh,  with  the  river 
of  Egypt. 

2.  Behold,  there  came  wp  out  of  the 
river,  &c.  This  dream  would  appear 
at  first  view  to  be  but  a  jumble  of  in- 
coherent ideas,  which  no  wise  man 
would  retain  in  his  memory.  What 
other  man  ever  thought,  even  in  a 
dream,  of  kine,  which  are  not  carni- 
verous  animals,  or  of  ears  of  corn,  eat- 
ing one  another?  Yet  it  is  certain  that 
this  dream  was  of  God,  and  that  it  was 
an  intimation  of  future  events  of  ex- 
ceedingly important  consequences  bofh 
to  the  Egyptian  nation,  and  to  all  the 
neighboring  nations,  and  even  to  the 
church  of  God.  'God's  ways  are  not 
our  ways,'  nor  ought  we  to  measure 
his  providential  administration  by  our 
own  rules.  He  is  governed  by  his  good 
pleasure  as  to  the  subjects  of  divine 
revelations.  The  men  of  his  counsel 
are  indeed  for  the  most  part  devout  and 
holy  men,  but  worldly  minded  kings 
and  princes  have  sometimes  for  wise 
purposes  been  favored  with  com.muni- 
cations  from  above,  though  usually 
wrapped  in  a  dark  veil  of  symbols  and 
allegories.  It  v/as  not  the  will  of  God 
that  Pharaoh  should  understand  his 
own  dream,  till  it  was  explained  by  a 
heaven-taught  interpreter.  If  the  mean- 
ing had  been  so  plain,  that  it  could  have 
been  explained  by  the  wise  men  of 
Egypt,  the  design  for  which  it  was  sent 


5  And  he  slept  and  dreamed 
the  second  time:  and  behold, 
seven  ears  of  corn  came  up  upon 
one  stalk,  rank  and  good. 

6  And  behold,  seven  thin  ears 
and  blasted  Avith  the  east  wind 
sprung  up  after  them. 

7  And  the  seven  thin  ears  de- 
voured the  seven  rank  and  full 
ears.  And  Pharaoh  awoke,  and 
behold,  it  icas  a  dream. 


to  Pharaoh  would  have  been  defeated. 
It  was  for  Joseph's  sake,  and  for  the 
sake  of  his  father's  house,  that  Pha- 
raoh dreamed,  and  that  his  dream  re- 
quired such  an  interpreter  as  Joseph. 

^   Behold,    there  came  up.      Heb. 

ribS^'  T\2.'r\  hinneh  oloth,  behold,  com- 
ing up.  The  Hebrew  has  peculiar  life 
and  animation  in  its  descriptions,  ami 
more  than  any  other  language  pictures 
things  as  at  present  living,  moving, 
and  acting.     See  note, on  Gen.  46.8. 

H  In  a  meadow.  Heb.  IHi^D  baahu, 

among  the  sedge;  i.  e.  in  the  low 
marshy  places  by  the  river's  brink, 
v/here  reeds  and  sedges  grow.  The 
original  "ij-jj^  aim  occurs  only  here,  and 
Job  8.  11,  where  it  is  translated  ^a^; 
'Can  the  rush  grow  up  without  mire? 
can  the  Jlag  grow  without  water?'  Je- 
rome says  in  his  Hebrew  Questions  on 
Genesis,  'I  have  heard  that  by  the 
Egyptians  every  thing  green  which 
grows  in  marshes  or  swamps  is  called, 
in  their  language,  by  this  name.' 

5 — 7.  Dreamed  the  second  time.   For 
the  reason  of  this  see  Note  on  v.  32. 

IT  Rank  ayid  good.     That  is,  fat 

and  plump.  Gr.  'Choice  and  well- 
seeming.' — Blasted  with  the  east  wind. 
A  hot  and  scorching  wind  which  in 
eastern  regions  is  most  pernicious  to 
corn  and  fruits.  Its  usual  effects  may 
be  in  some  measure  learned  from  Ezek. 
19.  12,  and  Hos.  13.  15;  but  it  will  be 


B.  C.  1715.J 


CHAPTER  XLl. 


273 


8  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the 
morning,  '^that  his  spirit  was  troub- 
led ;  and  he  sent  and  called  for 
all  ^  the  magicians  of  Egypt,  and 

a  Dan.  2.  1.  &4.  5,  19.  b  Exod.  7.  11,  22. 
Isa.  29.  14.    Dan.  1.  20.  &  2.  2.  &  4.  7. 


necessary  to  have  recourse  to  the  ac- 
counts of  modern  travellers  to  com- 
plete the  picture.  See  'Scripture Illus- 
trations,' p.  348. TT  Devoured.   This 

word  in  the  original  is  not  the  same 
with  that  applied  above  to  the  kine,  v. 
4,  and  there  rendered  'did  eat  up  ;'  nor 
is  it  intended  to  imply  the  action  of 
eating  or  sicallowing  on  the  part  of 
the  ears,  but  merely  that  of  abolishing, 
consuming,  or  making  way  with.  In 
this  sense  the  term  occurs,  Job  2.  3, 
'Thou  movedst  me  against  him  to  de- 
stroy him  without  a  cause.'  Heb.  '  to 
devour  him.'  Prov.  1.  12,  'Let  us 
swallow  them  up  alive ;  i.  e.  let  us  ut- 
terly  make  way  with  them.  2.  Sam. 
20.  19,  'Why  wilt  thou  swallow  up  the 
inheritance  of  the  Lord?'  i.  e.  waste 
away,  destroy.  In  some  manner  not 
precisely  defined,  the  rank  and  full 
ears  were  abolished,  consumed,  or 
made   to   vanish    into    the    thin    and 

blasted. TT  Behold  it  was  a  dream  ; 

or,  'behold  the  dream;'  i.  e.  though 
his  sleep  departed  from  him  his  dream 
did  not;  it  still  remained  with  him, 
causing  a  painful  perplexity  to  his 
mind. 

8.  His  spirit  was  troubled.  Heb. 
tDTStn  tippaem,  was  smitten  as  with  a 
hammer;  i.  e.  thrown  into  a  violent 
consternation.  But  why  was  Pha- 
raoh's spirit  troubled  by  a  dream  1 
Might  not  his  princely  education  have 
set  him  above  the  credulous  fears  of 
the  vulgar,  who  are  often  tormented 
by  the  illusions  of  their  own  fancies? 
We  may  admit  that  in  Egypt  both 
princes  as  well  as  common  people 
were  like  the  Athenians,  in  later  time?, 
in  all  things  toe  superstitious.'     It 


all  the  <=  wise  men  thereof:  and 
Pharaoh  told  them  his  dreams; 
but  there  was  none  that  could  in- 
terpret them  unto  Pharaoh. 

c  Matt.  2.  1. 


was  their  common  custom  to  pay  a 
senseless  regard  to  dreams  and  omens. 
But  at  this  dme  the  trouble  of  the  king 
had  an  adequate  cause.  His  dream 
was  from  God.  God  impressed  it  upon 
his  mind  that  it  was  a  dream  out  of 
the  ordinary  course,  and  that  it  was 
significant  of  some  very  important 
events,  but  what  those  events  were  he 
could  not  guess.  God  has  the  spirits 
of  the  weakest,  the  wisest,  the  great- 
est, the  bravest  of  manldnd,  under  his 
control,  and  can  fix  what  convictions 
and  terrors  he  pleases  in  the  minds  of 
those  who  may  affect  to  laugh  at  vul- 
gar prejudices.  Was  there  ever  a  more 
undaunted  courage  than  ?\''ebuchadnez- 
zar  possessed?  And  yet  God  could 
make  him  afraid  like  a  grasshopper  by  ' 
the  visions  of  his  head  upon  his  bed. 
He  that  made  the  proud  leviathans  of 
the  world,  can  make  his  sword  to  ap- 
proach unto  them,  and  to  pierce  them 
with    deep    wounds   which   none  but 

himself  can   heal. IT  He  sent   and 

called  for  all  the  magicians  of  Egypt, 
&c.  Heb.  tD'^;:3r2*in  hartumim,  a  word 
of  which  the  derivation  is  unknown, 
and  consequently  the  true  import  not 
satisfactorily  determined.  The  Gr. 
renders  it  e^riynrai  expositors;  i.  e.  pro- 
fessed interpreters  of  hidden  things. 
From  Ex.  7.  11,  it  appears  that  th^ 
used  'enchantments,'  or  incantations, 
and  this  is  in  effect  all  that  is  known 
respecting  them.  We  can  only  say  in 
general  of  such  terms  magicians,  wise 
men,  astrologers,  sorcerers,  &c.  that 
they  denote  a  class  of  men  who  laid 
claim  to  supernatural  skill  in  certain 
occult  arts  and  sciences,  in  interpreting 
dreams  and  oracles,  explaining  signs. 


274 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1715. 


and  unriddling  mysteries,  but  as  to  the 
exact  shades  of  difference  by  -which 
their  several  meanings  are  to  be  dis- 
criminated from  each  other,  they  have 
never  been  settled  with  certainty.  It 
may  be  conceded  that  if  Pharaoh's 
opinion  of  this  class  of  men  had  been 
just,  he  was  wise  in  seeking  information 
from  them  of  what  it  so  much  con- 
cerned him  to  know.  If  God  is  pleased 
to  speak  to  us,  it  is  our  duty  to  seek 
the  knowledge  of  what  he  says,  and  to 
borrow  from  others  that  wisdom 
which  we  have  not  in  ourselves.  If 
there  be  any  that  may  be  reasonably 
presumed  to  know  the  mind  of  God 
better  than  ourselves,  we  sin  against 
our  own  souls,  if  we  refuse  to  avail 
ourselves  of  their  superior  light.  But 
it  was  the  unhappiness  of  the  king  of 
Egypt  that  his  magicians  knew  as  lit- 
tle as  he  did  himself  of  God  and  of  his 
will.  Their  high  reputation  was  found- 
ed on  ignorance  and  imposture.  Ac- 
cordingly, though  he  told  them  his 
dream,  which  he  perfectly  recollected, 
yet  none  of  them  could  explain  it  to 
him.  Unlike  the  wise  men  of  Baby- 
lon whom  Nebuchadnezzar  summoned 
to  his  aid  on  a  like  occasion,  and  who 
confidently  premised  to  unravel  the 
king's  dream  as  soon  as  it  was  made 
known  to  them,  the  magicians  of 
Egypt,  when  Pharaoh's  dream  was 
rehearsed  in  their  ears,  did  not  pretend 
to  know  the  meaning  of  it.  All  their 
combined  wisdom  durst  not  pretend  to 
penetrate  the  secrets  of  divine  provi- 
dence, to  which  it  referred.  Consider- 
ing the  antiqdty  of  the  symbolical 
mode  of  instruction  in  Egypt,  it  is 
somewhat  surprising  that  the  magi- 
cians did  not  so  much  as  assume  to 
understand  the  king's  dream.  Oxen 
or  ears  of  corn  are  very  natural  em- 
blems of  fertility,  since  corn  is  produced 
by  the  labors  of  oxen.  Kine  and  ears 
of  corn  on  the  brink  of  the  river,  might 
very  naturally  have  been  supposed  to 


denote  the  increase  of  the  fruits  of  the 
earth,  for  which  the  Egyptians  were 
indebted  to  the  overflowings  of  the 
river.  If  fat  kine  and  full  ears  of  corn 
on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  were  fit  em- 
blems of  an  abundant  harvest,  lean 
cattle  and  thin  ears  might  have  been 
justly  considered  as  emblems  of  a  very 
scanty  produce.  But  it  seems  either 
that  such  thoughts  did  not  enter  their 
minds,  or  that  they  did  not  know  what 
to  think  of  the  number  of  the  kine  and 
of  the  ears  of  corn.  And  here  we  can 
see  how  wisely  it  was  ordered  that  the 
butler  was  permitted  to  behave  so  un- 
gratefully to  Joseph  as  not  to  mention 
his  interpretation  of  the  dreams  in  the 
prison.  For  that  interpretation,  had  it 
been  known,  might  have  served  as  a 
key  to  the  wise  men  to  open  Pharaoh's 
dream,  and  thus  the  honor  of  expound- 
ing it  would  not  have  been  reserved  for 
Joseph.  The  three  branches  on  the 
vine  and  the  three  baskets  on  the  head 
of  the  baker,  were  three  days.  By  a 
parity  of  reasoning,  the  seven  kine  and 
the  seven  ears  might  denote,  not  seven 
days,  but  seven  years.  We  say,  not 
seven  days,  because  there  could  not  be 
merely  seven  days  of  plenty  or  famine, 
either  from  the  labors  of  the  kine,  or 
from  the  abundance  or  scarcity  of  the 
waters  of  the  Nile.  But  the  plenty  or 
scarcity  of  the  years  can  be  known  be- 
forehand with  certainty,  from  the  rise 
of  its  waters  in  the  season  when  it 
overflows  its  banks.  As  it  is  not  prob- 
able that  the  magicians  and  wise  men 
of  Egypt  would  have  scrupled  a  lie  to 
advance  or  preserve  their  credit,  it  may 
still  appear  wonderful  that  they  did 
not  agree  to  give  some  pretended  sig- 
nification of  the  king's  dream,  although 
they  could  not  satisfy  their  own  minds 
about  it.  All  that  we  can  certainly 
afiirm  is,  that  God,  by  his  overruhng 
influence  upon  their  minds,  constrained 
them  to  acknowledge  their  ignorance. 
Had  they  undertaken  to  foret«l  from  the 


B.  C.  1715.J 


CHAt>TER  XLl. 


2t6 


9  Tf  Then  spake  the  chief 
butler  unto  Pharaoh,  saying,  I 
do  remember  my  faults  this  day  : 

10  Pharaoh  was  ^  wroth  with 
his  servants,  ^  and  put  me  in  ward 
in  the  captain  of  the  guard's 
house,  both  me,  and  the  chief 
baker: 

11  And  ^  we  dreamed  a  dream 
in  one  night,  I  and  he:  we  dream- 
ed each  man  according  to  the  in- 
terpretation of  his  dream. 

d  ch.  40,  2,  3.    e  ch.  39.  ^.    f  ch.  40.  5. 


dream  what  was  to  happen,  the  event 
might  have  made  them  liars,  and  it 
might  appear  wiser  to  confess  their  ig- 
norance for  once,  than  to  undergo  the 
risk  of  confutation  from  facts  which 
would  have  covered  their  pretended  art 
wuh  perpetual  infamy.  Even  liars,  if 
not  infatuated,  will  be  cautious  to  avoid 
those  falsehoods  which  may  soon  be 
detected. 

9.  I  do  remember  my  faults  this  day. 
At  length  the  butler  is  reminded  that 
there  is  such  a  person  in  existence  as 
Joseph.  When  he  thinks  he  may  ad- 
vance his  own  credit  with  the  king,  by 
commending  his  comforter,  he  faithful- 
ly relates  what  he  knew  to  his  advan- 
tage. His  delay,  however,  takes  away 
in  great  measure  the  credit  of  his  ben- 
efaction. 'I  remember  my  faults  this 
day;'  that  is,  the  offences  for  which  he 
had  been  imprisoned,  and  of  which  for 
the  sake  of  conciliating  favor,  he  now 
declares  himself  guilty,  and  not  so 
much  the  'fault'  of  having  so  long 
neglected  the  request  of  Joseph.  He 
ought  indeed  to  have  remembered  his 
fault  against  Joseph  and  against  God, 
whose  goodness  he  concealed  when  he 
ought  to  have  pubHshed  it.  But  this 
fault  seems  to  have  made  little  or  no 
impression  on  his  mind.  His  former 
faults  he  acknowledged  in  deference  to 
the  king.    If  he  had  not  confessed  that 


12  And  there  was  there  with 
us  a  young  man,  an  Hebrew, 
e  servant  to  the  captain  of  the 
guard  :  and  we  told  him,  and  he 
»» interpreted  to  us  our  dreams ;  to 
each  man  according  to  his  dream 
he  did  interpret. 

13  And  it  came  to  pa|s, »  as  he 
interpreted  to  us,  so  it  was :  me 
he  restored  unto  mine  office,  and 
him  he  hanged. 


ch.  37. 


h  ch.  40.  12,  &c.     i  ch,  40. 23. 


he  v/as  guilty  of  that  crime  which  was 
the  cause  of  his  imprisonment,  he 
would  have  seemed  to  call  in  question 
the  king's  justice  in  imprisoning  and 
his  mercy  in  sparing  him.  He  there- 
fore makes  this  acknowledgment 
frankly,  and  thereby  teaches  us,  when 
we  mention  our  chastisements,  to  con* 
fess  those  sins  by  which  we  have  de- 
served them. 

13.  Me  he  restored  unto  mine  office^ 
and  kim  he  hanged.  This  is  under- 
stood by  many  commentators  of  Pha- 
raoh, but  we  think  it  much  more  cor- 
rectly referred  to  Joseph.  It  is  exceed- 
ingly common  for  the  Scriptures  to 
speak  of  things  as  if  done  by  those 
persons  who  merely  say  that  they  are 
or  shall  be  done.  Thus  Rev.  11.  5,  'If 
any  man  will  hurt  them  (the  two  witnes- 
ses) fire  proceedeth  out  of  their  mouth, 
and  devoureth  their  enemies,  and  they 
have  power  to  shut  heaven  that  it  rain 
not  during  the  days  of  their  prophecy.* 
See  this  phraseology  more  fully  illus- 
trated in  the  Note  on  Gen.  27.  37.  The 
chief  butler  now  told  Pharaoh  what  he 
ought  to  have  told  him  two  years  be- 
fore. Yet  if  he  had  then  given  the  ao 
count  which  he  now  gave  of  Joseph, 
the  event  might  have  been  very  differ- 
ent. The  king  might  have  taken  hiiii 
out  of  prison,  but  not  to  reign.  He 
might  have  been  numbered  with  th« 


276 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1715. 


14  T[  "^  Then  Pharaoh  sent  and 
called  Joseph,  and  they  i  brought 
him  hastily  •"  out  of  the  dungeon : 

k  Ps.  105.  20.    1  Dan.  2.  25.    m  1  Sam.  2.  8. 
Ps.  113.  7,  8. 


Other  wise  men  of  Egypt,  who  were 
reputed  sknful  magicians  or  interpre- 
ters of  dreams.  Perhap.s  he  might 
have  been  called  upon  to  interpret  Pha- 
raoh's dreams  in  preference  to  any  of 
them,  and  yet  his  real  superiority  to 
them  not  be  discovered ;  for  they  might 
pretend  that  they  could  have  interpret- 
ed the  dream  as  well  as  the  young 
Hebrew,  if  Pharaoh  had  given  them  the 
opportunity.  Whereas  as  matters  stood, 
they  were  under  the  necessity  of  con- 
fessing that  Joseph  and  Joseph's  God 
were  above  them. 

14.  They  brought  him  hastily  out  of 
the  dungeon.  Heb,  inS'^l*'  yeritzu- 
hu,  caused  him  to  run.  Neither  the 
hatred  of  an  imperious  mistress,  nor 
the  wrath  or  policy  of  Potiphar  could 
detain  Joseph  in  prison,  when  the 
time  came  that  the  word  of  the  Lord 
had  sufficiently  tried  him  in  that  sore 
affliction.  And  now  that  time  was 
come— the  time  when  the  patience  of 
the  pious  youth  was  to  be  abundantly 
rewarded,  and  his  sorrows  and  perplex- 
ities to  give  place  to  joy  and  praise. 
Many  and  many  a  time  during  the 
course  of  two  years  had  he  wondered 
why  the  God  of  his  fathers  and  his 
own  God  had  left  him  so  long  a  pris- 
oner, but  the  day  had  at  length  arrived 
when  this  part  of  the  mystery  of  prov- 
idence was  to  be  cleared  up ;  when  he 
was  to  forget  his  misery,  or  remember 
it  only  as  waters  that  pass  away. 
^What  thou  knowest  not  now,  thou 
shalt  know  hereafter,'  said  Jesus  to 
Peter.  Often  are  believers  in  God  fill- 
ed with  amazement  at  those  dispensa- 
tions of  providence  which  they  will  one 
day  call  back  to  their  minds  with  won- 


and  he  shaved  himself,  and 
changed  his  raiment,  and  came 
in  unto  Pharaoh. 

15  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Jo- 


der  and  thanksgiving.  The  cause  ol 
the  haste  with  which  Joseph  was 
brought  out  of  prison,  was  probably 
not  only  the  desire  to  relieve  the  king 
as  speedily  as  possible  from  his  anxi- 
ety, but  also  a  lively  interest  in  the  fate 
of  Joseph,  whose  character  was  no 
doubt  by  this  time  generally  known 
and  appreciated.  It  is  probable  that  the 
word  '  dungeon'  in  this  place  is  not  to 
be  strictly  understood ;  for  Joseph  being 
charged  with  the  oversight  of  the  other 
prisoners  seems  sometime  before  this 
to  have  been  set  free  from  the  horrors 
of  that  close  confinement  in  the  dun- 
geon of  the  prison,  to  which  he  wa3 
first  doomed  by  the  rage  of  his  master. 
His  situation,  however,  till  this  time  had 
been  very  unpleasant.  He  was  not  suf- 
fered to  leave  the  walls  of  his  prison; 
and  his  person  bore  upon  it  the  usual 
badges  of  deep  affliction.  Tt  is  said  of 
Mephibosheth,  2  Sam.  19.  24,  that  he 
had  not  washed  his  clothes,  nor  wash- 
ed his  feet,  nor  trimmed  his  beard  from 
the  lime  that  David  left  Jerusalem,  be- 
cause of  Absalom,  till  he  returned 
again  in  peace  to  his  house.  By  these 
signs  of  grief  he  expressed  his  concern 
for  the  afflictions  of  his  royal  benefac- 
tor. By  like  signs  Joseph  expressed 
his  humiliation  of  spirit  under  those 
afflictions  which  divine  providence  had 
laid  upon  him.  But  now  when  called 
before  the  king,  he  laid  aside  his  mourn- 
ing apparel,  and  shaved  himself,  that 
he  might  appear  with  decency  and  due 
respect  in  the  royal  presence.  Doubt- 
less when  he  exchanged  his  prison-gar- 
ments for  such  as  were  worn  in  king's 
palaces,  his  heart  rejoiced  less  in  the 
change  of  his  circumstances,  than  in 


B.  C.  1715.] 


CHAPTER  XLT. 


277 


seph,  I  have  dreamed  a  dream, 
and  there  is  none  that  can  inter- 
pret it:  n  and  I  have  heard  say  of 
thee,  that  thou  canst  understand 
a  dream  to  interpret  it. 

n  verse  12,    Ps.  25.  14.    Dan.  5.  16. 

the  favour  of  God  who  had  '  put  off  his 
sackcloth  and  girded  him  with  glad- 
Eess  to  the  end  that  his  glory  might 
sing  praise  to  the  Lord.' 

15.  /  have  dreamed  a  dream,  and 
there  is  none  that  can  interpret  it. 
When  Nebuchadnezzar  heard  that  his 
wise  men  could  not  tell  him  the  dream 
which  he  had  forgotten,  he  issued 
orders  to  put  them  all  to  death,  with- 
out inquiring  whether  any  other  man 
could  be  found,  who  could  do  what  the 
magicians  could  not.  The  king  of 
Egypt  behaved  very  differently.  He 
did  not  talk  of  putting  the  magicians  to 
death.  All  that  he  did  against  them 
was,  to  publish  their  incapacity  to  per- 
form what  they  were  understood  to 
profess,  and  to  seek  that  information 
elsewhere  which  ihey  confessed  them- 
selves unable  to  give.  Joseph  had 
now  an  opportunity  which  he  did  not 
suffer  to  pass  unimproved,  of  shewing 
forth  the  superiority  of  his  own  God  to 
the  gods  of  Egypt  and  of  pouring  con- 
tempt upon  the  boasted  wisdom  of  the 
magicians. IT  TJiou  canst  under- 
stand a  dream  to  interpret  it.  Heb. 
*1S15^  ^tl&5  Dlin  55?3rn  tishma  ha- 
lom  liphtor  oiho,  thou  wilt  hear  a 
dream  to  interpret  it.  'Hear'  in  the 
sense  of  '  understand'  is  of  very  com- 
mon occurrence  in  the  Hebrew.  See 
Note  on  Gen.  11.  7. 

16.  It  is  not  in  me.  Heb.  ^"^SJ^i 
biladai,  without  me ;  i.  e.  it  does  not 
pertain  to  me.  Gr.  'Without  God 
welfare  shall  not  be  answered  to  Pha- 
raoh.' Chal. 'Not  from  my  wisdom, 
but  from  before  the  Lord  shall  welfare 
be  answered  to  Pharaoh.'  Vulg.  'With- 


16  And  Joseph  answered  Pha- 
raoh, saying,  °  It  is  not  in  me  : 
P  God  shall  give  Pharaoh  an  an- 
svv^er  of  peace. 


o  Dan.  2.  30.     Acts  3. 12.    2  Cor.  3. 5. 
40,  8.     Dan.  2.  22,  28,  47.  &.  4.  2. 


pch. 


out  me  shall  God  answer  prosperous 
things  to  Pharaoh.'  Arab.  'Without 
my  knowledge  God  shall  answer,'  &c. 
The  self-renouncing  spirit  of  this  reply 
is  very  remarkable.  Like  Daniel  be- 
fore Nebuchadnezzar,  he  expressly  dis- 
claims all  ability  of  himself  to  unfold 
the  secret  counsels  of  heaven,  or  ex- 
ercise that  wisdom  for  which  Pharaoh 
seems  very  willing  to  give  him  credit. 
The  same  humility  has  been  in  every 
age  a  distinguishing  ornament  of  all 
God's  faithful  servants.  Never  were 
their  hearts  haughty,  or  their  eyes 
lofty,  nor  did  they  deal  in  matters  too 
high  for  them.  Whatever  gifts  or 
graces  they  possessed,  they  have  al- 
ways been  prompt  to  refer  to  the  free 
and  sovereign  bestowment  of  the  Most 
High.  No  man  is  fit  to  declare  the 
counsels  of  God,  who  is  not  deeply  sen- 
sible of  his  own  unfitness  without  re- 
ceiving light  and  help  from  above.  Jo- 
seph, though  conscious  that  it  was  not 
in  himself  to  interpret  the  king's  dream, 
yet  was  fully  persuaded  that  God  by 
him  would  satisfy  his  demands,  and 
his  words  are  expressive  of  his  wishes 
and  expectations.  Pharaoh  was  dis- 
quieted from  the  apprehension  of  some 
evil  portent  in  the  dream.  Joseph 
hoped  there  was  no  ground  for  his  ap- 
prehensions. He  had  reason  to  believe 
that  the  dream  was  sent  to  Pharaoh  in 
mercy  to  him  as  well  as  to  himself, 
and  therefore  before  knowing  what  the 
dream  was,  he  soothes  the  mind  of 
Pharaoh  by  giving  him  hope  that  ho 
would  not  find  the  interpretation  so  un- 
pleasing  as  he  feared  it  might  be.  The 
interpreters  of  God's  mind  must,  like 


278 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  I-J-IS. 


17  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Jo- 
seph, "J  In  my  dream,  behold,  I 
stood  upon  the  bank  of  the  river : 

18  And  behold,  there  came  up 
out  of  the  river  seven  kine,  fat- 
fleshed,  and  well-favoured  ;  and 
they  fed  in  a  meadov/ : 

19  And  behold,  seven  other 
kine  came  up  after  them,  poor, 
and  very  ill-favoured,  and  lean- 
fleshed,  such  as  I  never  saw  in 
all  the  land  of  Egypt  for  badness: 

20  And  the  lean  and  the  ill-fa- 
voured kine  did  eat  up  the  first 
seven  fat  Idne : 

21  And  when  they  had  eaten 
them  up,  it  could  not  be  known 
that  they  had  eaten  them ;  but  they 

a  ver.  1. 


were  still  ill-favoured,  as  at  the 
beginning.     So  I  awoke. 

22  And  I  saw  in  my  dream, 
and  behold,  seven  ears  came  up 
in  one  stalk,  full  and  good  : 

23  And  behold,  seven  ears, 
withered,  thin,  and  blasted  with 
the  east  wind,  sprung  up  after 
them: 

24  And  the  thin  ears  devoured 
the  seven  good  ears:  and  'I  told 
this  unto  the  magicians ;  but  there 
teas  none  that  could  declare  it 
to  me. 

25  1[  And  Joseph  said  unto 
Pharaoh,  The  dream  of  Pharaoh 
is  one :  «  God  hath  shewed  Pha- 
raoh what  he  is  about  to  do. 


Micaiah,  1  Kings,  22.  14,  say  nothing 
to  please  man,  without  warrant  from 
God ;  yet  they  will  be  glad  when  they 
can  give  comfort  to  the  disquieted. 
Messages  of  peace,  and  not  of  gyil, 
are  always  productive  of  most  pleasure 
to  themselves. 

17 — 24.  And  Pharaoh  said,  &c.  So 
firm  was  the  hold  wbich  the  dream  had 
taken  upon  Pharaoh's  mind  that  he 
had  accurately  retained  it  in  all  its  mi- 
nutest particulars.  The  language  in 
which  he  describes  the  unsightly  appear- 
ance of  the  ill-favored  kine  is  stronger 
than  that  which  Moses  had  used  in 
giving  an  account  of  the  dream  at  the 
beginning  of  the  chapter.  In  the  pres- 
ent recital  he  says,  what  he  had  not 
mentioned  before,  that  their  appearance 
had  not  at  all  altered  for  the  better,  af- 
ter they  had  eaten  up  the  well-favored 
kine.  'And  when  they  had  eaten  them 
up,  it  could  not  be  known  that  they 
had  eaten  them.'  Heb.  'And  when 
they  (the  eaten)  came  into  the  inward 
parts  of  them  (the  eaters),  it  could  not 
be  known/  &c    Chal.  *  And  it  was  not 


r  ver.  t 
Rev.  4.  1. 


Dan.  4.  7.     s  Dan.  2.  28,  29,  45. 


known  that  they  had  entered  into  their 
bowels.'  This  signified  that  notwith- 
standing the  gathered  abundance  of  the 
years  of  plenty,  yet  it  should  be  so  far 
from  affording  a  competent  supply  fo? 
all  the  subsequent  years,  that  it  should 
all  be  consumed,  and  still  leave  the 
people  in  a  destitute  and  famishing  con- 
dition ;  so  much  so  that  it  could  be 
hardly  realized  that  they  had  been  so 
liberally  furnished.  It  was  happy  for 
Pharaoh  and  for  Egypt,  that  the  magi- 
cians confessed  their  incapacity  to  in- 
terpret this  dream.  Had  they  pretend- 
ed to  give  some  meaning  to  it  out  ot 
the  imagination  of  their  own  hearts,  it 
is  probable  that  he  would  have  rested 
satisfied  with  it  and  sought  no  farther. 
Consequently  when  the  seven  years  ol 
plenty  came,  the  abundance  might  have 
been  spent  in  dissipation,  and  no  pro- 
vision made  against  the  long  and  terri- 
ble famine.  But  when  he  was  convin- 
ced that  the  mind  of  God  was  not  with 
the  magicians,  he  was  forced  to  seek 
for  light  where  he  could  find  it. 

25.   The  dream  of  Pharaoh  is  one. 


B.  C.  1715. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


279 


26  The  seven  good  kine  are 
seven  years  ;  and  the  seven  good 
ears  are  seven  years  :  the  dream 
is  one. 

27  And  the  seven  thin  and  ill- 
favoured  kine  that  came  up  after 
them  are  seven  years  ;  and  the 
seven  empty  ears  blasted  with 
the  east  wind  shall  be  « seven 
years  of  famine. 

2S  '  This  is  the  thing  which  I 
have  spoken  unto  Pharaoh  :  what 

t  2  Kings  8.  1.    v  ver.  25. 


That  is,  one  in  scope,  drift,  design  ; 
though  two-fold  in  visionary  represen- 
tation.  IT  God  hath  shewed  Pha- 
raoh. The  first  thing  to  he  considered 
about  the  dream  was,  whether  it  had 
any  meaning,  or  was  a  mere  illusion  of 
the  brain,  like  a  thousand  other  wan- 
derings of  fancy  in  the  time  of  sleep, 
which  pass  through  the  mind  and  are 
forgotten  when  one  awakes.  Pharaoh 
was  already  himself  firmly  persuaded 
that  his  dream  had  an  important  mean- 
ing, and  Joseph  assures  him  that  he 
was  not  mistaken.  He  no  doubt  felt 
happy  in  seizing  this  opportunity  to 
speak  of  his  own  God,  the  Ruler  of  the 
world,  to  Pharaoh,  and  particularly  to 
proclaim  his  providence  and  foreknowl- 
edge. He  knew  that  events  would 
soon  confirm  his  words,  and  that  Pha- 
raoh's mind  was  already  prepared  to 
receive  it.  It  was  certainly  a  point  of 
infinite  importance,  when  different  gods 
were  worshipped  by  different  nations 
of  the  world,  to  know  what  proofs  of 
godhead  any  of  them  had  given.  The 
God  who  governs  the  world,  and  who 
is  able  to  foretell  what  is  to  happen 
hereafter,  must  be  the  true  God.  And 
if  any  man  can  make  known  those  fu- 
ture events  which  depend  on  the  sov- 
ereign pleasure  of  God,  he  must  derive 
liis   information    from    God    himself^ 


God  is  about  to  do  he  shev,/eth 
unto  Pharaoh. 

29  Behold,  there  come  "^  seven 
years  of  great  plenty  throughout 
all  the  land  of  E^ypt : 

30  And  there  shall  y  arise  af- 
ter them  seven  years  of  famine  ; 
and  all  the  plenty  shall  be  for- 
gotten in  the  land  of  Egypt;  and 
the  famine  *  shall  consume  the 
land  : 


X  ver.  47.    y  ver.  54.    z  ch.  47.  13. 


When  Joseph,  therefore,  professes  to 
declare  from  God  himself  what  he  was 
about  to  do,  and  when  every  thing 
happened  according  to  his  predictions, 
it  was  undeniably  evident  that  the  God 
whom  Joseph  worshipped  was  the  Ru- 
ler of  the  universe,  and  that  Joseph  re- 
ceived from  him  that  wisdom  in  which 
he  so  far  excelled  all  the  magicians  and 
wise  men  of  Egypt.  Thus  the  true 
God  left  not  himself  without  a  witness 
in  the  most  famous  kingdom  of  the 
world,  at  a  time  when  the  grossest 
darkness  enveloped  most  of  the  Geniile 
nations. 

28.  T%is  is  the  thing  which  1  have 
spoken  unto  Pharaoh^  &c.  Joseph 
again  tells  Pharaoh  that  God  was  both 
the  revealerand  the  doer  of  those  things 
that  were  pre-signified  by  the  dreams. 
We  need  often  to  be  put  in  mind  that 
God  is  both  the  speaker  of  his  word 
and  the  doer  of  his  works.  Had  Pha- 
raoh heard  Joseph  interpret  his  dream 
without  remembering  that  God  reveal- 
ed his  intentions  by  him,  he  would  not 
have  made  the  proper  improvement  of 
what  was  said  to  him.  He  was  dis- 
posed to  believe  v.'hat  was  said,  but  he 
would  have  given  that  praise  to  Joseph 
which  was  due  to  God.  We  can  never 
make  the  proper  use  of  what  befals  us, 
&T  what  we  see  around  ks,  unless  we 


280 


GENESIS. 


LB.  C.  1715. 


31  And  the  plenty  shall  not  be 
known  in  the  land  by  reason  of 
that  famine  following:  for  it  shall 
be  very  grievous. 

32  And  for  that  the  dream,  was 


remember  that  all  things  are  under  the 
direction  of  a  supreme  intelligence, 
which  is  working  its  own  wise  and 
gracious  purposes  in  the  midst  of  hu- 
man agencies  and  events. 

29,  30.  Behold  there  come,  &c. 
In  Egypt  plenty  or  scarcity  were  sup- 
posed to  depend  upon  the  river  Nile. 
When,  in  the  season  of  its  inundation, 
it  rose  only  twelve  cubits,  a  famine  was 
the  consequence ;  scarcity,  if  it  rose 
only  thirteen  ;  a  competency,  if  it  rose 
fourteen  or  fifteen;  great  plenty,  if  it 
rose  still  higher.  The  Egyptians  idol- 
ized their  river,  as  if  it  could  have  afford- 
ed them  a  plentiful  crop  without  the 
agency  of  God.  They  alleged  that 
other  nations  might  perish  with  hun- 
ger, if  their  gods  should  forget  to  send 
them  rain  ;  whereas  they  were  not  de- 
pendent upon  such  a  contingency. 
From  Pharaoh's  dream,  compared  with 
the  accomplishment,  it  was  plain  that 
Egypt  depended  as  much  as  other 
countries  upon  God.  The  seven  years 
of  great  plenty  were  to  be  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  word  of  God,  and  the 
work  of  his  providence  All  the  waters 
of  the  river  were  his,  as  well  as  the 

rains    of  heaven. IT    The   famine 

shall  consuvxe  the  land.  That  is,  as 
rightly  pharaphrased  by  the  Chal., 
'  shall  consume  the  people  of  the  land.' 
In  like  manner  v.  36,  Joseph  recom- 
mends that  food  be  laid  up  in  store, 
'  that  the  land  perish  not  through  the 
famine ;'  i.  e.  the  people  of  the  land. 
See  also  Note  on  Gen.  47.  13. 

31.  It  shall  be  very  grievous.  Heb. 
^^^?3  ^SS  ^ated  mcod,  very  heavy. 
There  was  ofSinarily  less  fear  of  a  fam- 
ine in  Egypt  than  in  any  other  eountry 


doubled  unto  Pharaoh  twice ;  it 
is  because  the  *thing  ?*5  establish- 
ed by  God,  and  God  Avill  shortly 
bring  it  to  pass. 

aNum.  23.  19.    Isa.  46.  10,  11. 


under  heaven.  When  there  was  fam- 
ine in  Canaan  in  the  days  of  Abraham, 
there  was  plenty  in  Egypt ;  and  so  es- 
tablished was  its  character  in  this  re- 
spect, that  it  was  frequently  called  the 
granary  of  the  world.  Yet  Joseph  here 
foretells  that  there  should  not  only  be 
a  grievous  famine  in  Egypt,  but  a  fam- 
ine so  terrible  that  all  the  luxuriant 
plenty  of  the  former  fruitful  years  should 
be  forgotten  as  if  it  never  were  ;  and  it 
was  to  continue,  not  for  one  or  two, 
but  for  seven  years !  What  prospect 
could  be  more  dreadful  7  What  event 
could  afford  more  demonstrative  evi- 
dence of  the  outstretched  hand  of  om- 
nipotence'? 

32.  And  for  that  the  dream  was  doub- 
led, &c. — it  is  because  the  thing  is  es- 
tablished by  God.  Heb.  ii^in  "IIIDU 
nakon  haddabar,  the  word  is  frmly 
prepared.  It  was  repeated  in  order  to 
intimate  its  absolute  certainty  and  its 
speedy  accomplishment.  The  passage 
affords  us  a  general  hint  as  to  the  rea- 
son of  things  being  occasionally  re- 
peated in  the  Scriptures.  It  is  for  the 
sake  of  greater  assurance.  When  God 
speaks  but  once,  he  certainly  deserves 
credit,  for  he  cannot  lie  ;  but  knowing 
how  slow  of  heart  we  are  to  believe, 
he  often  repeats  the  same  important 
truths.  While  therefore  it  is  impious 
to  disbelieve  any  of  his  words,  it  is 
more  than  double  impiety  to  disbelieve 
him  when  he  speaks  not  once  but  twice. 
What  excuse  then  can  be  made  for 
our  conduct,  if  we  refuse  to  believe 
when  he  speaks  not  once  or  twice,  but 
a  hundred  and  a  thousand  times? 
Would  not  Pharaoh  have  been  inexcu- 
sable, if  ho  had  disbelieved  ordisregard^* 


B.  C.  1715.] 


CHAPTER    XLI. 


281 


33  Now  therefore  let  Pharaoh 
look  out  a  man  discreet  and  wise, 
and  set  him  over  the  land  of 
Egypt. 

34  Let  Pharaoh   do  this,  and 


ed  the  double  admonition  given  him  in 
his  sleep,  when  it  was  explained  by 
Joseph  7  Will  not  our  folly  be  a 
thousand  times  less  capable  of  apol- 
ogy, if  we  disregard  any  of  the  admo- 
nitions of  the  Bible,  so  often  sounded 
n  our  ears  by  the  ministers  of  the 
A'ord  1 

33.  Now  therefore  let  Pharaok  look 
nit,  &c.  Having  made  the  matter 
>lain,  and  so  relieved  the  king's  mind, 
le  does  not  conclude  without  offering 
I  word  of  advice ;  the  substance  of 
N'hich  was,  to  provide  from  the  surplus 
)f  the  seven  good  years,  for  the  supply 
)f  the  seven  succeeding  ones.  There 
s  perhaps  an  appearance  of  imperti- 
lence  in  Joseph's  giving  his  advice 
leemingly  unasked.  But  the  narrative 
is  concise,  and  no  doubt  imperfect.  It 
is  natural  to  suppose  that  after  hearing 
the  interpretation  of  the  dream,  in  re- 
spect to  which  no  one  of  the  counsel- 
lors seems  to  have  entertained  any 
doubt,  it  would  at  once  become  a  mat- 
ter of  grave  consideration,  what  meas- 
ures were  proper  to  be  taken  in  conse- 
quence of  it.  On  this  occasion  Joseph 
probably  proffered  his  advice.  He  had 
before  said,  '  God  will  give  Pharaoh  an 
answer  of  peace ;'  but  if  it  had  been 
impracticable  to  obviate  the  bad  effects 
of  a  seven  years'  famine,  the  answer 
would  have  been  a  message  of  evil, 
and  not  of  peace.  Seven  years  of 
prosperity  cannot  compensate  seven 
j'ears  of  adversity,  but  by  furnishing 
beforehand  the  means  of  averting  the 
horrors  of  starvation.  The  good  coun- 
sel v/hich  Joseph  adds  to  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  dream  makes  the  answer  of 
God  an  answer  of  peace  and  not  of 


let  him  appoint  officers  over  the 
land,  and  ''  take  up  the  fifth  part 
of  the  land  of  Egypt  in  the  seven 
plenteous  years. 

b  Prov.  6.  6,  7,  8. 


e\il.  It  may  be  justly  questioned 
whether  Pharaoh  would  have  made 
any  good  improvement  of  his  dreams, 
if  Joseph  had  merely  interpreted  them, 
without  speaking  of  the  use  that  ought 
to.be  made  of  the  divine  discovery. 
God  reveals  nothing  before  it  happens 
without  some  good  end  in  view.  The 
intention  of  prophecies  concerning 
judgments  to  come,  is  to  excite  those 
threatened  with  them  to  take  proper 
measures  for  averting  them.  The 
grand  purpose  of  God  in  Pharaoh's 
dreams  was  not  to  gratify  a  vain  curi- 
osity about  the  future,  but  to  procure 
deliverance  and  honor  to  Joseph,  and 
to  preserve  Egypt,  and  the  family  of 
Jacob,  and  the  countries  around  from 
destruction.  Joseph's  advice  tended 
to  secure  this  result. 

34.  Let  him  appoint  officers  over  the 
land.  Heb.  C^TpS  ■pekidim,  visiters 
or  overseers.  The  original  term  T^pQ 
pakid  is  in  several  instances  rendered 
by  the  Gr.  of  the  Sept.,  and  thence 
transferred  into  the  Gr.  of  the  New 
Testament,  cTTicrKonos  overseer,  from 
which  f'omes  the  Eng.  word  'bishop,' 
its  usual  representative  in  the  writings 
of  the  Apostles.  This  word  has  in 
some  way  become  appropriated  as  a 
title  of  ecclesiastical  officers,  though  the 
genuine  import  of  the  original  is  a  per- 
son charged  xcith  the  oversight  and 
management  of  any  business  ichatever^ 
rchether  sacred  or  civil.  Thus  Num. 
81.  14;  2  Kings  11.  16,  'Captains  of 
the  arm.y,'  is  in  the  original  'Pakids,' 
or  ^bishops  of  the  army;'  and  2  Chron. 
34.  12,  17,  '  Overseers  of  them  that 
did  the  work,'  is  'bishops  of  them  that 
did  the  work.'     If  the  translators  of 


282 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1715. 


35  And  ''let  them  gather  all 
the  food  of  those  good  years  that 
come,  and  lay  up  corn  under  the 
hand  of  Pharaoh;  and  let  them 
keep  food  in  the  cities. 

36  And  that  food  shall  be  for 

c  vcr.  43. 


the  Eng.  Bible  had  not  been  warped  by 
the  circumstances  in  which  they  were 
placed,  their  usual  fidelity  to  the  ori- 
ginal would  doubtless  have  led  them 
to  render  this  word  by  its  plain  corres- 
ponding term  '  overseers.'  In  like  man- 
ner '  Ecclesia'  would  have  been  render- 
ed 'congregation'  or  'assembly'  in- 
stead of  'church.'  It  is  surely  taking 
unwarrantable  liberties  with  the  oracles 
of  God  to  affix  in  a  version  a  technical 
character  to  words  and  phrases  which 
are  not  thus  marked  in  the  original.— 
But  we  have  more  pleasure  in  remarks 
of  another  kind.  When  a  famine  was 
foreseen  at  the  end  of  seven  years  of 
plenty,  it  was  not  enough  for  the 
royal  mandate  to  forewarn  the  people 
that  they  should  lay  up  a  store  of  food 
against  the  calamitous  period.  Not 
one,  perhaps,  in  ten,  or  in  a  hundred, 
would  have  made  a  proper  use  of  the 
warning.  Blany  would  have  turned 
into  money  the  superfluous  product  of 
the  year,  to  gratify  their  avarice,  and 
left  the  days  of  famine  to  provide  for 
themselves.  The  greater  part  would 
have  abused  the  bounties  of  providence 
by  spending  them  upon  their  lusts, 
and  the  whole  nation  must  have  been 
exposed  to  extreme  misery,  if  the  king 
had  not  taken  effectual  measures  of 
prevention.  To  this  purpose  he  was 
advised  to  choose  a  wise  and  able  min- 
ister, who  should  employ  officers  under 
him,  to  collect  a  fifth  part  of  the  crop 
during  all  the  years  of  plenty,  to  be 

reserved  for  the  years  of  famine. 

IT  Let  him  take  up  a  ffth  part  of  the 
land.    Heb.  Y"-|it  t"6^  C):n  hivimesh 


store  to  the  land  against  the  seven 
years  of  famine,  which  shall  be 
in  the  land  of  Egypt;  that  the 
land  '^perish  not  through  the  fam- 
ine. 

d  ch.  47.  15,  19. 


eth  eretz,  let  him  Jive  or  quinquate  the 
land;  as  to  tithe  or  decimate  is  to  take 
a  tenth  part.  The  meaning  is,  not  to 
take  a  fifth  part  of  the  land  itself, 
which  would  have  been  a  gross  op- 
pression, but  to  purchase  at  a  fair  price 
a  ffth  part  of  the  produce  of  the  soil, 
to  be  sold  again  to  the  people  during 
the  years  of  scarcity.  As  they  might 
be  induced  to  sell  to  foreigners,  prob- 
ably the  main  end  of  the  policy  pro- 
posed was  to  secure  the  purchase  of 
the  fifth  part  of  their  surplus  grain  to 
the  king,  for  the  future  benefit  of  the 
people,  before  they  should  have  dis- 
posed of  any  portion  of  it  to  others. 

35,  36.  Let  them  gather,  &c.  The 
various  admonitions  in  the  Scriptures 
against  an  undue  anxiety  to  lay  up 
treasures  on  earth,  are  not  intended  to 
prohibit  us  from  providing  in  a  time  of 
plenty  for  a  time  of  scarcity,  as  far  as 
it  can  be  done  without  neglecting  the 
necessary  duties  of  charity  and  piety. 
It  was  well  ordered  by  the  providence 
of  God,  for  the  safety  of  the  people, 
that  the  years  of  famine  were  preceded 
by  the  years  of  plenty.  Had  the  seven 
years  of  famine  come  before  the  years 
of  plenty,  few  men  would  have  been 
left  to  enjoy  them.  But  from  the  years 
of  plenty  a  sufficiency  could  be  reserved 
to  maintain  life  with  comfort  during 
the  years  of  death  that  succeeded. 
How  great  is  the  divine  goodness  that 
provides  so  liberally  for  man  and  beast, 
and  which  tempers  those  calamities 
that  are  allotted  to  mankind  with  such 
undeserved  mercy,  that  even  in  days  of 
famine,  few  perish  with  hunger.  When 


B.  C.  1715.] 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


283 


37  T[  And  nhe  thing  was  good 
in  the  eyes  of  Pharaoh,  and  in 
the  eyes  of  all  his  servants. 

38  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  his 

e  Ps.  105.  19.    Acts  7.  10. 


the  earth  does  not  bring  forth  her  usual 
increase,  he  finds  out  means  to  mitigate 
or  relieve  the  distress  of  his  creatures, 

and  especially  of  his  own  people. 

IT  Lay  up  corn  under  the  hand  of  Pha- 
raoh. That  is,  i.  e.  let  this  be  done  in 
the  name  and  under  the  authority  .of 
Pharaoh,  and  when  collected  let  it  be 
considered  as  a  public  store'  to  be  dis- 
posed of  in  the  different  districts  by  the 
king's  officers  appointed  for  that  pur- 
pose. Chal.  'Under  the  hand  of  Pha- 
raoh's  officers.' IT  Let   them   keep 

food  in  the  cities ;  i.  e.  let  them  make 
depositories  or  granaries  of  food  in  the 
different  cities,  from  whence  it  could 
be  more  conveniendy  distributed. 

37.  Ayid  the  thing  icas  good,  &c.  It 
is  not  always  that  the  great  men  of  the 
world  will  thank  their  inferiors  for  the 
proffer  of  their  advice.  They  are  back- 
ward to  receive  any  thing  from  others 
v,'hich  implies  a  deficiency  of  wisdom 
or  any  thing  else  in  themselves.  But 
Pharaoh  was  not  too  great  or  too  in- 
fallible in  his  own  esteem  to  take  ad- 
vice kindly  from  a  poor  prisoner,  the 
slave  of  one  of  his  servants.  There  is 
no  man  so  wise  as  not  to  need  counsel, 
but  sometimes  one  wise  counsellor  is 
better  than  a  thousand  ;  and  happy  is 
he  who  can  honor  and  avail  himself 
of  wise  suggestions,  come  from  what 
quarter  they  may.  Some  credit  is  un- 
doubtedly due  to  Pharaoh  and  his  ser- 
vants on  this  occasion.  It  is  a  sign  of 
great  wisdom  to  be  able  to  give  the 
best  counsel;  but  it  is  a  sign  of  wisdom 
also  to  appreciate  such  counsel  when 
given,  and  to  be  ready  to  follow  it. 

38.  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  his  ser- 
vants, &c.    The  advice  of  Joseph  was 


servants,  Can  we  find  such  a  one 
as  this  is,  a  man  fin  whona  the 
spirit  of  God  is  1 

f  Numb.  27.  18.    Job  32.  8.    Prov.  2,  G. 
Dan.  4.  8,  IS.  &  5.  11,  14.  &  6,  3. 


so  evidently  good,  and  the  measures  he 
proposed  so  plainly  conducive  to  the 
public  safety,  that  we  do  not  wonder 
at  Pharaoh's  willingness  to  comply 
with  it.  But  it  is  a  matter  of  surprise 
to  find  Joseph  himself  proposed  to  be 
employed  to  execute  his  own  counsel, 
and  to  hear  the  high  commendations 
bestowed  upon  him  by  the  king.  It 
was  only  on  that  very  day  that  he  had 
been  taken  from  a  prison  in  which  he 
had  long  been  confined  as  an  evil-doer. 
And  yet  now  he  is  to  be  raised  to  the 
highest  subordinate  office  in  the  king- 
dom, as  a  man  that  had  not  an  equal 
in   the  earth,  and  in  whom  was  the 

spirit  of  the  holy  God  ! IT  In  whom 

the  spirit  of  God  is.  Chal.  'In  whom 
is  the  spirit  of  prophecy  from  before 
the  Lord.'  Perhaps  as  Pharaoh  was 
an  idolater,  and  probably  ignorant  of 
the  true  God,  a  more  correct  rendering 
would  be,  'In  whom  is  the  spirit  of 
the  gods.'  This  is  paralleled  by  an 
expression  in  the  similar  history  of 
Daniel,  ch.  5.  14,  'I  have  even  heard 
of  thee  that  the  spirit  of  the  gods  is  in 
thee.'  Also  v.  11,  'There  is  a  man  in 
thy  kingdom  in  M'hom  is  the  spirit  of 
the  holy  gods.'  But  it  is  not  necessary 
for  us  to  know  what  idea  Pharaoh  at- 
tached to  his  own  words  in  this  ex- 
pression. It  was  plain  to  him  that 
Joseph  could  not  have  discovered  the 
import  of  the  dreams  by  his  own  sa- 
gacity. He  was  sensible  chat  a  divine 
person  or  a  divine  influence  had  en- 
lightened his  mind  and  given  him  this 
extraordinary  knowledge.  His  pro- 
posal therefore  to  honor  Joseph  was 
a  virtual  honoring  of  the  God  whom 
he  served.     His  affairs,  he  was  con- 


2S4 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1715. 


39  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Jo- 
seph, Forasnuich  as  God  hath 
shewed  tliee  all  this,  tJiere  is  none 
so  discrtp'  and  Avise  as  thou 
art : 


vinced,  would  be  most  likely  to  pros- 
per in  the  hands  of  a  man  whom  God 
loved  and  taught. 

39.  F'orasmuc'h  as  God  hath  shared 
thee  all  this.  Wo  see  in  Joseph  a  stri- 
king illustration  of  the  truth  of  the 
promise,  '  Those  that  honor  me,  I  will 
honor.'  Joseph  honoured  God  before 
Pharaoh,  and  God  honored  Joseph  in 
the  sight  of  Pharaoh.  The  king  be- 
stowed upon  him  the  highest  commen- 
dations and  the  highest  honors.  A  Ut- 
ile time  ago  he  was  traduced  as  one  of 
the  vilest  of  men.  Now  the  king  hon- 
ors him  as  a  man  of  incomparable 
worth.  We  may  learn  from  this  not 
to  be  greatly  dejected  by  reproach,  nor 
pufled  up  by  praise.  The  best  of  men 
have  passed  through  good  report  and  evil 
report.  There  is  no  doubt  that  Joseph 
wore  his  honors  as  meekly  as  he  had 
sufTered  his  hardships  patiently.— It  is 
not  unlikely  that  Joseph  took  this  oc- 
casion to  say  much  more  on  the  being, 
power,  and  perfections  of  the  true  God, 
of  his  providence  and  the  manner  in 
which  he  was  to  be  worshipped,  than 
is  here  recorded.  The  Seriptme  nar- 
rative, studious  of  all  possible  brevity, 
often  leaves  many  things  to  be  suppli- 
ed by  fair  inference  that  are  not  ex- 
pressly stated.  See  on  Gen.  24.  10. 
So  in  this  very  connexion,  though 
Pharaoh  appealed  directly  to  his  cour- 
tiers on  the  propriety  of  appointing  Jo- 
seph to  the  main  charge  of  public  af- 
fairs, notliing  is  said  of  their  reply.  Yet 
as  the  measure  went  into  effect,  who 
can  doubt  that  they  assented  to  it  and 
expressed  their  assent  7  At  the  same 
time  it  is  very  possible  that  nothing  is 


40  e  Thou  shall  be  over  mine 
house,  and  accordinix  unto  thy 
word  shall  all  my  people  be  ru- 
led: only  in  the  throne  will  I  be 
greater  than  thou. 

sr  Ps.  10:<.  Cl,  CO.     Acts  7.  10. 


said  of  their  reply,  because  they  were 
in  fact  a  little  jealous  of  the  young  for- 
eigner, and  came  into  the  proposal  with 
rather  a  bad  grace.  Such  we  learn 
were  the  fet  lings  of  the  Babylonish  no- 
bles towards  Daniel  on  a  somewhat 
similar  occasion.     See  Dan.  6. 

40.  'iTiott  shall  be  over  mine  hmise, 
&c.  The  Psalmist  in  speaking  of  Jo- 
seph's elevation,  Ps.  105.  21,  2%  says, 
'  He  made  him  lord  of  his  house,  and 
ruler  of  all  his  substance:  to  bind  his 
princes  at  hs  pleasure;  and  teach  his 
senators  wisdom.'  In  receiving  this 
dignity,  he  was  the  first  to  reap  the 
fruit  of  those  wise  instructions  which 
he  had  given  to  Pharaoh.  Men  are  usu- 
ally disposed  to  put  honor  upon  those 
by  whom,  under  God,  they  are  made 

wiser  and  better. IT  According  tnito 

thy  icord  shall  all  my  people  be  ruled. 
Heb.  nj23?  ^5  p::."^  '^■^5  ^5  al  -pika 
yishak  kol  atmni,  at  ihy  mouih  shell 
all  my  people  kiss.  At  thy  word  or 
command  they  shall  kiss  their  hand  in 
token  of  reverence,  submission,  and 
obedience.  Thus,  Job  31.  27,  'If  mine 
heart  hath  been  secretly  enticed,  or  my 
mouth  hath  kissed  mine  hand  ;'  i.  e.  as 
a  mark  of  worship  or  adoration.  Con- 
sult also  1  Sam.  10.  1  ;  1  Kings  19.  IS; 
Ps.  2.  12.  Gr.  '  At  thy  mouth  shall  all 
my  people  obey.'  Chal.  '  At  thy  com- 
mand shdl  all  my  people  be  governed.' 
'In  Ps.  2.  12,  it  is  written,  'Kiss  the 
son,  lest  he  be  angry,  and  ye  perish 
from  the  way.'  Bishop  Patrick  says 
on  this,  '  Kiss  the  son  ;  that  is,  submit 
to  him,  and  obey  him.'  Bishop  Po- 
cocke  says,  'The  Egyptians,  on  taking 
any  thing  from  the  hand  of  a  superior, 


B.  C.  17 Jo.] 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


41  And  Pharaoh  gaid  unto  Jo- 

seph.  See,  I  have  *»  «et  thee  over 
all  ifie  land  of  Egypt. 

42  And  Pharaoh  »  took  off  his 
ring  from  his  hand,  and  put  it 

h  Dan.  6.  3.    i  Ettb.  3.  10.  &  S.  2,  ?. 

or  that  is  sent  from  him,  kiss  it ;  and 
aj8  the  highfeBt  respect,  put  it  to  their 
foreheads.'  It  is  tlierefore  probable 
that  Pi^iaraoh  meant,  that  all  should 
fnx'jrn.it  to  i(jhii^\  that  all  fchould  obey 
hirn,  and  pay  hirn  reverence,  and  that 
only  on  the  throne  he  himself  would  be 
^eat^r.  When  a  great  man  causes  a 
^^ift  to  be  lianded  to  an  inferior,  the  lat- 
ter will  lake  it,  and  put  it  on  the  ri|:ht 
cheek,  so  as  to  cover  the  eyes ;  then 
on  the  left ;  after  which  he  will  kiss  it- 
This  is  done  to  show  the  great  Euperi- 
ority  of  the  donor,  and  that  he  on  whom 
i\ifi  gift  is  bestowed  is  his  dependant, 
and  greatly  re%'erences  him.  When  a 
rnan  of  rank  is  angry  with  an  inferior, 
the  latter  will  be  advised  to  go  and  kiss 
his  feet,  which  he  does  by  totiching  bis 
feet  with  his  hands,  and  then  kisnng 
thern.  When  the  3Iohammedans  meet 
each  other  after  a  long  absence,  the  inferi- 
or will  touch  the  hand  of  the  superior, 
and  then  kiss  it.  All  then  were  to  kis» 
Joseph,  and  acknowledge  bira  as  their 

ruler.'  Roherta. 1  Cjnly  in  OuUiroru 

■will  I  be  greatfT  than  ttum.  Thou 
fehalt  have  no  superior  but  myself  only. 
Pharaoh  did  not  probably  say  this  be- 
cause he  thought  it  necessary  to  prnt 
Joseph  in  mind  of  his  inferiority  to  him- 
self. His  design  was  not  so  much  to 
caution  Joseph  against  aspiring  to  an 
equality  with  himself;  as  to  authorize 
him  to  claim  a  Euperiorlty  to  every 
other  subject,  however  noble  in  birth 
or  high  in  ofi5.ce. 

41.  /  /utre  Btt  Uuf,  (rctr^  &c.  He^. 
"m  nathatti,  1  haze  gixeri.;  L  e.  con- 
stituted, fixed,  established.  See  Note 
oa  Gen.  1.  17.    Tlie  suddenness  of  Jo- 


upon  Joseph's  hand,  and  '  array- 
ed hirn  in  vestures  of  fine  linen, 
i  and  put  a  gold  chain  aix>ut  his 
ner:k  : 


k  ;:;:-h.  8.  15.    1  Dan.  5.  7,  29, 

seph's  advancement  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  circumstancea  in  the  whole 
hietory.  We  can  indeed  see  that  jyt 
was  on  the  whole  very  wisely  ordered 
in  providence  that  Pharaoh  should  in- 
vest his  servant  with  the  power  of  gor- 
emrnent,  as  soon  as  he  had  formed  the 
resolution-  If  a  few  days  or  weeks  had 
been  suffered  to  elapse  the  king  mi^it 
have  found  it  less  easy  to  execute  hia 
intentions.  His  other  ofl&cers  might, 
on  reflection,  have  felt  piqued  at  Jo- 
seph's being  raised  over  their  heads  to 
oSl(x.  and  endeavored  to  prerent  iL 
But  apart  from  this,  such  sodden  mn- 
I  tations  of  fortune  are  not  unustial  in 
I  the  East.  Tnere  the  distribution  of 
public  honors  is  not  made  in  the  same 
slow  and  tedious  manner  as  with  no. 
In  consequence  of  all  the  power  de- 
pending on  the  will  of  a  smgle  indirid- 
uai  the  wheel  of  fortune  often  revolves 
with  such  rapid  movement,  that  he 
who  is  lowest  to-day  may  be  upper- 
most to-morrow.  And  so  little  does 
meanness  of  condition  prove  an  obsta- 
cle to  the  rise  of  the  man  whom  the 
king  intends  to  honor,  that  many  of 
the  greatest  offices  who  have  figured 
m  Oriental  history,  onoe  bore  the  name 
and  character  of  slaves.  MaHJet,  in 
his  letters  on  E^ypt,  mentions  that 
whffli  he  was  in  that  country,  tha-e 
was  an  ranoch  who  bad  raised  one  of 
his  slaves  to  the  rank  of  prince ;  and 
Niebuhr  relates  the  case  of  another, 
who  had  raised  so  many  of  his  crea- 
tures to  places  of  power,  that  of  the 
dghteen  beys  who  in  his  time  ruled 
over  Egypt,  eight  had  been  his  dares; 
and  of  the  seven  agas  or  lieat^uutts  of 


286 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1715. 


the  great  body  of  milida,  five  had  once 
belonged  to  his  household. 

42.  Pharaoh  took  off"  his  ring  from 
his  harAy  &c.  '  This  was,  no  doubt, 
a  principal  circumstance  in  Joseph's 
investiture  in  the  high  office  of  chief 
minister  to  the  king  of  Egypt.  In- 
vestiture by  a  ring  is  not  unknown 
in  the  history  of  Europe  during  the 
middle  ages.  But  the  present  ring 
vvas  undoubtedly  a  signet,  or  seal-ring, 
which  gave  validity  to  the  documents 
to  which  it  was  aflBxed,  and  by  the  de- 
livery of  which,  therefore,  Pharaoh  del- 
egated to  Joseph  the  chief  authority  in 
the  state.  The  king  of  Persia  in  the 
same  way  gave  his  seal-ring  to  his  suc- 
cessive ministers  Haman  and  Morde- 
cai;  and  in  Esther  8.  8,  the  use  of  such 
a  ring  is  expressly  declared:  'The 
writing  which  is  written  in  the  king's 
name,  and  sealed  with  the  king's  ring, 
may  no  man  reverse.'  The  possession 
of  such  a  ring  therefore  gave  absolute 
power  in  all  things  to  the  person  to 
whom  it  was  entrusted.  This  may  in 
some  degree  be  understood  by  the  \]3e 
of  a  seal  among  ourselves  to  convey 
validity  to  a  legal  instrument  or  public 
document;  and  still  more  perhaps  by 
the  use  of  the  Great  Seal,  the  person 
who  holds  which  is,  at  least  nominally, 
the  second  person  in  the  state.  But 
our  usages  do  not  perfectly  illustrate 
the  use  of  the  seal  as  it  exists  in  the 
East,  because  we  require  the  signature 
in  addition  to  the  seal ;  whereas  in  the 
East,  the  seal  alone  has  the  effect  which 
we  give  to  both  the  seal  and  the  signa- 
ture. People  in  the  East  do  not  sign 
their  names.  They  have  seals  in  which 
their  names  and  titles  are  engraven, 
and  with  which  they  make  an  impres- 
sion with  thick  ink  on  all  occasions  for 
which  we  use  the  signature.  To  give 
a  man  your  seal,  is  therefore  to  give 
him  the  use  of  that  authority  and  pow- 
er which  your  own  signature  possesses. 
This  explains  the  extraordinary  anxi- 


ety about  seals  which  is  exhibited  in 
the  laws  and  usages  of  the  East.  It 
explains  Judah's  anxiety  about  the  sig- 
net which  he  had  pledged  to  Tamar, 
(ch.  38,)  and  it  explains  the  force  of  the 
present  act  of  Pharaoh.  In  Egypt,  the 
crime  of  counterfeiting  a  seal  was  pun- 
ished with  the  loss  of  both  hands.  In 
Persia,  at  the  present  day,  letters  are 
seldom  written,  and  never  signed  by 
the  person  who  sends  them  ;  and  it  will 
thus  appear  thnt  the  authenticity  of  all 
orders  and  communications,  and  even 
of  a  merchant's  bills,  depends  wholly 
on  the  seal.  This  makes  the  occupa- 
tion of  a  seal-cutter  one  of  as  much 
trust  and  danger  as  it  seems  to  have 
been  in  Egypt.  Such  a  person  is 
obliged  to  keep  a  register  of  every  seal 
he  makes,  and  if  one  be  lost,  or  stolen 
from  the  party  for  whom  it  was  cut, 
his  life  would  answer  for  making  an- 
other exactly  like  it.  The  loss  of  a 
seal  is  considered  a  very  serious  calam- 
ity; and  the  alarm  which  an  Oriental 
exhibits  when  his  seal  is  missing  can 
only  be  understood  by  a  reference  to 
these  circumstances.  As  the  seal-cut- 
ter is  always  obliged  to  annex  the 
real  date  at  which  the  seal  was  cut,  the 
only  resource  of  a  person  who  has  lost 
his  seal  is  to  have  another  made  with 
a  new  date,  and  to  write  to  his  corres- 
pondents, to  inform  them  that  all  ac- 
counts, contracts,  and  communications 
to  which  his  former  seal  is  affixed,  are 
null  from  the  day  on  which  it  was  lost. 
That  the  ring,  in  this  case,  was  a  sig- 
net appears  from  other  passages,  which 
describe  it  as  used  for  the  purpose  of 
sealing.  It  would  seem  that  most  of 
the  ancient  seals  were  rings ;  but  they 
were  not  always  finger-rings,  being 
often  worn  as  bracelets  on  the  arm. 
Indeed,  it  is  observable,  that  no  where 
in  the  Bible  is  a  signet  expressly  said 
to  be  worn  on  the  finger^  but  on  the 
hand,  as  in  the  present  text;  and  al- 
though this  may  denote  the  finger,  we 


B.  C.  1715.] 


CHAPTER  XLT. 


287 


may  understand  it  literally,  as  of  a  ring 
worn  on  the  wrist.  Finger  seal-rings 
are  now,  however,  more  usual  than 
bracelets  ;  and  very  often  seals  are  not 
used  as  rings  at  all,  but  are  carried  in  a 
small  bag  in  the  bosom  of  a  person's 
dress,  or  suspended  from  his  neck  by  a 
silken  cord.  They  are  and  were, 
whether  rings  or  otherwise,  made  of 
gold  or  silver,  or  even  inferior  metals, 
such  as  brass.  But  an  inscribed  stone 
is  frequently  set  in  the  metal ;  and  that 
this  custom  was  very  ancient  appears 
from  Exod.  28.  11,  and  other  places, 
where  we  read  of  'engraving  in  stone 
like  the  engraving  of  a  signet.'  The 
mtelligent  editor  of  Calmet  (Mr.  C. 
Taylor)  is  mistaken  in  his  explanation 
that  such  seals,  used  as  stamps-manual 
to  impress  a  name  with  ink  upon  paper, 
must  have  the  characters  raised,  as  in 
our  printing  and  wood-engraving,  and 
notindaited  as  in  our  seals.  The  fact  is, 
that  they  are  cut  in  the  same  fashion  as 
our  seals ;  and  the  thick  ink  being  lightly 
daubed  with  the  finger  over  the  surface, 
the  seal  is  pressed  upon  the  paper, 
where  it  leaves  a  black  impression,  in 
which  the  characters  are  left  white 
or  blank.'     Pid.  Bible. 


Seal  Rings. 
'—Vestures  of  fine  linen.  Heb.  "ni^^ 

IJJ'iJ       bigde  she^.      Gr.    (xroXrjv  Pvacivri 

stole  or  robe  of  bysse.  This  *  shesh'  or 
'  bysse'  was  a  cloth  made  either  of  silk 
or  of  the  most  beautiful  and  delicate 
species  of  cotton,  such  as  was  employ- 
ed in  the  finest  fabrics  of  the  loom. 
The  garments  to  which  the  term  *  bys- 


se' is  applied,  were  long  robes  of  the 
most  exquisite  white,  and  worn  by 
priests  and  kings  as  a  badge  of  the 
royal  and  sacerdotal  ofSce.  '  This  also 
was  probably  part  of  the  investiture  of 
Joseph  in  his  high  office.  A  dress  of 
honor  still  in  the  East  accompanies 
promotion  in  the  royal  service ;  and 
otherwise  forms  the  ordinary  medium 
through  which  princes  and  great  per- 
sons manifest  their  favor  and  esteem. 
In  Persia,  where  perhaps  the  fullest 
efFect  is  in  our  own  time  given  to  this 
usage,  the  king  has  always  a  large 
wardrobe  from  which  he  bestows  dres- 
ses to  his  own  subjects  or  foreign  am- 
bassadors whom  he  desires  to  honor. 
These  dresses  are  called  'Kelaats;' 
and  the  reception  of  them  forms  a  dis- 
tinction, which  is  desired  with  an  ear- 
nestness, and  received  with  an  exulta- 
tion only  comparable  to  that  which  ac- 
companies titular  distinctions  or  insig- 
nia of  knighthood  in  Europe.  They 
form  the  principal  criterion  through 
which  the  public  judge  of  the  degree  of 
influence  which  the  persons  who  re- 
ceive them  enjoy  at  court,  and  there- 
fore the  parties  about  to  be  thus  honor- 
ed exhibit  the  utmost  anxiety  that  the 
kelaat  may,  in  all  its  circumstances,  be 
in  the  highest  degree  indicative  of  the 
royal  favor.  It  varies  in  the  number 
and  quality  of  the  articles  which  com- 
pose it,  according  to  the  rank  of  the 
person  to  whom  it  is  given,  or  the  de- 
gree of  honor  intended  to  be  afforded ; 
and  all  these  matters  are  examined  and 
discussed  by  the  public  with  a  great  de- 
gree of  earnestness.  Besides  the  robes 
occasionally  bestowed  by  the  king  and 
princes,  the  former  regularly  sends  a 
kelaat,  once  a  year,  to  the  governors 
of  provinces,  who  are  generally  royal 
princes.  At  the  distance  of  every  few 
miles  from  every  provincial  capital, 
there  is  usually  a  town  or  village  called 
'  Kelaat,'  which  name  it  derives  from 
its  being  the  appointed  place  to  which 


IBS 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1715. 


43  And  he  made  him  to  ride 
in  the  second  chariot  which  he 
had:  "^  and  they  cried  before  him, 

m  Esth.  6.  9. 


the  governor  proceeds  in  great  state 
from  his  city,  attended  by  great  part  of 
its  population,  to  be  invested  with  the 
dress  of  honor  thus  sent  him  from  the 
king.  The  occasion  is  attended  with 
great  rejoicings  ;  and  is  of  so  much  im- 
portance, that  it  is  postponed  until 
the  arrival  of  what  the  astrologers  de- 
cide to  be  a  propitious  day,  and  even 
the  favorable  moment  for  investiture  is 
determined  by  the  same  authorities.  A 
common  Persian  kdaat  consists  of  a 
vesture  of  fine  stuff,  perhaps  brocade ; 
a  sash  or  girdle  for  the  waist,  and  a 
shawl  for  the  head  ;  and  when  it  is  in- 
tended to  be  more  distinguishing,  a 
sword  or  dagger  is  added.  Robes  of 
rich  furs  are  given  to  persons  of  dis- 
tinction. A  kdaat  of  the  very  richest 
description,  consists,  besides  the  dress, 
of  ihe  same  articles  which  Xenophon 
describes  as  being  given  by  the  ancient 
princes  of  Persia,  namely : — a  horse 
with  a  golden  bridle,  a  chain  of  gold, 
(as  in  this  kelaat  which  Pharaoh  gave 
to  Joseph,)  and  a  golden  sword — that 
is,  a  sword,  with  a  scabbard  ornament- 
ed with  gold.  The  chain  of  gold  now 
given  is,  however,  part  of  the  fiirniture 
of  the  horse,  and  hangs  over  his  nose. 
Joseph's  chain  of  gold  was,  however, 
a  personal  ornament :  it  had  thus  early 
become  a  mark  of  official  disUnction, 
and  remains  such  to  this  day  among 
different  nations.  It  is  also  observable 
that  Xenophon  mentions  bracelets 
among  the  articles  in  the  ancient  Per- 
sian kelaat.  Bracelets  are  not  now 
worn  by  Persians,  and  are  therefore 
not  given ;  but  we  have  already  inti- 
m^ed  that  the  'ring,'  mentioned  in  the 
piece/^ag  tejsit,  may  be  understood  as 


Bow  the  knee  :  and  he  made  him 
ruler  "  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

n  ch.  42.  6.  &  45. 8,  26.    Acts  7.  10. 


well  to  signify  a  bracelet  as  a  finger- 
ring.'     Pid,  Bible. 

43.  J3ow  the  knee.  Heb.  '^-l^5^^ 
ahrek;  a  word  of  which  the  meanmg 
is  doubtful.  The  Chal.  renders  it, 
'This  is  the  father  of  the  king;'  from 
'Ab,'  father,  and  'Rek,'  king^  equiva- 
lent to  the  Latin  'Rex  ;'  in  accordance 
with  which  we  see  that  Joseph  himself 
subsequently  declares,  Gen.  45.  8,  that 
'  God  had  made  him  di  father  to  Pha- 
raoh.^ The  Jems.  Targ.  in  like  man- 
ner paraphrases  it,  'God  save  \\\e  fa- 
ther of  the  king,  the  master  of  wisdom 
and  tender  in  years.'  Others,  howev- 
er, on  very  plausible  grounds  suppose 
it  to  be  the  Egyptian  form  of  a  word 
originally  Hebrew,  viz :  '  Habrak,'  sig- 
nifying to  kneel  down.  Indeed  Wilkin- 
son remarks  that  it  is  the  word  used  at 
the  present  day  by  the  Arabs  when  re- 
quiring a  camel  to  kneel  down  and  re- 
ceive its  load.  So  an  Egyptian  name 
is  given  to  Joseph,  v.  4,  5.  The  Egyp- 
tian dialect  seems  to  have  resembled 
the  Chaldee  in  making  use  of  the  letter 
5^  a  (e)  for  H  h  as  in  Is.  63.  3,  we  have 
^nbi53K  egalti  for  inbii^n  higalti, 
by  Chaldaism.  The  Gr.  omits  it,  giv- 
ing simply,  'And  a  crier  cried  before 
him.'  Happily  the  moral  reflections  to 
which  the  incident  gives  rise  do  not  de- 
pend upon  an  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  meaning  of  the  term.  In  our  ig- 
norance of  that  we  can  still  feel,  tha\ 
the  constant  changes  taking  place  in 
the  world  are  an  admonition  not  to  set 
our  affections  on  things  below.  If  we 
are  great  and  rich  and  admired  by  all 
to-day,  we  know  not  what  a  sad  re- 
verse may  take  place  to-morrow  ;  and 
we  know  certainly  that  all  those  things 


B.  C.  1718.1 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


289 


44  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Jo- 
seph, I  am  Pharaoh,  and  without 
thee  shall  no  man  lift  up  his  hand 
or  foot  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

45  And    Pharaoh    called  Jo- 


011  which  the  lovers  of  the  present 
world  value  themselves,  will  soon  come 
to  an  end.  But  there  are  pleasant  as 
well  as  afflictive  changes.  The  man 
who  at  present  wears  rags  may  one  day 
be  clothed  in  sumptuous  apparel.  But 
let  us  not  forget  that  a  change  of  in- 
finitely greater  moment  in  the  state  of 
the  soul  passes  upon  all  the  redeemed 
of  the  Lord.  Our  natural  condition 
Under  the  power  of  sin,  is  incomparably 
more  wretched  than  that  of  Joseph 
v/hen  the  iron  entered  his  soul.  The 
garments  of  praise  and  salvation  with 
v/hich  every  believer  in  Jesus  is  array- 
ed, infinitely  excel  in  beauty  those  per- 
ishing ornaments  with  which  the  kings 
of  the  East  were  accustomed  to  deck 
their  favorites.  When  Christ  gives 
liberty  to  the  captives  he  bestows  upon 
them  beauty  for  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy 
for  mourning,  the  garment  of  praise  for 
the  spirit  of  heaviness.  But  it  is  only 
at  the  resurrection  that  the  contrast  be- 
tween our  native  character  and  condi- 
tion and  that  which  is  wrought  in  vir- 
tue of  Christ's  atonement,  shines  forth 
in  its  full  relief  Joseph  doubtless  felt 
heartfelt  hvely  emotions  of  gratitude  to 
Pharaoh,  when  his  prison-garments 
were  exchanged  for  royal  vestments. 
But  at  that  blissful  period  'we  shall 
greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  our  souls 
shall  be  joyful  in  our  God;  for  he  hath 
clothed  us  with  the  garments  of  salva- 
tion, he  hath  covered  with  the  robes  of 
righteousness,  as  a  bridegroom  adorn- 
eth  himself  with  ornaments,  and  as  a 
bride  decketh  herself  with  her  jewels.' 
44.  Without  thee  shall  no  man  lift 
up  his  hand  or  foot  in  all  the  land  of 
Egypt.  A  proverbial  mode  of  expres- 
25 


seph's  name  Zaphnath-paaneah ; 
and  he  gave  him  to  wife  Asenath 
the  daughter  of  Poti-pherah  priest 
of  On  :  and  Joseph  went  out  over 
all  the  land  of  Egypt. 


sion  conveying  to  Joseph  the  grant  cf 
the  most  extensive  power  and  authoritf 
as  a  minister  of  Pharaoh.  It  seems  to 
be  spoken  in  reply  to  some  expressed 
reluctance  on  the  part  of  Joseph  to  ac- 
cept of  all  that  honor  and  power  which 
the  king  wished  to  confer.  He  might 
fear  that  the  royal  favor  would  exprse 
him  to  envy,  and  perhaps  the  king  to 
reproach.  But  here  Pharaoh  virtui'  ly 
assures  him  that  his  authority  shall  be 
submitted  to  universally  by  all  classes 
of  men  and  in  all  kinds  of  relations, 
small  as  well  as  great.  He  that  re- 
sisted the  authority  of  Joseph  virtually 
resisted  the  authority  of  Pharaoh.  It 
would  avail  no  one  any  thing  to  say 
that  he  would  not  degrade  himself  to 
be  the  subject  of  an  upstart  slave. 
Let  him  be  called  by  what  name  he 
would,  still  he  was  invested  by  Pha- 
raoh with  his  own  authority.  The 
ring  from  his  finger,  the  robes  of  state 
conferred  on  him,  the  proclamation  to 
bow  the  knee  before  him,  were  public 
testimonies  of  the  fact.  Why  then 
should  he  be  afraid  or  unwilling  to 
enter  upon  his  new  office  1 

45.  Called  his  name  Zaphnath-paan- 
eah. We  have  already  had  occasion  to 
remark  Gen.  17.  5,  that  it  was  not  unu- 
sual in  ancient  times  to  give  new  names 
to  persons  on  particular  occasions. 
Thi^s  was  often  done  to  indicate  their 
coming  under  new  masters,  as  2  Kings 
23.  34.  2  Chron.  36.  4.  Daniel  L  7 ;  but 
in  the  present  case  it  was  altogether 
honorary,  and  designed  as  a  token  of 
the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held 
by  the  king,  and  a  just  expression  of 
the  great  obligations  under  which  he 
had  laid  the  whole  nation.    The  term 


290 


GENESIS'. 


[B.  C.  1715, 


itself  is  probably  Egyptian,  luke  'Abrek' 
in  a  preceding  verse,  and  is  of  equally 
doubtful  import.  It  is  usually  under- 
stood to  mean  'revealer  of  secrets'  on 
the  authority  of  most  of  the  ancient 
versions,  though  Jerome  refers  it  to  a 
Coptic  origin  and^enders  '  savior  or  de- 
liverer of  the  world.'  Farther  re- 
searches into  these  ancient  languages, 
which  are  now  going  on  among  the 
learned  in  Europe,  may  perhaps  event- 
ually make  us  acqiiainfed  with  its  true 

sense. If  Cfave  him  to  xdfe  Asenath, 

&.C.  We  know  nothing  more  than  we 
are  here  told  of  Asenath,  or  of  Poti- 
pherah  her  father.  But  it  is  plain  that 
Pharaoh  intended  by  this  connexion  to 
honor  Joseph  and  to  strengthen  his  in- 
terest among  the  important  families  in 
the  kingdom.  We  are  not  warranted 
in  condemning  the  step  on  the  part  of 
Joseph,  because  we  know  not  how  far 
religion  had  at  this  lime  degenerated  in 
Egypt.  Jethro's  daughter  was  not  re- 
jected by  Moses  because  Jethro  was 
priest  of  Midian.  If  Poti-pherah  was 
as  bad  as  heathen  priests  often  were, 
his  daughter  might,  nevertheless,  be  a 
woman  well  disposed  to  receive  the 
truth  from  Joseph.  We  have  no  evi- 
dence that  she  was  a  worse  woman 
than  Joseph's  own  mother,  who  was 
not  free  from  a  tincture  of  idolatry,  at 
least  when  she  came  with  Jacob  from 
Mesopotamia.  Suppose  Joseph  to 
have  married  a  wife  trained  up  in  su- 
perstition and  idolatry,  when  it  was  not 
perhaps  in  his  power  to  have  obtained 
a  better,  his  example  will  be  no  excuse 
to  those  Christians  who  yoke  them- 
selves with  infidel  or  graceless  women 
when  there  is  no  necessity  for  it.  We 
have  reason  to  believe  that  one  who  so 
habitually  acknowledged  God  in  all  his 
ways,  did  not  neglect  to  acknowledge 
him  in  a  matter  of  so  much  importance 
as  the  present ;  and  why  may  not  God 
have  seen  fit  in  his  sovereign  pleasure 
to  bestow  Joseph  upon  Asenath  as  the 


means  of  bringing  her  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  himself?  But  although  we 
are  not  particularly  solicitous  to  free 
Joseph  from  the  imputation  of  a  fauli' 
which  there  is  no  evidence  of  his  hav- 
ing committed,  yet  it  may  not  be  amiss 
to  present  the  reader  with  the  very 
plausible  hypothesis  of  Mr.  Sharon 
Turner  in  his  '  Sacred  History  of  the 
World.'  We  give  it  in  his  own  words  i 
'In  ancient  days,  we  learn  from  Juba, 
the  African  prince  and  historian,  that 
the  Arabs  peopled  part  of  Egypt  from 
Meroe  to  Syene,  and  built  the  city  of 
the  Sun.  Pliny  has  preserved  this  re- 
markable but  little  noticed  fact:  'Ju- 
ba says  that  the  city  of  the  Sun,  which 
was  not  far  from  Memphis  in  Egypt, 
has  had  the  Arabs  for  its  founders  ;  and 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  Nile,  from 
Syene  up  to  Meroe,  are  not  Ethiopian 
people,  but  Arabs.'  (Pliny,  1.  vi.,  c.  34.) 
He  says  of  this  Juba,  as  noting  hia 
good  authority,  '  In  this  part  it  pleases 
us  to  follow  the  Roman  arms  and  king 
Juba,  in  his  volumes  written  to  Caius 
Caesar,  of  the  same  Arabian  expedition/ 
This  important  passage  of  Juba  bears, 
I  think,  upon  the  history  of  Joseph, 
and  explains  why  he  married  the 
daughter  of  a  priest  at  Heiiopolis  or 
On.  Being  an  Arabian  colony,  it  would 
not  have  then  in  it  the  base  supersti- 
tions of  Egypt,  but  would  have,  at  that 
period,  retained  enough  of  the  Abra- 
ham.ic  or  patriarchal  religion  to  make  a 
female  there  more  near  to  his  own 
faith  and  feelings  than  any  other  part 

of   Egypt.' ^  Priest  of    On;    or, 

Heb.  '  Prince  of  On ;'  which  the  im- 
port of  the  original  '^ni  kohen  will  ad- 
mit. The  priests  of  Egypt  really  con- 
stituted the  grandees  or  nobility  of  the 
kingdom.  On  was  called  also  'Aven/ 
Ezek  30.  17,  and  was  one  of  the  oldest 
cities  in  the  world,  situated  in  the  land 
of  Goshen,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Nile,  about  five  miles  above  modem 
Cairo.    It  was  called  by  the  Greeks 


B.  C.  1715.] 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


291 


46  1[  And  Joseph  was  thirty 
years  old  when  he  «  stood  before 
Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt :  and  Jo- 
seph went  out  from  the  presence 

o  1  Sam.  16.  21.   1  Kings  12.  6,  8.   Uan.  1.  19. 


'  Heliopolis ;'  i.  e.  ciiy  of  the  sun,  and 
by  the  Hebrews  '  Beth  Shemesh  ;'  i.  e. 
house  of  the  sun,  Jer.  43.  13.  Eighteen 
centuries  ago  this  city  was  in  ruins 
when  visited  by  Strabo.  At  present, 
almost  the  only  monument  of  its  for- 
mer grandeur  is  a  column  of  granite 
seventy  feet  high,  and  covered  with 
hieroglyphics,  of  which  a  particular 
description  is  given  by  Dr.  Clarke.  Jo- 
sephus  says  this  city  being  in  the  land 
of  Goshen  was  given  to  the  family  of 
Jacob,  when  they  first  came  to  sojourn 

in  Egypt. IT  Joseph  went  out  over 

the  land  of  Egypt.  A  brief  mention 
of  the  incident  more  fully  detailed  in 
the  next  verse. 

46.  And  Joseph  was  thirty  years  old, 
&,c.  As  he  was  seventeen  years  of 
age  when  he  was  sold  into  slavery, 
thirteen  years  of  course  were  spent  in 
that  afflictive  condition,  of  which  prob- 
ably three  at  least  were  passed  in  the 
walls  of  a  prison.  He  no  doubt  had 
cherished  the  hope  of  being  much  soon- 
er delivered  from  his  troubles  and  re- 
stored to  the  arms  of  his  affectionate 
father.  But  it  was  happy  for  him  that 
he  did  not  know  beforehand  when  God 
would  be  pleased  to  give  him  the  ex- 
pected end  of  his  sorrows.  Thirteen 
years  of  suffering  would  have  been 
fearful  in  prospect.  But  the  retrospect 
was  pleasant,  when  there  was  no 
dread  of  their  return.  The  remem- 
brance of  grief  turned  into  joy  gives  a 
rich  compensation  for  its  bitterness. 
Though  light  is  always  pleasant,  it  is 
doubly  so  after  darkness.  He  was 
now  raised  to  a  place  of  rank  and  dis- 
tinction.   He  had  the  honor  of  stand- 


of  Pharaoh,  and  went  throughout 
all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

47  And  in  the  seven  plenteous 
years  the  earth  brought  forth  by 
handfuls. 


ing  before  the  king ;  yet  it  was  a  great- 
er honor  to  him  that  he  gave  to  the 
king  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with 
his  conduct.  Considering  his  age  and 
the  condition  from  which  he  had  been 
raised,  it  would  not  have  been  unnat- 
ural that  he  should  have  shewn  some 
of  the  effects  which  sudden  elevations 
are  apt  to  produce.  But  he  who  ena- 
bled him  to  repel  temptation  and  to  en- 
dure affliction,  enabled  him  also  to  bear 
the  glory  that  was  conferred  upon  him 
with  humility.  He  made  no  sinecure 
of  his  oflSce,  nor  did  he  spend  his  days 
in  pleasure,  receiving  the  compliments 
of  the  friends  whom  his  prosperity 
procured.  He  was,  and  he  felt  himself 
to  be,  exalted  to  power  for  the  good 
and  the  safety  of  the  people,  and  he 
entered  at  once  upon  the  active  dis- 
charge of  the  duties  of  his  station.  He 
went  through  all  the  land  of  Egypt, 
not  to  shew  his  greatness,  but  to  see 
with  his  own  eyes  what  was  to  be 
done,  to  issue  the  proper  orders,  and  to 
see  their  execution.  If  the  kindness  of 
his  former  master  had  been  a  powerful 
motive  with  him  to  resist  the  solicita- 
tions of  his  abandoned  mistress,  the 
still  greater  favors  received  from  Pha- 
raoh were  a  sufficient  motive,  if  he 
needed  a  motive,  to  the  most  unwearied 
activity  and  diligence  in  securing  the 
country  against  the  evils  of  the  threat- 
ened famine. 

47.  The  earth  brought  forth  by  hand- 
fuls.  That  is,  in  vast  abundance;  one 
kernel  yielding  a  whole  handful,  or 
each  stalk  producing  as  much  corn  as, 
popularly  speaking,  the  hand  could 
grasp.    This,  or  even  more  than  this 


292 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1712. 


48  And  he  gathered  up  all  the 
food  of  the  seven  years  Avhich 
were  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 
Jaid  up  the  food  in  the  cities  :  the 
food  of  the  field  which  was  round 
about  every  city,  laid  he  up  in 
the  same. 

49  And  Joseph  gathered  corn 
p  as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  very 
much,  until  he  left  numbering  ; 
for  it  was  without  number. 


p.  ch.  22. 17.     Judges  7.  12. 
Ps.  78.  27. 


1  Sam.  13.  5. 


productiveness,  is  not  at  this  day  un- 
usual in  Egypt.  Mr.  Jowett,  in  his 
'Christian  Researches,'  states  that 
when  in  Egypt  he  plucked  up  a  few 
stalks  out  of  the  cornfields.  '  We  count- 
ed the  number  of  stalks  which  sprout- 
ed from  single  grains  of  seed,  carefully 
pulUng  to  pieces  each  root,  in  order  to 
see  that  it  was  one  plant.  The  first 
had  seven  stalks  ;  the  next  three  ;  then 
eighteen;  then  fourteen.  Each  stalk 
would  bear  an  ear.'  The  annexed  cut 
represents  a  species  of  wheat  which 
now  actually  grows  in  Egypt. 


Egyptian  Wheat. 

48.  And  he  gathered  up  all  the  food, 
Ac.    The  report  of  Pharaoh's  dream, 


50  '3  And  unto  Joseph  were 
born  two  sons  before  the  years  of 
famine  came  :  which  Asenath  the 
daughter  of  Poti-pherah  priest  of 
On  bare  unto  him. 

51  And  Joseph  called  the  name 
of  the  first-born  Manasseh ;  For 
God,  said  he,  hath  made  me  for- 
get all  my  toil,  and  all  my  fa- 
ther's house. 


q  ch.  4C.  20.  &  48.  5. 


and  of  the  interpretation,  must  have 
spread  through  all  the  land  of  Egypt, 
with  the  account  of  Joseph's  advance- 
ment ;  and  many  of  the  people  would 
undoubtedly  see  that  it  was  for  their 
interest  to  be  frugal  and  provident,  and 
would  act  accordingly.  But  as  the 
years  of  plenty  would  not  soon  come 
to  an  end,  many  would  no  doubt  think 
it  unnecessary  to  be  in  haste  to  make 
provision  for  days  of  famine  that  were 
yet  at  a  considerable  distance.  Of  this 
Joseph  was  well  aware.  He  foresaw 
that  a  great  part  of  the  inhabiiants  ot 
the  land  must  perish,  unless  he  pre- 
vented the  danger  by  his  own  care. 
Accordingly  he  gathered  up  all  the  food 
of  the  seven  years,  and  laid  it  in  the 
cities  which  he  made  depots  for  the  sur- 
rounding country.  He  left  great  abun- 
dance for  present  use.  That  which 
was  laid  up  was  the  fifth  part,  accord- 
ing to  his  own  suggestion  and  the 
royal  mandate  ;  and  this  was  laid  up 
and  carefully  preserved  in  the  store- 
houses which  he  had  caused  to  be  pre- 
pared for  its  reception. 

50,  51.  Unto  Joseph  were  born  two 
sons,  &c.  These  sons,  as  is  usual  in 
the  Scriptures,  are  significantly  named, 
the  names  being  expressive  of  the  state 
of  his  mind  in  his  present  situation. 
We  commonly  look  no  farther  than 
the  instruments  employed   by  provi- 


!?-.  C.  1708.] 


52  And  the  name  of  the  second 
called  he  Ephraim :  For  God  hath 
caused  me  to  be  ""  fruitful  in  the 
land  of  my  affliction. 

53  ly  And  the  seven  years  of 
plenteousness  that  was  in  the 
land  of  Egypt,  were  ended. 

r  ch.  49.  22. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

54  5  And   the   seven 


293 


dence  in  conferring  benefits  or  inflict- 
ing evils  upon  us.  But  Joseph  saw 
that  all  his  adversities  and  all  his  pros- 
perity came  from  God.  He  was  grate- 
ful to  Pharaoh,  but  he  was  grateful 
chiefly  to  God,  for  the  happy  change 
in  his  condition.  God  had  made  him 
to  forget  all  his  toil,  and  his  father's 
house,  and  therefore  he  named  his  first 
son  Manasseh,  which  signifies  forget- 
ting or  making  to  forget.  He  did  not 
mean  by  this,  however,  that  his  re- 
membrance of  his  toil  was  obliterated 
from  his  mind.  His  mention  of  it 
when  he  gave  the  name  to  his  son, 
was  a  proof  that  in  one  sense  he  still 
remembered  it.  It  was  in  fact  his  duty 
to  remember  it.  How  could  he  have 
retained  just  impressions  of  the  divine 
goodness,  if  he  had  forgotten  the  evils 
from  which  he  was  delivered  7  But  in 
another  sense  he  forgot  his  misery.  He 
did  not  so  cherish  the  recollection  as  to 
allow  it  to  embitter  his  present  enjoy- 
ment. The  memory  of  his  troubles 
was  comparatively  lost  in  the  happiness 
by  which  they  were  succeeded.  So 
also  of  what  he  says  about  his  father's 
house.  He  had  not  literally  forgotten 
his  father  nor  the  kindness  showered 
upon  him  from  the  days  of  his  child- 
hood. Neither  had  he  literally  ceased 
to  remember  the  cruel  treatment  of  his 
brother;  but  he  ceased  to  lay  it  to 
heart;  the  painful  remembrance  of  the 
past  was  expelled  from  his  mind,  when 
his  adversity  was  changed  into  pros- 
perity. 

52.    77ie  name  of  the  second  called  h" 
25=^ 


years  of 
dearth  began  to  come,  t  accord- 
ing as  Joseph  had  said:  and  the 
dearth  was  in  all  lands;  but  in 
all  the  land  of  Egypt  there  was 
bread. 


s  Ps.  10.3.  16.    Acts  7.  11.    t  ver.  30. 


Ephraim.  That  is,  fruitful,  as  he 
himself  immediately  after  explains  it. 
He  had  formerly  been  like  a  heath  in 
the  desert,  but  now  he  was  like  a  tree 
planted  by  the  rivers  of  water,  which 
brings  forth  abundance  of  fruit  and 
whose  leaf  does  not  wither.  This 
happy  change  he  ascribes  to  the  divine 
goodness.  Perhaps  it  was  owing  to  a 
suggestion  from  above  that  the  name 
'Ephraim'  was  given  to  Joseph's  sec- 
ond son,  rather  than  his  first.  As  far 
as  we  know,  he  had  no  more  children 
of  his  own  body,  but  he  was  fruitful 
in  his  remote  progeny,  especially  by 
Ephraim,  and  we  find  a  striking  allu- 
sion to  this  name  in  the  blessings  of 
Jacob;  'Joseph  is  a  fruitful  bough, 
even  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well,  whose 
branches  run  over  a  wall.'  See  Note 
on  Gen.  49.  22. 

53.  The  seven  years  of  plenteousness 
were  ended.  When  the  people  heard 
that  the  days  of  plenteousness  were  to 
be  seven  years,  thousands  would  no 
doubt  be  strongly  tempted  to  say  to 
their  souls,  'Eat,  drink,  and  be  merry; 
to-morrow  shall  be  as  this  day,  and  so 
shall  the  next  and  many  following 
days  and  years  be,  and  much  more 
abundantly.'  But  the  day  of  prosperity 
was  now  at  an  end  and  the  days  of 
adversity  had  arrived.  The  end  of  all 
the  changing  things  in  this  world  of 
change  will  soon  come,  and  then  the 
beginning  of  them  will  appear  lilce 
yesterday  when  it  is  past.  'A  perpe- 
tuity of  bliss  is  bliss,'  and  that  only. 

54,  And  the  seven  years  of  dearth  6e= 


294 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  170a 


55  And  when  all  the  land  of 
Egypt  was  famished,  the  people 
cried  to  Pharaoh  for  bread  :  and 
Pharaoh  said  unto  all  the  Egyp- 
tians, Go  unto  Joseph;  what  he 
sailh  to  you,  do. 


gan  to  co7ne,  &c.  Time  to  come  will 
at  last  be  time  present,  and  the  evils 
threatened  by  God  will  fall  heavily  up- 
on those  who  use  not  the  proper  means 
of  averting  them.  Joseph  could  look 
forward  with  a  steady  eye  and  without 
terror  to  the  days  of  famine,  which 
came  at  the  time  specified  and  were  as 
grievous  as  he  had  predicted.  When 
they  came  he  knew  that  his  wisdom 
■would  be  acknowledged  by  all  the  land 
of  Egypt,  and  by  all  the  people  of  the 
surrounding  countries.  It  was  wisely 
ordered  that  the  scarcity  should  extend 
to  the  neighboring  lands;  for  the  great 
end  for  which  God  is  represented,  Ps. 
105.  16,  as  'calling  for  it,'  v/asto  bring 
Jacob's  sons,  and  eventually  his  whole 
family  to  Egypt ;  which  end  would 
not  otherwise  have  been  answered. 

55.  The  people  cried  to  Pharaoh  for 
bread.  Although  there  was  abundance 
of  corn  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  the  peo- 
ple of  the  country  were  ready  to  per- 
ish for  want.  What  was  the  reason 
of  this?  Had  they  not  been  forewarn- 
ed that  the  terrible  famine  was  com- 
ing? Joseph  had  indeed  gathered  up 
the  fifth  of  the  corn,  yet  enough  was 
left  not  only  to  supply  the  present 
wants  of  the  people,  but  to  lay  up  for 
themselves  against  the  famine.  But 
they  wanted  Joseph's  prudence.  Unlike 
the  ant,  they  made  not  in  the  summer 
due  provision  for  the  winter.  Yet  like 
the  reckless  Egyptians  how  many  that 
are  destined  to  live  for  ever  in  another 
world  neglect  in  the  proper  season  to 

lay  up  treasures  in  heaven? ^  Go 

unto  Joseph;  what  he  saith  unto  you^  do. 


56  And  the  famine  was  over 
all  the  face  of  the  earth:  and  Jo- 
seph -opened  all  the  store-houses, 
and  ''  sold  unto  the  Egyptians  ; 
and  the  famine  waxed  sore  in  the 
land  of  Egypt. 

V  ch.  42.  6.  &  47.  1 1,  ai. 


If  any  of  the  people  had  refused  to  go 
to  Joseph,  they  would  have  despised 
not  Joseph  only,  but  the  king  also  who 
had  clothed  him  with  power,  and  would 
have  deserved  to  want  that  susten- 
ance which  he  alone  could  give.  And 
are  not  the  despisers  of  our  great  Re- 
deemer in  like  manner  despisers  of  his 
Father,  who  has  set  him  as  King  in  his 
holy  hill  of  Zion  ?  If  we  need  food 
for  our  souls,  to  whom  are  we  lo  have 
recourse,  but  to  Jesus  whom  God  has 
appointed  as  the  sole  dispenser  of  that 
bread  which  nourisheth  unto  everlast- 
ing life  ?  Those  who  will  not  come  to 
him  for  the  bread  of  life,  are  despisers 
of  their  own  mercies.  They  must  per- 
ish, and  their  blood  shall  be  upon  their 
own  heads. 

56.  The  famine  was  over  all  the  face 
of  the  earth.  An  expression  to  be  taken 
of  course  with  some  limitation.  Egypt 
and  the  countries  bordering  upon  it, 
Canaan,  Syria,  and  Arabia  are  undoubt- 
edly meant.  The  incident  can  scarcely 
fail  to  remind  us  of  the  distinguished 
advantages  which  we  derive,  under 
providence,  from  the  improvements  of 
modern  times  in  the  art  of  navigation. 
Were  a  great  scarcity  to  occur  amongst 
us  we  should  expect  relief  from  other 
countries  by  sea.  Unless  a  famine 
should  pervade  the  whole  globe  at  the 
same  time,  we  should  have  little  doubt 
of  obtaining  from  some  quarter  or 
other,  without  leaving  our  homes,  at 
least  a  partial  supply  for  our  wants. 
In  the  days  of  Joseph,  when  the  fam- 
ine was  sore  through  all  the  adjacent 
countries,  the  people,  ready  to  perish 


B.  c.  ros.] 


CHAPTER  XLH. 


295 


67  *  And  all   countries   came    corn ;   because   that  the  famine 
into  Egypt  to  Joseph  for  to  buy    was  so  sore  in  all  lands, 

X  Deut.  S.28. 


with  hunger,  were  under  the  necessily 
of  travelling  to  Egypt  to  procure  corn. 
The  Egyptians  themselves  were  ex- 
osmpted  from  the  labor  of  travelling  to 
a  distant  land,  for  there  were  store- 
houses scattered  through  all  the  coun- 
try; but  they  were  compelled  to  part 
with  their  money  for  food.  But  for 
this  they  had  only  themselves  to  blame. 
Joseph  did  not  compel  them  to  sell  any 
more  corn  than  they  v.'ere  willing  to 
sell,  nor  any  more  than  they  would 
probably  have  wasted  in  riot,  if  they 
had  not  sold  it.  And  now  he  demand- 
ed no  greater  price  than  in  the  present 
circumstances  he  had  a  right  to  claim. 
It  was  not  necessary  to  inform  us  that 
Joseph  did  not  oppress  the  people  in 
his  dealings  with  them.  The  people 
themselves  were  v/itness  to  his  up- 
rightness when  they  afterwards  said, 
'^  Let  us  find  favor  in  the  sight  of  our 
lord,  for  thou  hast  saved  our  lives.' 
Joseph's  prudence  is  evident  also  in 
another  respect.  Had  he  thrown  open 
his  store-houses  before  the  Egyptians 
felt  the  pressure  of  hunger,  they  might 
Boon  have  wasted  the  fruits  of  his 
provident  care.  They  would  have  con- 
sumed those  precious  products  of  the 
earth,  that  would  afterwards  be  neces- 
sary for  themselves.  Joseph  therefore 
acted  as  one  who  knew  that  we  are 
too  little  disposed  to  set  a  value  on  our 
blessings,  till  we  have  felt  the  want  of 
them.  Hunger,  though  very  unpleas- 
ant, is  often  more  useful  than  fulness 

of  bread. IT  Joseph  opened  all  the 

store-houses.  Heb.  *i"i'j^  ^13  rii<  ntlC'^ 
^Mj  yiphtah  eth  kol  asher  bahem, 
opened  all  wherein  (was) ;  i.  e.  wherein 
corn  was ;  implying  that  it  was  dealt 
oai  with  a  generous    liberality  from 


every  place  of  deposit. IT  And  sold 

unto  the  Egyptians,  Heb.  "^io*! 
yishbor,  broke;  a  term  so  applied  be- 
cause food  breaks  the  fasting  and  hun- 
ger of  men.  Thus  Ps.  104.  11,  'by 
means  of  water  the  wild  asses  quench 
their  thirst.'  Heb.  'l^:i:*i  yishberu, 
break  their  thirst. 

57.  And  all  countries  came  info 
Egypt,  &c.  AH  that  a  man  hath  will 
he  give  for  his  life,  and  for  those  things 
that  are  necessary  to  preserve  life.  He 
will  travel  into  the  most  distant  regions, 
rather  than  perish  with  hunger  in  the 
land  of  his  nativity.  He  will  brave  the 
perils  of  the  sea.  He  will  not  esteem 
any  trial  too  great  to  be  endured,  any 
danger  too  fearful  to  be  encountered, 
to  avoid  the  horrors  of  starvation. 
Why  then  do  men  grudge  a  little  labor, 
or  a  little  expense  for  what  is  no  less 
necessary  for  our  souls,  than  the  bread 
that  perisheth  is  for  our  bodies  1 


CHAPTER  XLir. 

The  progress  of  extents  is  bringing  us 
still  nearer  the  grand  crisis  which  God 
had  designed  from  the  beginning  in  re- 
ference to  Jacob's  family.  With  this 
view  the  scene  now  shifts  from  Egypt 
to  Canaan,  which  we  find  visited  also 
with  the  common  calamity.  Even 
that  land  whose  characteristic  it  was, 
that  it  flowed  with  milk  and  honey, 
was  made  to  feel  the  effects  of  famine, 
and  Jacob,  the  heir -of  promise,  with  his 
numerous  household  are  represented  as 
ready  to  perish  for  lack  of  food.  This 
was  a  new  trial  to  the  faith  of  the  pa- 
triarch, who  had  so  long  been  a  man 
of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief. 
But  enabled  as  we  are  to  contemplate 
the  issues  of  these  events  together  with 


296 


GENESIS. 


LB.  C.  1707. 


N 


CHAPTER  XLII. 
OW  when  ^  Jacob  saw  that 
there  was  corn  ia  Egypt,  Ja- 

a  Acts  7. 12. 


their  commencements,  we  can  see  how 
wisely  every  step  was  ordered  to  ac- 
comphsh  the  destined  end.  The  dis- 
tress occasioned  by  the  famine  would 
no  doubt  tend  to  bring  down  the  high 
spirit  of  Jacob's  sons  and  prepare  them 
for  that  scene  of  overwhelming  humil- 
iation which  awaited  them  in  Egypt. 
Seeing  their  children  crying  far  bread 
with  none  to  give  them,  conscience 
would  unquestionably  awaken  the  bit- 
ter memory  of  guilt  long  past,  and 
bring  before  them  the  time  when  they 
resolved,  in  cold  blood,  to  starve  an  in- 
nocent brother  to  death.  But  there 
was  still  a  farther  design  in  all  this. 
It  was  the  will  of  God  that  Jacob  should 
go  down  with  his  whole  family  to  the 
land  of  Egypt,  where  his  seed  were  to 
be  oppressed  till  the  time  of  their  glori- 
ous deliverance  ;  and  considering  the 
patriarch's  great  age  and  his  hereditary 
attachment  to  the  land  of  promise,  we 
can  see  that  under  the  influence  of  or- 
dinary motives  he  would  not  have 
been  induced  to  leave  it.  But  it  did  not 
come  within  the  plan  of  the  divine  pro- 
ceedings to  exercise  any  force  upon  Ja- 
cob's will.  Whatever  he  did,  he  was 
to  do  it  freely  and  rationally.  Precisely 
such  a  train  of  events  as  that  here  re- 
lated was  adapted,  as  every  one  can  see, 
with  infinite  wisdom  to  bring  about  the 
designed  result. — But  we  proceed  to  the 
details. 

1.  Now  when  Jacob  saw,  &c.  That 
is,  learnt,  understood,  received  infor- 
mation. The  word  'see'  is  often  equiv- 
alent to  understand  or  to  have  a  per- 
ception of  a  thing,  whether  by  means  of 
the  sense  of  seeing  or  any  other.  Thus, 
Ex.  20.  18,  'And  all  the  people  saw  the 
thunderings.'    Rev.  1.  12,  'And  I  turn- 


cob  said  unto  his  sons,  Why  do 
yc  look  one  upon  another? 

2  And  he  said,  Behold  I  have 


ed  to  see  the  voice  that  spake  with  me,' 
In  this  sense  of  understanding  is  the 
language  of  the  EvangeUst  to  be  inter- 
preted, John  1.  18,  'No  man  hath  seen 
God  at  any  timej'  i.  e.  hath  fully  and 
perfectly  known  him  ;  hath  duly  ap- 
prchended  his  nature.  This  made  ii 
necessary  that  '  the  only  begotten 
Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Fa- 
ther, should   declare  him.' IT  That 

there  teas  corn  in  Egypt.  Heb.  '^:;"C3 
sheber,  breaking;  so  called  for  the  rea- 
son given  above.  Gen.  41.  56.  Gr. 
TTjoacrsf  o  selling.     Chal.  'That  corn  was 

sold.' ^  Why  do  ye  look  one  upon 

another  ?  Gr.  '  Why  are  ye  slothful  V 
Vulg.  'Why  are  ye  negligent  7'  Syr. 
'  Do  not  be  afraid.'  Why  spend  that 
time  in  painful  anxiety  which  might 
have  been  better  employed  1  None  of 
them  proposed  an  effectual  remedy  for 
relieving  the  present  distress.  They 
all  looked  at  one  another  as  if  each  ex- 
pected that  the  other  would  suggest 
something  for  their  common  benefit. 
But  they  were  all  equally  at  a  loss 
what  to  say  or  do.  Jacob  however  had 
been  too  long  schooled  in  the  ways  of 
God  to  expect,  under  any  pressure  of 
aflaiction,  that  a  miracle  would  be 
wrought  to  give  rehef,  when  lawful  and 
practicable  means  are  in  our  power. 
He  therefore  rouses  his  hesitating  sons 
from  their  torpor,  and  proposes  an  im- 
mediate journey  into  Egypt  to  purchase 
corn.  As  there  is  no  necessity  so 
strong  as  that  of  hunger,  whatever  re- 
pugnance they  may  have  felt,  from  the 
haunting  recollections  of  the  past,  to 
going  down  to  Egypt,  the  country  to 
which  Joseph  had  been  sold,  it  was  at 
length  overruled,  and  they  determined 
to  go. 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLII. 


297 


heard  that  there  is  corn  in  Egypt : 
get  you  down  thither,  and  buy 
for  us  from  thence ;  that  we  may 
^  live,  and  not  die. 

3  i  And   Joseph's    ten   hreth- 


b  ch.  43. 


Ps.  118.  17.    Isa.  1. 


2.  Behold,  I  have  heard  that  there  is 
corn  in  Egypt,  &-c.  If  Jacob  had  heard 
from  common  report  that  there  was 
corn  in  Egypt,  why  had  he  not  heard 
from  Joseph  himself?  Why  did  this 
favorite  son  delay  a  moment  to  inform 
his  mourning  father  of  the  happy 
change  in  his  circumstances'?  While 
he  was  a  slave  or  a  prisoner,  it  was  not 
probably  in  his  power  to  send  him  ti- 
dings of  his  fate.  But  when  he  had 
become  lord  of  all  Egypt,  he  certainly 
had  it  in  his  power  to  send  as  many 
messengers  as  he  pleased.  Surely,  it 
will  be  said  by  some,  he  had  but  Utile 
regard  to  his  father's  comfort,  when  he 
left  him  seven  years  ignorant  of  what 
had  befallen  his  best-beloved  son.  But 
let  us  not  be  precipitate  in  forming  a 
judgment  to  the  disadvantage  of  such 
a  man  as  Joseph.  He  doubtless  often 
thought  of  his  beloved  father,  and 
would  have  been  very  happy  to  com- 
municate any  pleasure  to  a  parent 
whom  he  so  dearly  loved.  But  there 
is  a  time  for  every  thing.  It  is  very 
possible  that  the  news  of  Joseph's  ex- 
altation would  have  given  more  pain 
than  pleasure  to  the  good  man,  when 
informed  of  the  circumstances  that 
brought  it  about.  The  highest  earthly 
grandeur  of  one  son  might  not  have 
compensated  the  grief  which  he  would 
feel  for  the  wickedness  of  the  others. 
The  time  might  come  when  Joseph 
would  be  enabled  to  inform  his  father 
of  his  glory  to  more  advantage,  and 
with  less  risk  of  making  him  unhappy. 
At  any  rate,  we  cannot  doubt  that  Jo- 
seph was  directed  in  all  his  movements 


ren  went    down   to  buy   corn  in 
Egypt. 

4  But  Benjamin,Joseph's  broth- 
er, Jacob  sent  not  with  his  breth- 
ren :  for  he  said,  "  Lest  peradven- 
ture  mischief  befall  him. 

c  ver.  38. 


by  the  overruling  providence  of  God. 
And  how  do  we  know  that  he  had  not 
a  revelation  of  the  mind  of  God  as  to 
the  way  and  the  time  of  conveying  that 
information  to  his  father  which  he  cer- 
tainly wished  to  communicate? IT 

That  we  may  live  and  not  die.  The 
patriarch  uses  strong  language  to  shew 
his  sons  the  necessity  of  going  down 
to  Egypt  to  buy  food.  He  sets  life 
and  death  before  them  ;  not  their  own 
life  or  death  only,  but  the  life  or  death 
of  the  whole  family.  The  Lord  was 
the  God  of  their  life ;  but  they  could 
not  properly  trust  him  for  preserving  it 
without  using  the  appropriate  means. 
But  in  humble  dependence  on  the  divine 
blessing  they  might  set  their  faces 
cheerfully  to  the  pains  and  perils  of  a 
long  journey,  and  a  protracted  separa- 
tion from  their  father,  their  wives,  and 
their  children.  And  that  man  deserves 
not  the  gift  of  life,  who  would  not  put 
himself  to  expence,  who  would  not  toil, 
who  would  not  even  risk  his  life  when 
necessary,  for  those  to  whom  he  is 
indebted,  or  who  are  indebted  to  him, 
for  life. 

3,  4.  And  Joseph's  fen  brethren  went, 
&c.  They  are  called  *  Joseph's  breth- 
ren' and  not  Jacob's  sons,  because  Jo- 
seph is  at  present  the  principal  charac- 
ter in  the  story.  But  Benjamin  is 
called  Joseph's  brother  in  a  stricter 
sense.  One  mother  brought  them  both 
into  the  world,  and  Jacob's  fond  at- 
tachment to  Benjamin  was  in  part  the 
effect  of  his  grief  for  the  loss  of  Jo- 
seph. Benjamin  became  to  him  a  sec- 
ond Joseph,  and  the  other  brethren  ap- 


298 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707 


6  And  the  sons  of  Israel  came 
to  buy  corn  among  those  that 
came :  for  the  famine  was  ^  in 
the  land  of  Canaan. 

6  And  Joseph  icas  the  govern- 
or *  over  the  land,  and  he  it  v:as 
that  sold  to  all  the  people  of  the 
land  :  and  Joseph's  brethren  came, 
and  f  bov»ed  down  themselves  be- 

d  Acts  7.  11.     e  ch.  41.  41.     fch.  37.  7. 


pear  to  have  taken  no  exception  to  their 
father's  preference  in  this  instance.  It 
is  likely  they  had  already  felt  so  bitter 
remorse  for  their  wrongs  to  Joseph 
and  the  grief  they  had  caused  to  their 
father,  that  he  might  safely  have  given 
Benjamin  a  coat  of  many  colors  with- 
out at  all  exciting  their  envy.  The  sad 
effects  of  former  sins  sometimes  pre- 
vent men  from  involving  themselves 
in  the  guilt  of  new  ones. 

6.  Joseph  was  the  governor  over  the 
land.  Heb.  '[3"'^'^  shallit  from  the 
root  t;ViI3  shalat,  to  have  dominion^ 
from  which  comes  "^ItsVlJ  shilton,  one 
that  hath  power,  Eccl.  8-  4,  and  also  the 
Chal.  'ItsV*^  sfioltan,  pr-ince,  to  which 
we  are  evidently  to  trace  the  Arabic 
and  Turkish  'sultan,'  the  title  of  the 
ihief  ruler  of  the  Ottoman  empire, 
otherwise  denominated  the  Grand 
Seignior.  The  term  has  gradually 
passed  from  implying  a  subordinate  to 
signifying  a  supreme  ruler.  The  time 
was  when  Joseph's  brethren  were  men 
of  high  respectability  in  the  land  of 
Canaan,  whdst  Joseph  himself  was  a 
slave  or  a  prisoner  in  the  land  of  Egypt. 
Now,  by  a  signal  reverse,  Joseph  was 
governor  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt, 
while  they  appeared  before  him  as  hum- 
ble suppliants,  almost  craving  as  an 
alms  those  supplies  of  food  for  which 
they  were  both  able  and  willing  to  pay 

the  price  demanded. IT  He  it  was 

that  sold,   &c.     Heb.    ^^iE^n    ham 
mdshhir,  that  caused  to   break,   or  to 


fore  him  iL'ith  their  faces  to  the 
earth. 

7  And  Joseph  saw  his  breth- 
ren, and  he  knew  them,  but  made 
himself  strange  unto  them,  and 
spake  roughly  unto  them  ;  and  he 
said  unto  them,  Whence  corne 
ye?  And  they  said,  From  the 
land  of  Canaan  to  buy  food. 


sell ;  i.  e.  that  supermtended  the  sel- 
ling. We  cannot  suppose  that  Joseph, 
in  person,  sold  all  the  corn  that  was 
carried  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt ;  but 
it  IS  probable  that  he  exercised  an 
active  and  vigilant  control  over  the 
selling,  and  he  may  have  given  more 
special  attention  to  the  travellers  from 
Canaan,  than  to  those  of  other  coun- 
tries, because  the  easiest  entrance  into 
Egypt,  for  an  enemy,  was  from  Ca- 
naan.  IT   Bowed    down    themselves. 

Where  now  were  the  lofty  looks  and 
the  contemptuous  tone  with  which 
they  said  to  him,  after  he  had  told  them 
one  of  his  dreams,  '  Shalt  thou  indeed 
reign  over  us,  or  shalt  thou  have  do- 
minion over  us  V  Are  these  the  men 
who  said  too  on  another  occasion, 
'  Come,  let  us  slay  him,  and  cast  him 
into  some  pit,  and  we  will  say,  some 
wild  beast  hath  devoured  him,  and  wo 
will  see  what  will  become  of  his 
dreams.'  They  did  not  indeed  slay 
him,  but  they  took  a  method  which 
they  hoped  would  be  no  less  effectual 
to  hinder  the  accomplishment  of  his 
dreams.  And  yet  the  remote  conse- 
quence of  their  measures  was  the  very 
thing  which  they  hoped  to  prevent. 
They  did  not  know  how  wonderful  is 
the  Lord  of  hosts  in  counsel,  and  how 
excellent  in  working,  and  how  easily 
he  can  accomplish  his  purposes  by  the 
very  means  which  are  used  to  prevent 
their  accomplishment. 
1      7.  Made  himself  strange  imto  them. 


B.  C.  1707.] 


8  And  Joseph  knew  his  breth- 
ren, but  they  knew  not  him, 

9  And    Joseph    ^  remembered 

g  ch.  37.  5,  9. 


CHAPTER  XLIT. 


299 


and  spake  roughly  unto  them,  Heb. 
mcp  Dri)^  "IjT^  yedabher  iltam  ka- 
shoth,  spake  hard  things  with  them. 
Although  Joseph  knew  his  brethren, 
yet  he  affected  not  to  know  them.  Al- 
though he  still  loved  them,  he  addres- 
sed them  harshly.  It  would  be  an  in- 
jury to  Joseph's  memory  to  suppose 
that  his  rough  treatment  of  them  was 
the  effect  of  a  revengeful  spirit.  He 
never  thought  of  revenging  himself  on 
any  of  the  persons  who  had  dealt  un- 
kindly or  unjustly  with  him  in  his  low 
estate.  "VVe  shall  afterward  find,  that 
even  when  his  heart  melted  for  the  dis- 
tress of  his  brethren,  he  still  continued 
to  deal  roughly  with  them.  What 
then  were  his  motives  for  assuming 
this  stern  demeanor!  Partly,  no 
doubt,  to  obtain  a  much-desired  infor- 
mation in  respect  to  his  father  and  his 
father's  family,  without  prematurely 
making  himself  known;  and  partly,  to 
humble  them  by  affliction,  and  bring 
them  to  a  sense  of  the  evil  of  dealing 
unjustly  and  harshly  with  himself. 
He  was  like  a  wise  father,  who  thinks 
it  necessary  to  correct  his  son,  although 
he  feels  in  his  own  bosom  more  dis- 
tress than  the  object  of  his  chastise- 
ment. 'Judge  not  according  to  the 
appearance,  but  judge  righteous  judg- 
ment.' Kindness  must  sometimes  put 
on  an  angry  aspect,  as  on  the  other 
hand  hatred  too  often  wears  smiles  on 
its  countenance. 

8.  Joseph  knew  his  brethren,  hut  they 
knew  not  him.  It  is  not  difficult  to  see 
how  this  might  have  been  the  case. 
Joseph  would  naturally  conjecture  that 
W.'j  brethren,  like  others  in  the  land  of 
Canaan,  would  be  compelled  to  come 
down  to  Egypt,  to  buy  food.    But  his 


the  dreams  which  he  dreamed  of 
them,  and  said  unto  them  Ye  are 
spies;  to  see  the  nakedness  of 
the  land  ye  are  come. 


brethren  never  imagined  that  Joseph 
was  to  be  lord  of  Egypt.  Besides,  it 
was  now  a  long  time  since  they  had 
seen  him  ;  and  they  were  then  grown 
to  man's  estate,  while  he  was  but  a 
lad.  In  the  interval  between  that  time 
and  the  present,  he  had  endured  much 
affliction,  by  which  his  countenance 
would  be  in  some  degree  altered,  and 
his  habit  and  dress  must  have  been 
greatly  changed  by  his  exaltation, 
while  his  brethren  retained  the  man- 
ners and  costume  to  which  they  had 
been  accustomed  in  their  early  years. 
They  had,  moreover,  as  Fuller  re- 
marks, only  one  face  to  judge  by, 
whereas  he  had  ten,  the  knowledge  of 
any  one  of  which  would  lead  to  the 
knowledge  of  all.  Something  too  may 
perhaps  be  attributed  to  the  effect  of 
their  feelings.  While  Joseph  had  often 
thought  of  his  brethren,  and  called  to 
mind  the  features  of  their  counte- 
nances, he  was  probably  banished 
from  their  remembrance.  It  would 
have  been  very  unpleasant  to  them  to 
think  of  one  whom  they  had  treated 
with  such  unnatural  cruelty.  They 
willingly  forgot  the  features  of  a  man 
of  whom  they  could  not  think  without 
pangs  of  sorrow.  Yet  though  they 
did  not  remember  his  face,  they  could 
not  forget  their  guilt.  We  shall  soon 
see  that  in  a  day  of  distress  they  re- 
membered it  with  horror. 

9.  Joseph  remembered  the  dreams 
which  he  dreamed.  It  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  Joseph  had  ever  really  for- 
gotten his  dreams ;  but  as  God  is  said 
to  remember  his  covenant  or  his  prom- 
ise when  he  begins  to  put  them  in  exe- 
cution, so  this  was  an  evident  remem' 
brance  on  the  part  of  Joseph,  implying 


300 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707 


10  And  they  said  unto  hinri, 
Nay,  my  lord,  but  to  buy  food  are 
thy  servants  come. 


1 1  We  are  all  one  man's  sons , 
we  arc  true  men ;  thy  servants 

are  no  spies. 


that  he  now  began  to  put  his  dreams  in 
a  process  of  fulfilment.     See  Note  on 

Gen.  8.  1. IT    Ye  are  spies.     Heb. 

trJi    fb^"!!^  meraggelim  attevi,  ye 
are  footing  it ;  i.  e.  going  Irom  place  to 
place,    traversing  the  country.      The 
Hebrew  has  no  other  term  to  answer 
to  the  Eng.    'spy'    than  the  present. 
The  conduct  of  Joseph  in  this  affair 
has    been    variously  viewed.      Some 
have  supposed  it  impossible  to  exempt 
him  from  the  charge  of  culpable  dis- 
simulation, when   he  alleged  that  his 
brethren   were  spies.     His  words  ex- 
press, it  is  said,  a  suspicion  which  cer- 
tainly did  not  enter  into  his  mind  \  and 
file  apology  made  for  him  is.  that  he  is 
nowhere  represented  as  a  perfect  man  ; 
and  although  his  departure  from  strict 
veracity  is  inexcusable,  yet  the  good- 
ness of  his  motives  goes  very  far  to 
extenuate  the  dehnquency  of  the  step. 
But  to  this  it  may  be  replied,  that  Jo- 
seph speaks  designedly  under  an  as- 
sumed character;    and   why   such    a 
character  might  not  be  assumed  for 
the  purpose  for  which  Joseph  had  re- 
course to  it,  it  is  not  easy  to  see.    If  it 
was  lawful  for  the  sacred  writers  and 
for  the  Savior  to  speak  parables  or  al- 
legories, why  might  it  it  not  be  lawful 
for  Joseph  to  act  one?    His  brethren 
it  is  true  were,  for  the  present,  led  into 
a  mistake  as  to  the  matter  of  fact,  but 
no  wrong  was  done  them,  they  were 
defrauded  of  nothing,   and  no  doubt 
when   they  themselves  came  to  look 
back  upon  it  afterward,  they  would  ac- 
knowledge that  the  whole  affair  had 
been  managed  with  the  most  entire  in- 
nocence, as  well  as  with  the  most  con- 
summate skill. IT  To  see  the  naked- 
ness of  the  land.    That  is,  the  exposed- 
ncsa  of  the  land;  as  a  man  unarmed 


or  a  city  without  walls  or  garrison  i? 
said  to  be  '  naked.'  Chal.  '  The  weak- 
er places.'  Others  take  it  to  mean  the 
barrenness  and  destitution  of  the  land 
occasioned  by  the  failure  of  the  crops. 
In  either  case  the  charge  would  simply 
be  that  they  had  come  to  see  what 
prospect  there  would  be  of  invading  it 
with  advantage  in  the  present  distress. 
'  We  may  here  remark,  that  such  an 
imputation  as  this  remains  to  this  day 
that  to  which  a  stranger  is  continually 
exposed  in  the  East.  The  Orientals 
generally  have  no  idea  that  people  will 
make  a  journey  unless  from  urgent  ne- 
cessity, or  on  gainful  speculations;  and 
if,  therefore,  a  person  does  not  travel  in 
a  mercantile  character,  or  on  some 
public  business,  he  is  invariably  consid- 
ered as  a  spy — more  especially  if  he 
turns  aside  or  stops  to  examine  any  re- 
markable object,  or  is  discovered  in  the 
act  of  writing,  or  making  observations 
of  any  kind.  Curiosity,  or  the  desire 
of  collecting  information,  are  motives 
perfectly  incomprehensible  to  them, 
and  are  always  treated  as  shallow  and 
childish  pretences.  They  ask  triumph- 
antly whether  you  have  no  trees,  birds, 
animals,  rivers,  or  ruins  at  home  to  en- 
gage your  attention,  that  you  should 
come  so  far  to  look  for  them.'  Pict. 
Bible. 

10-  They  said  unto  him,  Nay,  my 
lord,  &c.  The  conduct  of  Jacob's  sons 
in  the  affair  of  the  Shechemites  shews 
them  to  have  been  ordinarily  men  of 
spirit,  yet  they  here  behave  themselves 
humbly  and  submissively  to  the  man 
who  endeavored  to  fix  upon  them  a 
groundless  imputation.  They  modest- 
ly and  respectfully  disowned  the  charge, 
and  if  they  cherished  any  resentment, 
it  was  swallowed  up  by  fear,  as  thg 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLII. 


301 


12  And  he  said  unto  ihem. 
Nay.  but  to  see  the  nakedness  of 
the  land  ve  are  come. 

13  And  they  said,  Thy  ser- 
vants are  twelve  brethren,  the 
sons  of  one  man  in  the  land  of 
Canaan:  and  behold,  the  young- 
est is  this  day  with  our  father, 
and  one  ^  is  not. 

14  And  Joseph  said  unto  them, 
That  is  it  that  I  spake  unto  you, 
saying,  Ye  are  spies  : 

h  ch.  37.  30.  &  14.  20.     Lam.  5.  7. 


man  with  whom  they  had  to  do  was 
the  lord  of  the  country. 

11.  We  are  allontmar^s  sons.  This 
was  calculated  to  give  satisfaction  in 
reply  to  the  charge,  because  it  was  not 
to  be  supposed  that  one  man  would 
suffer  ten  of  his  sons,  to  engage  at  once 
in  a  business  so  full  of  perils  as  that  of 
spies,  or  that  so  many  brethren  would 
risk  the  almost  total  extirpation  of 
their  father's  house  at  one  blow.  It 
requires  a  man  of  a  very  daring  spirit 
to  venture  his  own  life  in  so  desperate 
an  enterprise ;  but  who  would  venture 
in  it  at  once  his  own  life  and  the  life 

of  almost  all  that  are  dear  to  him  ? 

IT  Wt  are  true  men,  dec.  We  are  what 
we  claim  to  be, and  have  assumed  no  false 
character.  Had  they  really  been  spies, 
they  would  have  lied  when  they  pre- 
tended to  have  come  to  buy  com.  But 
from  this  charge  they  could  clear  them- 
selves with  a  good  conscience. 

12,  13.  And  he  said  unto  ihem,  Nay, 
&c.  As  this  is  a  mere  repetition  of 
what  he  affirms,  v.  9,  it  is  to  be  justi- 
fied on  the  same  grounds. IT  T"ny  ser- 
vants are  twelve  brethren,  &c.  Joseph 
gains  his  end  by  persisting  in  his  charge. 
They  did  not  at  first  declare  all  the 
truth.  By  pressing  the  allegation,  he 
elicits  from  them  several  interesting 
items  of  information  which  they  would 
probably  otherwise  hav©  concealed.  He 

26 


15  Hereby  ve  shall  be  proved : 
i  By  the  life' of  Pharaoh  ye  shall 
not  go  forth  hence,  except  your 
youngest  brother  come  hither. 

16  Send  one  of  you,  and  let 
him  fetch  your  brother,  and  ye 
shall  be  kept  in  prison,  that  your 
words  may  be  proved,  whether 
there  he  any  truth  in  you :  or 
else,  by  the  life  of  Pharaoh,  sure- 
ly ye  are  spies. 

i  ISam.].  26.  &  17.  55. 


has  the  satisfaction  of  learning  that  his 
father  is  yet  alive,  and  that  Benjamin 
is  his  favorite,  as  he  himself  had  been. 
Moreover,  that  his  brethren  treated 
their  father  with  the  respect  which  he 
so  well  deserved,  might  be  inferred 
from  the  manner  in  which  they  spoke 
of  him,  and  from  their  leaving  Benja- 
min to  comfort  him  in  their  absence. 
They  did  not  indeed  speak  the  truth 
when  they  said,  '  One  is  not ;'  but  it  is 
probable  they  said  what  they  thought 
might  be  true.  Still  this  does  not 
wholly  free  them  from  the  guilt  of  false- 
hood. A  man  lies  not  only  when  he 
affirms  what  he  knows  to  be  false,  but 
also  when  he  affirms  what  he  does  not 
know  to  be  true.  We  may  indeed  de- 
clare what  seems  to  us  only  probable, 
but  let  it  be  uttered  in  language  expres- 
sive of  uncertainty.  In  the  country 
where  they  dwelt,  no  doubt  the  common 
opinion  was  that  Joseph  had  been  torn 
to  pieces  by  wild  beasts.  His  brethren 
knew  this  to  be  false,  but  they  did  not 
think  it  prudent  to  contradict  it,  lest 
their  own  wickedness  should  be  expo- 
sed ;  and  they  had  so  often  spoken  of 
Joseph's  death,  that  they  now  almost 
believed  their  own  lie.  If  we  would 
keep  clear  of  the  way  of  lying,  let  us 
do  nothing  that  needs  concealment. 

14—16.    That  is  it  that  1  spake  unto 
you,  dto.    This  confirms  what  I  before 


302 


GENESIS. 


17  And  he  put  them  all  togeth- 
er into  ward  three  days. 

18  And  Joseph  said  unto  them 

said.  Joseph  here  intimates  that  they 
had  as  yet  said  nothing  that  gave  him 
sufficient  reason  to  alter  his  opinion. 
They  had  indeed  said  something  in  their 
own  defence  that  might  be  true,  but  he 
wished  to  have  better  evidence  of  the 
truth  of  it.  He  now  proposes  to  put 
them  to  the  proof.  Let  them  bring 
that  younger  brother  of  whom  they 
spake,  and  he  will  believe  that  they 
were  what  they  called  themselves,  and 
not  spies.  He  is  willing  to  admit  that 
it  was  not  probable  that  one  man  would 
send  all  his  sons  into  a  foreign  country 
on  the  perilous  errand  of  spies.  The 
only  question  then  was  whether  they 
were  really  the  sons  of  one  man.  Let 
them  bring  their  other  brother,  and  Jo- 
seph will   believe  them. ^  By  the 

life  of  Pharaoh,  This  was  doubtless  a 
common  form  of  asseveration  among 
the  Egyptians,  equivalent  to  the  phrase, 
'  As  the  Lord  liveth,'  '  As  thy  soul  liv- 
eth,'  &c.  among  the  Hebrews,  which 
we  no  where  learn  to  have  been  sinful. 
Joseph  adopted  the  phraseology  com- 
mon in  the  country  in  order  the  better 
to  keep  up  his  mask.  Had  he  said, 
*  As  the  Lord  liveth,'  his  speech  would 
probably  have  betraj'ed  him.  '  Swear- 
ing by  the  life  of  a  superior  or  respect- 
ed person,  or  by  that  of  the  person  ad- 
dressed, is  a  common  conversational 
oath  in  different  parts  of  Asia.  In  Per- 
sia, although  the  force  of  the  expression 
is  precisely  the  same,  its  form  is  varied 
to  swearing  by  the  head,  particularly 
by  the  head  of  the  king.  'By  the  king's 
head,  by  his  death,  or  by  his  soul !'  are 
expressions  which  are  continually  heard 
in  that  country,  and  are  used  even  by 
the  king,  who  generally  speaks  of  him- 
self in  the  third  person.  The  Persians 
also  swear  by  their  own  heads,  and  by 


the  third  day,  This  do^ 
^for  I  fear  God: 

k  Lev.  25.  43.    Neh.  5.  15. 


[B.  C.  1707. 
and  live ; 


those  of  the  persons  to  whom  they 
speak.  Pharaoh's  swearing  by  him* 
self,  in  chap.  4L  44,  'I  am  Pharaoh,' 
seems  to  receive  some  illustration  from 
the  practice  of  the  Persian  king.'  Pid. 
Bible. 

17.  Put  them.  Heb.  t)Ci4*^ye-e5op/z, 
collected  or  gathered  them.  It  seems 
they  did  not  consent  to  the  terms  pro- 
posed. None  of  them  would  consent 
to  go  and  bring  down  Benjamin  if  all 
the  rest,  as  Joseph  proposed,  were  to 
be  kept  imprisoned  till  their  return.  He 
therefore,  with  great  apparent  severity, 
puts  them  all  into  custody  for  three 
days.  All  this  w^as  with  a  view  to  the 
end  which  he  wished  to  have  accom- 
plished. It  was  doubtless  wath  reluc- 
tance that  he  threw  into  prison  those 
men  who  had  thrown  himself  into  the 
pit  and  sold  him  into  Egypt.  But  he 
hoped  thai  imprisonment  by  the  gov- 
ernor of  Egypt  would  awaken  their 
consciences  to  a  sense  of  the  great  ini- 
quity of  selling  their  brother  into  that 
country,  where  God  was  now  rendering 
their  sins  into  their  own  bosom. 

18.  And  Joseph  said  unto  them  the 
third  day,  &c.  After  a  period  suffi- 
ciently long  for  them  to  reflect  serious- 
ly on  what  they  had  done,  and  what 
they  should  do,  Joseph  pays  them  a 
visit,  and  in  a  temper  of  more  apparent 
mildness,  assures  them  he  has  no  de- 
signs upon  their  lifCj  nor  any  wish  to 
hurt  their  family  ;  and  ventures  to  give 
a  reason  for  it  which  to  them  must 
have  appeared  no  less  surprising  than 
satisfying,  'I  fear  God.'  It  is  indeed 
somewhat  doubtful  in  what  sense  they 
would  understand  him.  The  same  word 
in  the  original  may  either  signify  one 
God  or  more  gods  than  one;  and  they 
might  suppose  that  he  had  reference  to 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLIl. 


103 


19  If  ye  be  true  men^  let  one 
of  your  brethren  be  bound  in  the 
house  of  your  prison:  go  ye,  car- 
ry corn  for  the  famine  of  your 
houses : 

20  But  i  bring  your  youngest 
brother  unto  me  :  so  shall  your 
words  be  verified,  and  ye  shall 
not  die.     And  they  did  so. 

1  ver.  34.  ch.  43.  5,  &  44.  2.3. 

the  gods  of  Egypt.  But  even  in  this 
case,  they  would  be  induced  to  place 
more  confidence  in  him,  when  they 
understood  that  he  was  impressed  with 
reverence  for  the  gods  whom  he  wor- 
shipped. It  was  some  degree  of  secu- 
rity to  them  that  they  would  not  long 
be  ill  treated.  But  on  the  other  hand, 
if  they  understood  it  of  the  true  God, 
they  would  be  still  more  encouraged. 
'  If  he  knows  and  serves  the  God  of 
our  fathers,  surely  we  have  no  injus- 
tice to  fear  at  his  hands,  nor  will  he 
withhold  food  from  a  starving  family.' 
It  was  his  wish  to  make  his  brethren 
know  and  feel  what  an  evil  and  bitter 
thing  it  was  to  be  guilty  of  inhuman 
conduct  toward  the  innocent.  But  it 
was  his  wish  also  not  to  forfeit  en- 
tirely their  confidence;  for  if  they 
did  not  trust  his  word,  they  would 
not  be  induced  to  do  wh^t  he  desired. 
It  was  perhaps  owing"  to  the  distrust 
which  his  severity  inspired  that  they 
were  unwilling  to  send  for  their  young- 
er brothec  He  therefore  utters  an 
expression  which  would  go  gready  to 
calm  their  apprehensions  of  the  issue. 
The  assurance  that  he  feared  God  was 
equivalent  to  saying  that  he  would  deal 
justly  and  truly  with  them.  Thus 
wisely  did  he  temper  goodness  with 
severity;  awakening  their  fears  by  his 
apparent  harshness,  and  yet  affording 
them  a  gleam  of  hope  just  sufficient  to 
keep  their  minds  from  sinking.  God 
makes  use  of  methods  very  similar  to 
bring  sinners  to  repentance. 


21  ]f  And  they  said  one  to  an- 
other, ">  We  are  verily  guilty 
concerning  our  brother,  in  that 
we  saw  the  anguish  of  his  soul, 
when  he  besought  us,  and  we 
would  not  hear ;  n  therefore  is 
this  distress  come  upon  us. 


ra  Job  36.  8.  0.    Hos.  5.  15.     n  Pi-ov.21.  13. 
Matt.  7,  2. 


19,  20.  If  ye  be  true  men,  &c.  Here 
is  a  relaxation  of  the  terms  first  pro- 
posed. In  the  first  instance  he  pro- 
posed that  one  of  their  number  should 
be  sent  for  Benjamin,  and  all  the  rest 
confined  till  his  return.  Here  he  pro- 
poses that  one  should  be  confined,  and 
all  the  rest  despatched  to  their  father's 
house.  This  would  naturally  give 
them  a  Httle  farther  reviving  in  their 

bondage. IT  And  they  did  so.     That 

is,  agreed  to  do  so. 

21.  And  they  said  one  to  another,  Wc 
are  verily  guilty,  &c.  While  Joseph, 
the  better  to  conceal  himself,  speaks 
and  acts  like  a  real  Egypdan,  God  em- 
ploys his  affected  sternness  and  sever- 
ity to  awaken  their  slumbering  con- 
sciences and  to  shew  them  to  them- 
selves. Though  they  were  chargeable 
with  many  other  sins,  particularly  Sim- 
eon and  Levi,  yet  the  treatment  to 
which  they  were  subjected,  brought  to 
remembrance  in  a  special  manner  their 
sin  against  their  brother.  This  was  an 
atrocious  iniquity  of  which  they  were 
the  most  of  them  equally  guilty.  Con- 
science with  unerring  certainty  refers 
their  punishment  to  their  crime,  and 
charges  it  upon  them  with  fearful  dis- 
tinctness. Their  full  hearts  now  begin 
to  utter  themselves,  and  as  if  they  read 
in  each  other's  looks  that  the  same 
thoughts  were  in  all  their  minds  at  the 
same  time,  no  sooner  does  one  break 
silence  than  they  all  immediately  join 
in  ascribing  the  evil  whifli  had  befallen 
them  to  its  true  source.    They  woiJd 


304 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


22  And  Reuben  answered  them, 
saying,  °  Spake  I  not  unto  you, 
saying.  Do  not  sin  against  the 
child;  and  ye  would  not  hear? 
therefore  behold  also  his  blood  is 
P  required. 

23  And  they  knew  not  that  Jo- 


och.  37.  21.     p  ch.  9.  i 
2  Chron.  24.  22.     Ps.  9.  12, 


.     1  Kings  2.  32 
Luke  11.  50,  51. 


not  hear  Joseph  in  his  distress,  and 
now  they  could  not  be  heard.  They 
had  thrown  him  into  a  pit,  and  now 
are  themselves  thrown  into  prison.  It 
would  be  well  for  us  if  we  could  enter- 
tain the  same  views  of  sin  in  the  time 
of  temptation  that  we  are  likely  to 
have  after  it  is  committed,  or  at  the 
time  when  trouble  brings  it  home  to 
our  consciences.  But  alas !  we  suffer 
ourselves  to  be  blinded  to  the  conse- 
quences of  our  conduct  till  we  discover 
it  in  the  fearful  retributions  of  a  guilty 
conscience  and  an  angry  providence. 

22.  And  Reuben  answered  them,  say- 
ing, &.C.  The  convictions  described  in 
the  preceding  verse  were  heightened  by 
the  reproaches  of  Reuben,  who  teaches 
them  to  expect  blood  for  blood.  Of 
him  it  might  be  truly  said  on  this  occa- 
sion, 'There  is  that  speaketh  like 
the  piercings  of  a  sword.'  'Reuben 
was  that,  methinks,  to  his  brethren, 
which  conscience  is  to  a  sinner;  re- 
monstrating at  the  outset,  and  when 
judgment  overtakes  him,  reproaching 
him  and  foreboding  the  worst  of  con- 
sequences.' Fuller.  Reuben  could 
not  indeed  take  it  upon  him  to  reflect 
with  severity  upon  his  brethren  because 
he  himself  was  guiltless;  for  he  was 
not.  But  we  do  not  blame  him  for 
helping  forward  the  painful  convictions 
of  his  brethren.  It  was  fit  that  they 
should  be  made  to  feel  the  stings  of 
conscience;  and  it  was  proper  that  he 
should  be  the  remembrancer  of  their 
crime,  because  he  had  warned  them 
against  it.    And  how  utterly  inexcusa- 


seph  understood  them;  for  he 
spake  unto  them  by  an  interpreter. 
24  And  he  turned  himself  about 
from  them,  and  wept;  and  re- 
turned to  them  again,  and  com- 
muned with  them,  and  took  from 
them  Simeon,  and  bound  him  be- 
fore their  eyes. 


ble  do  his  words  represent  the  deed. 
'  Spake  I  not  unto  you  saying,  Do  not 
sin  against  the  child.'  What  apology 
could  they  offer?  Did  they  consider 
his  telling  his  dreams  an  insult?  He 
was  but  a  child.  Had  they  a  right  to 
destroy  a  youth  of  seventeen  years  of 
age  because  he  had  not  all  the  wisdom 
and  caution  of  a  man  of  thirty  ?  Sure- 
ly those  ought  never  to  be  fathers  who 
know  not  how  to  make  allowance  for 
the  inexperience  of  youth. IT  Be- 
hold also  his  blood  is  required.  But 
why  does  he  say  that  Joseph's  blood 
was  required?  They  had  shed  no 
blood.  But  they  at  first  intended  to 
have  killed  Joseph,  and  this  purpose 
was  murder  in  the  sight  of  God,  though 
not  of  so  black  a  kind  as  the  actual 
shedding  of  his  blood  would  have 
been.  To  form  a  wicked  purpose  and 
afterward  rehnquish  it,  is  less  criminal 
than  to  hold 'it  fast  till  it  be  accom- 
plished; yet  the  purpose  is  marked  in 
the  book  of  God's  remembrance,  and 
can  only  be  pardoned  through  the  great 
atonement.  Reuben,  however,  may 
have  charged  his  brethren  with  the 
guilt  of  blood,  because  there  was  rea- 
son to  believe  that  death  had  been  the 
consequence  of  their  barbarous  treat- 
ment of  Joseph.  From  his  not  having 
been  heard  of  for  the  space  of  more 
than  twenty  years,  it  was  highly  prob- 
able that  their  inhuman  conduct  had 
exposed  him  to  those  hardships  and 
sorrows  which  had  brought  him  to  an 
untimely  grave. 
23,  24.  He  spaki  unto  them  by  an  *n- 


B.  C.  1707.] 


25  T[  Then  Joseph  commanded 
to  fill  their  sacks  with  corn,  and 
to  restore  every  man's  money 
into  his  sack,  and   to  give  them 


CHAPTER  XLII. 


305 


terpreter.  Heb.  ^r'2^2  ^^^^2^  ham- 
melitz  benotham,  an  interpreter  (was) 
between  them.  That  is,  he  had  all 

along  hitherto  spoken  to  them  by  an 
interpreter,    though   at  this  particular 
time  he  appears  not  to  have  been  pres- 
ent.    As   affecting  as   was  the  scene 
now   described,   Joseph  stood  by  and 
heard   and   understood   it  all  without 
their  suspecting  it.     But  such  words 
were  too  much  for  the  heart  of  man,  at 
least  such  a  man  as  he  was,  to  bear, 
and  thQ  pretended  Egyptian  becomes, 
in  spite  of  himself,  a  real  Israelite.     His 
bosom  swells,  his  features  change,  and 
the  tear  starts  to  his  eye.     In  order  to 
prevent  a  premature  discovery  he  is 
constrained  to  retire,  and  compose  his 
feelings.     As  soon  as  he  was  able  to 
dry  up  his  tears  and  control  his  emo- 
tions, he  returned  to  them  again,  and 
after  some  further  conversation,  put- 
ting on  an   air  of  stern   authority,  he 
took    Simeon    and  bound  him  before 
their  eyes.     As  Sinieon  had  given  proof 
on  a  former  occasion   that  he  was  ca- 
pable of  atrocious   wickedness,    there 
are  perhaps  plausible  grounds  for  be- 
lieving that  his  hands  were  chief  in  the 
trespass  against  Joseph.     If   so,    his 
being    bound  would   tend   to  humble 
lym,  and  heighten  the  fears  of  all  the 
rest,  as  beholding  in  it  the  righteous 
judgment  of  God.      Still   we  cannot 
think  that  this  was  done  in  a  vindictive 
spirit  on    the    part   of  Joseph.      The 
measure  was  adopted  with  a  view  to. 
the  good  of  Simeon  and  the  rest  of  his 
brethren.     He   bound   him  in   prison, 
but  he  did  it  to  set  him  free  from  the 
far  worse  chains  of  his  own  fierce  pas- 
sions.    His  other  brethren,  moreover, 
needed  severe  rebukes,  but  no  verbal 
26* 


provision  for  the  way:  and  qthus 
did  he  unto  them. 

26  And  they  laded  their  asses 
with  the  corn, and  departed  thence. 

q  Matt.  5.  44.    Rom.  12.  17,  20,  21. 

reproofs  were  so  likely  to  subdue  their 
haughty  spirits,  as  the  sight  of  the  dis- 
tress of  their  brother  and  companion 
in  iniquity.  In  the  judgment  of  char- 
ity he  hoped  their  repentance  was  sin- 
cere ;  but  farther  proofs  of  it  were  re- 
quisite before  he  could  place  entire  con- 
fidence in  them.  The  skilful  surgeon 
sometimes  finds  himself  compelled  to 
give  pain  by  making  deeper  incisions 
than  others  would  deem  necessary. 

25.  Joseph  commanded  to  Jill  their 
sacks  with  corn,  &c.  Like  all  the  rest 
of  Joseph's  proceedings  this  also  was 
prompted  by  love,  but  love  operating  at 
present  in  away  to  perplex,  confound, 
and  dismay  them.  He  heaped  coals  of 
fire  upon  their  heads  by  furnishing 
them  out  so  liberally  with  provision  for 
their  families  and  themselves,  while  for 
prudential  reasons  he  caused  their 
money  to  be  secretly  returned.  His 
generosity  could  not  bear  the  appear- 
ance of  taking  money  of  his  father  for 
the  corn  which  he  sold.  What  he 
thought  ii  necessary  to  take  with  the 
one  hand,  he  restored  with  the  other. 
But  was  it  generosity  to  give  away  the 
king's  money  7  Or  did  he  not  know 
that  the  clandestine  restoration  of  his 
brethren's  money  would  cause  them 
deep  distress  when  they  discovered  iti 
As  to  the  first  point,  we  need  not  spend 
many  words  in  vindicating  Joseph 
from  the  suspicion  of  dishonesty.  He 
was  not  a  man  to  be  guilty  of  embez- 
zling the  public  funds.  He  used  no 
more  discretionary  power  than  his 
master  authorized  him  to  do.  The 
money  put  into  his  brothers'  sacks 
might  be  his  own  private  property;  or 
if  it  belonged  to  the  king,  the  emolu- 
ments of  Ins  office  would  no  doubt  en- 


S06 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


27  And  as  ''oneof  them  open- 
ed his  sack  to  give  his  ass  prov- 
ender in  the  inn,  he  espied  his 
money  :  for  behold,  it  was  in  his 
sack's  mouth. 


ch.  43,  21. 


able  him  to  put  the  price  into  the  king's 
treasury.  As  to  the  effects  of  the  step 
upon  tlie  minds  of  his  brethren,  it 
would  doubtliss  fill  them  with  fearful 
misgivings  and  dread  ;  but  such  ap- 
pears to  have  been  his  intention  from 
the  beginning.  If  his  brethren  had 
known  all  they  would  nat  have  felt  as 
they  did ;  but  neither  would  they  have 
been  brought  to  so  right  a  state  of 
mind,  nor  have  been  prepared,  as  they 
were,  for  that  which  followed.  In  like 
manner  when  God  designs  to  bring  a 
sinner  to  a  right  mind,  he  often  sees  fit 
to  lead  him  into  dark  and  intricate  situ- 
ations, of  which  he  shall  be  utterly  un- 
able to  see  the  design ;  to  awaken  by 
turns  his  fears  and  his  hopes;  bring 
his  sin  to  remembrance;  and  to  cause 
him  to  feel  his  danger,  and  his  utter  in- 
sufficiency to  deliver  his  soul.  But 
what  he  knows  not  now  he  will  know 
hereafter. 

27.  In  the  inn.  Heb.  'y\''^J2'2  bam- 
malon,  in  the  lodging-place,  from  "^li 
to  lodge  for  a  night.  By  this  is  not  to 
be  understood  an  inn  like  those  that 
are  common  with  us,  nor,  probably, 
even  a  chan  or  caravanserai;  which 
we  can  hardly  suppose  to  have  been  in 
use  at  this  early  period.  The  word 
properly  implies  no  more  than  a  mere 
stopping-place,  or  camping- ground  ;  a 
place  where  travellers  were  in  the  habit 
of  stopping  to  bait  or  rest  themselves 
and  their  asses,  or  to  tarry  over  night. 
Even  at  the  present  day  there  are  no 
places  of  entertainment  in  the  particu- 
lar desert  o\er  which  they  had  to 
pass. 


28  And  he  said  unto  his 
brethren,  My  money  is  restored  ; 
and  lo,  it  is  even  in  my  sack: 
and  their  heart  failed  them.,  and 
they  were  afraid,  saying  one  to 
another,  What  is  this  iliat  God 
hath  done  unto  us? 


28.  My  money  is  restored,  &c 
Whatever  satisfaction  they  may  have 
felt  in  the  idea  of  getting  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  lord  of  Egypt,  who  had 
causelessly  taken  them  for  spies,  and 
confined  them  in  prison,  it  is  all  sud- 
denly damped  by  the  untoward  event 
here  mentioned.  It  instantly  occurred 
to  them  that  it  would  be  construed  to 
their  disadvantage ;  and  that  to  their 
other  crimes  those  of  theft  and  ingrati- 
tude must  now  be  added.  Their  minds 
were  now^  in  such  a  state  as  to  render 
them  peculiarly  liable  to  the  impres- 
sions of  fear.  A  guilty  conscience  is 
sure  to  represent  the  most  trifling 
occurrence  as  a  subject  of  alarm,  or  as 
an  omen  of  destruction.  They  had, 
however,  learned  one  good  lesson  from 
the  past,  viz.  that  all  their  troubles  and 
dangers  were  to  be  referred  to  a  righte- 
ous Providence.  'What  is  this  that 
God  has  done  unto  us  T  They  do  not 
reproach  the  cruel  governor  of  Egypt, 
notwithstanding  from  his  treatment  of 
them  they  no  doubt  suspected  some  ill 
design  against  them.  But  overlooking 
second  causes  they  attribute  directly  to 
the  judgments  of  God  what  had  now 
befallen  them.  It  seemed  to  them  that 
he  was  still  pursuing  them  in  a  myste- 
rious way,  and  with  a  design  to  require 
their  brother's  blood  at  their  hand. 
He  had  led  them  and  brought  them 
into  darkness  and  not  into  light,  and 
what  might  be  the  end  of  his  dispensa- 
tions towards  them  they  were  utterly 
at  a  loss  to  conceive.  Confident  they 
are  that  he  has  not  yet  done  with 
lum. ^   Thfir  heart  failed  them. 


B.  C.  1707. 


CHAPTER   XLTl. 


307 


29  1[  And  ihey  came  unto  Ja- 
cob their  father  unto  the  land  of 
Canaan,  and  told  him  all  that  be- 
fell unto  them,  saying, 

30  The  man  who  is  the  lord  of 
the  land,  '  spake  roughly  to  us, 
and  took  us  for  spies  of  the 
country. 

31  And  we  said  unto  him,  We 
are  true  men;  we  are  no  spies  : 

32  We  he  twelve  brethren,  sons 
of  our  father :  one  is  not,  and 
the  youngest  is  this  day  with  our 
father  in  the  land  of  Canaan. 

33  And  the  man,  the  lord  of  the 
country,  said  unto  us,  »  Hereby 
shall  I  know  that  ye  are  true 
men:  leave  one  of  your  brethren 
here  witb  me,  and  take  food  for 
the  famine  of  your  households, 
and  be  gone  : 

s  ver.  7.    t  vcr.  15,  19,  20. 


Heb.  CSb  2S2'^1  vayetze  libbam,  and 
their  heart  icent  forth.  Thus  Cant. 
5.  6,  '  My  soul  failed  when  he  spake.' 
Heb.  '  went  forth.'  The  Gr.  here  ren- 
ders by  E^ecTTi  ri  Kap6ta,  their  heart  vias 
astonished.  Chal.  'The  knowledge 
of  their  heart  departed.'  Arab.  'Their 
hearts  were  much  disturbed.' 

29—31.  And  they  came  unto  Jacob, 
&c.  Arriving  at  their  father's  house, 
they  relate  to  him  all  that  had  befallen 
them  in  Egypt.  The  rough  treatment 
they  had  received  ;  the  suspicion  which 
had  fallen  on  them ;  the  defence  they 
had  made;  the  terms  on  which  they 
had  been  suffered  to  return,  to  wit, 
that  they  should  leave  Simeon  and  bring 
down  Benjamin.  Their  narrative  must 
have  given  their  father  a  very  bad  idea 
of  the  lord  of  the  land.  They  said  no- 
thing of  him  but  the  truth,  and  yet  Ja- 
cob must  have  formed  an  opinion  far 
remote  from  the  truth.  Joseph  m.ust 
have  appeared  to  him  as  an  insolent, 
overbeoring  tyrant,  that  made  use  of 


34  And  bring-  your  youngest 
brother  unto  me :  then  shall  I 
know  that  ye  are  no  spies,  but 
that  ye  are  true  men  :  so  will  I 
deliver  you  your  brother,  and  ye 
shall  ''  traffiek  in  the  land. 

35  If  And  it  came  to  pass  as 
they  emptied  their  sacks,  that  be- 
hold, *  every  man's  bundle  ot 
money  loas  in  his  sack ;  and 
when  both  they  and  their  father 
saw  the  bundles  of  money,  they 
were  afraid. 

36  And  Jacob  their  father  said 
unto  them.  Me  have  ye  y  be- 
reaved of  my  children:  Joseph 
is  ftot,  and  Simeon  is  not,  and 
ye  will  take  Benjamin  away: 
all  these  things  are  against 
me. 

V  ch,  34,  10.    X  ch.  43,  21.    y  ch.  43.  14. 


his  power  to  crush  poor  men  under  his 
feet.  '  Surely,'  might  the  patriarch 
have  said,  '  the  fear  of  God  is  not  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  this  man,  who  shows 
so  Httle  regard  to  the  comfort,  the 
liberty,  the  lives  of  his  fellow-men.' 
Yet  Joseph's  conduct  towards  his 
brethren  was  full  of  wisdom  and  mer- 
cy. He  dealt  hardly  with  them,  that 
he  might  do  them  good.  So  far  is  the 
appearance  from  always  correspond- 
ing with  the  reality  of  things.  '  Judge 
nothing  before  the  time.' 

35.  It  came  to  pass  a^  they  emptied 
their  sacks,  &c.  They  appear  to  have 
concealed  the  mysterious  circumstance 
of  the  money  being  found  by  the  way 
in  their  sacks.  But  they  might  have 
thought  that  their  father  would  have 
blamed  them  for  not  returning  with  it 
when  they  were  only  a  day's  journey 
from  Egypt,  and  therefore  agreed  to 
say  nothing  about  it.  Hence  it  is  that 
they  are  represented,  on  'opening  their 
sacks,  as  discovering  the  money  m  a 


308 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


manner,  as  if  they  knew  nothing  about 
it  before,  and  as  sharing  in  the  surprise 
and  apprehensions  of  their  father. 

36.  Me  have  ye  bereaved,  &c.  These 
words  are  expressive  of  that  despond- 
ing and  querulous  spirit  which  is  apt 
to  find  place  in  the  heart  even  of  a 
good  man  in  the  day  of  darkness.  It 
should  be  remembered,  however,  that 
words  expressive  of  the  passionate 
workings  of  the  mind  are  usually  to  be 
understood  with  a  hmitation  of  their 
import.  When  Jacob  says  that  he  was 
bereaved  of  his  children,  the  meaning 
is,  that  he  was  bereaved  of  two  or 
three  of  them.  When  he  speaks  of  his 
sons  then  present,  as  if  they  had*  be- 
reaved him  of  his  children,  he  does  not 
mean  that  they  had  murdered  them  or 
sold  them  into  a  strange  land.  He 
means  that  by  their  unwise  conduct 
they  had  had  some  agency,  they  had 
been  instrumental,  in  bringing  the  ca- 
lamity upon  him.  If  they  had  not 
rambled  about  with  their  flocks  from 
one  place  to  another,  Joseph  might 
not  have  met  with  those  wild  beasts 
that  tore  him  in  pieces.  If  they  had 
not,  by  some  imprudent  conduct,  exci- 
ted suspicion  in  the  mind  of  the  hard- 
hearted governor  of  Egypt,  Simeon 
would  not  have  been  kept  in  prison. 
If  they  had  not  spoken  to  the  governor 
about  their  younger  brother,  he  might 
have  still  been  left  at  home  when  they 
returned  to  buy  more  corn.  Jacob, 
however,  spoke  more  truth  than  he 
was  aware  of  in  the  words,  'Me  have 
ye  bereaved  of  my  children.'  They 
had  sold  Joseph  into  Egypt,  and  Sime- 
on's imprisonment  was  the  conse- 
quence of  that  criminal  conduct.  But 
as  we  have  no  good  reason  to  think 
that  Jacob  suspected  them  to  be  guilty, 
his  words  are  to  be  considered  as  an 
angry  reflection,  which  the  distress  of 
his  mind  drew  from  his  lips  rather  than 
his  heart.  Yet  it  is  proper  to  remark 
^at  some  commentators  suppose  that 


his  words  on  this  occasion  betray  a 
lurking  suspicion  that  thoy  had  been 
accessory  to  Joseph's  death;  and  that 
on  account  of  this  secret  misgiving,  he 
was  unwilling  to  trust  Benjamin  in 
their  hands.  But  whether  he  meant  to 
reflect  on  his  sons  or  not,  his  language 
no  doubt  savors  too  much  of  com- 
plaint. But  he  speaks  in  the  anguish 
of  his  soul,  and  we  cannot  help  allow- 
ing for  the  pungency  of  his  emotions. 

IT  Joseph  is  not,  and  Simeon  is  not. 

More  is  said  than  was  meant,  and 
more  was  meant  than  was  true,  in 
these  words.  The  patriarch  knew  that 
Simeon  was  not  dead,  as  far  as  his 
information  reached,  but  he  was  almost 
given  over  as  a  dead  man  by  his  father, 
though  he  had  not  any  sufl&cient  rea- 
son to  do  it.  God  might  soften  the 
heart  of  the  governor  of  Egypt,  and 
induce  him  to  spare  and  release  Sime- 
on. But  we  often  make  our  burdens 
heavier  than  they  ought  to  be,  by  ad- 
ding to  them  the  weight  of  our  own 
gloomy  apprehensions  ;  or  we  repre- 
sent them  heavier  than  we  feel  them  to 
be,  by  words  that  convey  more  mean- 
ing than  they  ought. IT  A^id  ye  will 

take  Benjamin  away.  True;  they 
would  take  him  away  to  Egypt,  but 
not  out  of  the  world.  To  go  a  long 
journey  w^as  a  different  thing  from  dy- 
ing. He  might  indeed  be  exposed  to 
some  danger  from  the  treatment  of  the 
unfeeling  lord  of  Egypt,  but  will  so 
good  a  man  as  Jacob  make  himself 
and  his  house  miserable,  because  a 
favourite  son  may  be  lost,  when  he 
was  not  exposed  to  greater  danger  than 
his  brethren?  Even  those  who  are 
eminent  fearers  of  God,  are  too  often 
deprived  of  a  great  part  of  the  happi- 
ness they  might  enjoy,   through   the 

infirmity  of  their  faith. If  All  these 

things  are  against  me.  How  did  Jacob 
know  this  1  Because  his  feelings,  his 
affections,  and  the  general  sense  of 
mankind,  told  him  it  was  a  great  mise- 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLII. 


309 


37  And  Reuben  spake  unto  his 
father,  saying,  Slay  my  two  sons, 
if  I  bring  him  not  to  thee  :  deliv- 
er him  into  mine  hand,  and  I  will 
bring  him  to  thee  again. 

38  And  he  said,  My  son  shall 


ry  to  lose  a  son,  especially  the  best  and 
most  beloved  of  sons.  But  in  fact  the 
very  reverse  was  the  case,  as  Jacob  af- 
terward found  Joseph  was  sent  before 
him  into  Egypt  to  provide  sustenance 
for  his  family.  Simeon  was  hound  in 
prison  to  mortify  his  haughty  spirit. 
"Benjamin  was  tn  be  taken  away  that 
he  might  find  Joseph  alive  and  happy. 
A  great  portion  of  our  present  trouble 
arises  from  our  not  knowing  the  whole 
truth. 

37.  And  Reuben  spake  unto  his  fa- 
ther, saying,  &c.  However  well  meant, 
this  was  a  rash  speech  on  the  part  of 
Reuben.  When  men  use  this  kind  of 
language,  their  words  are  scarcely  to  be 
understood  in  the  hteral  sense.  They 
are  only  strong  assertions,  tinctured 
with  somewhat  of  a  profane  levity  of 
mind.  It  does  not  become  the  lips  of 
a  serious  man  to  say,  '  I  will  give  you 
leave  to  take  away  my  life  unless  I  do 
this  or  that.'  How  do  we  know  what 
we  shall  be  able  to  do  a  day  or  an  hour 
hence'?  Reuben  no  doubt  had  reason 
to  hope  that  his  brethren  would  not 
treat  Benjamin  as  they  had  treated  Jo- 
seph. He  had  reason  to  hope  that  the 
lord  of  Egypt  would  keep  his  promise. 
But  was  he  so  sure  of  both  these  things, 
and  of  meeting  with  no  bad  accident  in 
the  journey,  that  he  could  warrantably 
pledge  the  life  of  his  two  sons  for  Ben- 
iamin's  happy  return  7  He  knew  that 
Jacob  would  not  take  him  at  his  word ; 
but  what  if  God  should,  by  some  un- 
toward event,  make  him  sensible  that 
he  had  spoken  the  language  of  virtual 
impiety  7 


not  go  down  with  you ;  for  »  his 
brother  is  dead,  and  he  is  left 
alone  ;  ^  if  mischief  befall  him  by 
the  way  in  the  which  ye  go,  then 
shall  ye  "■  bring  down  my  gray 
hairs  with  sorrow  to  the  grave. 

a  ver.  13.  &  ch.  37.  33.  &  44.  28.    b  ver. 
4,  &  ch.  44.  29.    c  ch.  37.  35.  &  44.  31. 

38.  M>/  son  shall  not  go  down  with 
you  ;  Jbr  his  brother  is  dead,  &c.  But 
had  Jacob  no  more  than  two  sons 
when  Joseph  was  alive?  How  was 
Benjamin  left  alone  7  Had  he  no  broth- 
ers yet  living  7  Why  does  Jacob  thus 
make  such  a  distinction  between  the 
children  of  Rachel  and  his  other  chil- 
dren, as  might  kindle  up  envy  among 
his  household  7  It  is  well  for  us  that 
polygamy  is  so  strictly  interdicted  un- 
der the  gospel  dispensation.  It  seems 
to  have  required  more  than  all  the  wis- 
dom of  Abraham  or  Jacob  to  govern 
with  impartiality  a  family  born  of  dif- 
ferent mothers.  And  those  fathers 
who  have  children  by  different  wives 
in  succession  have  need  to  pray  for 
wisdom  to  rule  their  houses  in  such  a 
manner,,  that  while  they  show  their 
paternal  fondness  to  the  children  of  the 
one,  they  do  no  injustice  in  word  or 
deed  to  those  of  the  other. IT  If  mis- 
chief befall  him,  &c.  He  puts  them 
in  mind  of  his  gray  hairs,  which  al- 
ways constitute  a  claim  for  reverence, 
but  more  especially  from  children.  It 
was  natural  that  he  should  make  the 
strongest  possible  appeal  to  the  filial 
sentiments  of  his  children,  to  spare  him 
the  crushing  sorrow  which  he  saw  hke- 
ly  to  overwhelm  him,  yet  in  saying  he 
should  die  of  grief  he  went  beyond  the 
bounds  of  a  reasonable  apprehension. 
Was  Benjamin  his  God,  his  life,  his 
only  hope,  his  single  joy  7  As  God 
had  supported  him  under  the  loss  of 
one  son  could  he  not  make  him  to  sur- 
vive the  loss  of  another?  Rutin  this 
Jacob  utters  the  language  of  human 


310 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


CHAPTER  XLllI. 

AND  the  famine  was  ''sore  in 
the  land. 

2  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
they  had  eaten  up  the  corn  which 
they  had  brought  out  of  Egypt, 
their  father  said  unto  them,  Go 
again,  buy  us  a  little  food. 

3  And  Judah  spake  unto  him, 
saying,  The  man  did  solemnly 
protest  unto  us,  saying,  Ye  shall 

a  ch.  41.  &i,  57. 

infirmity,  and  all  that  are  human  will 
be  slow  to  condemn  in  him  what  they 
would  probably  evince  in  themselves. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

1,  2.  And  the  famine  was  sore  in  the 
land,  &c.  The  relief  obtained  by  the 
first  journey  to  Egypt  was  soon  ex- 
hausted, and  as  nothing  of  the  native 
productions  of  Canaan  could  be  added 
to  it  to  make  it  last  the  longer,  it  is  easy 
to  see  that  they  must  have  been  again 
reduced  to  the  greatest  extremities.  The 
fact  of  Simeon's  continued  confine- 
ment in  Egypt  would  quicken  Jacob's 
proposal  that  they  should  go  thither  for 
a  new  supply  of  food.  They  had  in- 
deed met  with  difficulties  and  danger 
in  their  former  journey,  but  great  difii- 
culties  and  dangers  must  often  be  en- 
countered to  prevent  worse.  Let  it  not 
be  thought  an  hard  matter  that  the  ser- 
vice of  Christ  often  requires  peculiar 
hardships  and  hazards.  The  world  re- 
quires as  great  sacrifices  as  Christ,  and 
is  far  less  able  to  recompense  them.  In 
laboring  for  the  meat  that  endureth  to 
everlasting  life,  we  seldom  meet  with 
such  diflSculties  and  perils  as  are  often 
encountered  in  laboring  for  the  meat 

that    perisheth. IT  Had  eaten    up. 

That  is,  had  nearly  consumed.  It  is 
not  to  be  supposed  that  they  would 
wait  till  their  former  stock  was  entirely 
exhausted  before  sending  for  another 


not   see    my   face,  except    your 
^'  brother  be  with  you. 

4  If  thou  wilt  send  our  brother 
with  us,  we  will  go  down  and 
buy  thee  food: 

5  But  if  thou  wilt  not  send 
hirji  we  will  not  go  down  :  for 
the  man  said  unto  us,  Ye  shall 
not  see  my  face,  except  your 
brother  be  with  you. 

b  clL  42.  20.  &  44.  23. 


supply.  In  like  manner,  1  Kings  6.  1, 
'  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  four  hunn* 
dred  and  eightieth  year,  &c.  (Heb.) 
that  he  built  the  house  of  the  Lord  ;' 
i.  e.  (Eng.)  began  to  build.  hnkeB.  6, 
'  They  inclosed  a  great  multitude  of 
fisheSj  and  their  net  brake;'  i.  e.  began 
to  break,  was  on  the  point  of  breaking. 
John  2.  3,  'And  when  they  wanted 
wine,  the  mother  of  Jesus  saith  unto 
him,  They  have  no  wine ;'  i.  e.  when 
their  wine  was  on  the  point  of  failing. 

3.  Judah  spake  unto  him,  sayings 
&,c.  The  former  difficulty  respecting 
the  younger  brother  here  recurs.  They 
cannot,  must  not,  go  without  him. 
Reuben  had  tried  to  gain  Jacob's  con- 
sent to  the  step,  but  without  success. 
Judah,  a  man  much  superior  to  Reuben 
in  prudence  and  activity,  attempts  the 
difficult  task  and  gains  his  point.  In 
order  to  this  he  tells  him  that  the  man 
who  ruled  over  Egypt  did  not  merely 
say,  but  solemnly  protest,  to  them  that 
they  should  not  again  'see  his  face,  nor 
traffic  in  the  land,  unless  they  brought 
with  them  their  younger  brother.  He 
therefore  intimates  that  if  Jacob  did  not 
wish  them  to  go  in  vain  to  Egypt ;  if 
he  did  not  desire  them  to  confirm  the 
unjust  suspicions  that  had  been  enter- 
tained of  them,  he  must  not  refuse  to 

part  with  Benjamin. IT    T%e  man 

did  solemnly  protect.     Heb.  ^yn  IS-NI 
ha-cd  he-id,  protesting  protested;  i.  e. 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


311 


6  And  Israel  said,  Wherefore 
dealt  ye  so  ill  with  me,  as  to  tell 
the  man  whether  ye  had  yet  a 
brother? 

7  And  they  said,  The  man  ask- 
ed us  straitly  of  our  state,  and  of 
our  kindred,  saying,  Is  your  fa- 
ther yet  alive,  have  ye  another 
brother?  and  we  told  him  accord- 
ins:  to  the  tenor  of  tliese  words: 


protested  solemnly  and  earnestly,  even 
with  an  oath.     See  Gen.  42.  15. 

4,  5.  If  thou  wilt  send  our  brother, 
&c.  It  is  right  indeed  that  children 
should  obey  their  parents  in  the  Lord, 
but  parents  should  take  heed  they  en- 
join not  upon  their  children  that  which 
is  unjust,  unreasonable,  or  impractica- 
ble. Under  the  circumstances  Judah 
>vas  no  doubt  justifiable  in  making  con- 
ditions with  his  venerable  father.  The 
command  of  Jacob  was  not  simply  to 
go  to  Egypt,  but  to  go  and  procure  corn 
from  Egypt.  This  was  impracticable 
unless  Benjamin  went  along  with  his 
brethren. 

6,  7.  J'l'Tierefore  dealt  ye  so  ill  with 
vie,  &/C.  The  foregoing  decided  state- 
ment of  Judah  brings  forth  another  ob- 
jection, or  rather  complaint,  on  the  part 
of  Jacob,  to  which  his  sons  reply  in  a 
very  becoming  manner.  Children  are 
bound  to  bear  with  the  infirmities  of 
aged  parents,  and  particularly  with 
what  they  say  under  the  pressure  of 
extraordinary  affliction.  Though  Ja- 
cob's reflections  were  somewhat  severe 
and  sullen,  yet  they  do  not  ask  him, 
where  was  the  great  criminality  of  tel- 
ling any  man  that  they  had  another 
brother  1  They  do  not  recriminate  and 
tell  him  that  he  sought  occasion  to  re- 
proach them  without  any  shadow  of 
ground.  They  calmly  remind  him 
thai  they  were  under  a  necessity  of 
informing  the  man  concerning  their 
younger  brother,  and  that  it  was  im- 


Could  we  certainly  know  that  he 
would  say,  Brinj^  your  brother 
down  ? 

8  And  Judah  said  unto  Israel 
his  father,  Send  the  lad  with  me, 
and  we  will  arise  and  go ;  that 
we  may  live,  and  not  die,  both 
we,  and  thou,  and  also  our  little 
ones. 


possible  for  them  to  foresee  the  use 
that  would  be  made  of  the  information. 
When  the  governor  of  Egypt  interro- 
gated them  so  sternly,  some  answer 
they  must  give.  They  could  not  remain 
silent  without  strengthening  the  suspi- 
cions entertained  of  them.  If  then  they 
were  under  a  necessity  of  answering  these 
questions  they  were  bound  to  speak  the 
truth.  Interest  as  well  as  duty  forbids 
men  to  lie,  for  a  lie  is  always  liable  to 
detection.  And  men  exposed  to  dan- 
ger from  unjust  suspicions  ought  above 
all  other  men  to  adhere  to  strict  vera- 
city. If  one  lie  be  found  in  their  mouth, 
twenty  more  will  probably  be  imputed 

to  them. IT  Asked  us  straitly.    Heb. 

^i^'U  ilK'U  shaol  sha-al,  asking  asked, 

'\I  According  to  the  tenor.     Heb. 

^'D  b5>  al  pi,  according  to  the  mouth  ; 
i.  e.  according  as  the  nature  of  his  ques- 
tions required.  Gr.  Kara  rrjv  eirepwrrjatv 
Tavrrjv  according  to  this  asking.  '  Send 
a  messenger  with  a  message  to  deliv- 
er, and  ask  him  on  his  return  what  he. 
said,  and  he  will  reply,  *  According  to 

your  mouth."    Roberts. IT   Could 

we  certainty  know  ?  Heb.  5>n3  3>in^n 
hayadoa  neda,  knowing  could  we  know  ? 
8.  Send  the  lad  with  me,  &c.  How 
forcible  are  right  words  !  Jacob  could 
not  resist  the  force  of  Judah' s  argu- 
ment. He  loved  Benjamin  dearly,  but 
he  loved  all  his  other  children,  and  all 
his  little  grand-children ;  and  surely, 
Judah  intimates,  he  would  not  suffer 
them  all  to  perish  with  hunger,  that  he 


312 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


9  I  will  be  surety  for  him  ;  of 
mine  hand  shalt  thou  require  him : 
*=if  I  bring  him  not  unto  thee, 
and  set  him  before  thee,  then  let 
me  bear  the  blame  for  ever  : 

10  For  except  we  had  linger- 
ed, surely  now  we  had  returned 
this  second  time. 

cch.44.  32.    Philem.  18,  19. 


might  have  the  pleasure  of  enjoying 
the  company  of  Benjamin.  Grant 
that  he  stood  in  fear  of  Benjamin's 
life  if  he  went  down  into  Egypt ;  yet 
the  danger  was  greater  on  the  other 
side.  He  was  more  lilcely  to  die  if  he 
did  not  go  to  Egypt ;  and  it  is  more 
painful  to  die  by  hunger,  than  by  some 
fatal  accident  on  a  journey.  But  in 
fact  the  danger  of  perishing  in  the 
course  of  the  journey  appeared  to  Ju- 
dah  only  imaginary.  The  peculiar 
usage  of  the  Heb.  in  regard  to  '  lad'  as 
explained  Gen.  22. 5,  is  here  to  be  borne 
in  mind.  Benjamin  was  now  at  least 
thirty  years  of  age ;  and  had  children 
of  his  own,  yet  he  is  here  called  'a 
lad,'  because  he  was  the  youngest  of 
all  the  sons  of  Jacob,  and,  in  the  lack 
of  Joseph,  the  favorite  of  his  aged 
father. 

9.  1  will  he  surety  for  him.  Judah 
must  have  known  that  his  brethren 
were  quite  different  men  from  what 
they  once  were,  when  he  professed  his 
willingness  to  become  surety  for  Ben- 
jamin ;  nor  did  he  entertain  so  bad  an 
opinion  of  the  governor  of  Egypt,  as 
his  father  seems  to  have  done.  He 
could  not  certainly  say  that  either  him- 
self or  Benjamin  would  return  in  safety 
from  Egypt ;  but  he  saw  that  it  was 
less  unsafe  to  venture  the  journey  than 
lo  stay  at  home;  and  was  disposed  to 
commit  the  result  to  God.  It  might 
indeed  appear  that  a  more  conditional 
mode  of  speech  would  have  been  more 


11  And  their  father  Israel  said 

unto  them.  If  it  must  he  so  now, 
do  this  ;  take  of  the  best  fruits 
in  the  land  in  your  vessels,  and 
^  carry  down  the  man  a  present, 
a  little  «  balm,  and  a  little  honey, 
spices,  and  myrrh,  nuts,  and  al- 
monds : 


d  ch.  32.  £0.    Prov.  18.  16.    e  ch.  37.  25. 
Jer.  8.  22. 


decorous  ;  one  that  should  have  con- 
formed to  the  scriptural  direction, 
'  Say,  if  the  Lord  will,  we  shall  live 
and  do  this  or  that ;'  but  it  is  not  ne- 
cessary always  to  use  these  express 
words.  They  are  often  to  be  under- 
stood where  they  are  not  expressed. 
Judah  certainly  knew  that  it  depended 
entirely  on  the  will  of  God  whether 
he  or  his  brother  should  live  another 
hour.  In  proffering  to  become  surety 
for  Benjamin,  he  took  it  for  granted 
that  his  father  would  attach  no  blame 
to  him  for  what  could  neither  be  fore- 
seen nor  avoided. "^  Let  me  bear  the 

blame.  Heb.  ^  'iiTiiit:!!  hatathi  leka, 
1  will  be  a  sinner  to  thee ;  i.  e.  I  will 
consent  to  be  reputed  guilty  of  viola- 
ting my  plighted  faith.  In  the  same 
sense  the  word  occurs,  1  Kings  1.  21, 
'  Otherwise  it  shall  come  to  pass  that 
I  and  my  son  Solomon  shall  be  count- 
ed offenders.^  Heb.  '  Shall  be  sinners.' 
10.  Except  we  had  lingered,  «fec. 
Jacob's  fondness  for  Benjamin  was  so 
excessive  that  he  suffered  his  affections 
to  overbear  his  judgment.  Simeon 
was  in  consequence  detained  much 
longer  in  prison  than  he  might  have 
been ;  and  the  family  of  Jacob  was 
reduced  to  a  stinted  allowance  of  pro- 
vision. Had  he  suffered  Benjamin  to 
leave  him  some  time  before,  they  might 
all  by  this  time  have  returned  to  their 
father's  house.  Men  blinded  by  affec- 
tion too  often  disappoint  themselves, 
and  by  needless  and  unwise  delays  cut 


B.  0.  17070 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


313 


12  And  take  double  money  in 
your  hand ;  and  the  money  ^  that 
was  brought  again  in  the  mouth 

f  ch,  42.  25,  35. 

themselves  off  from  the  enjoyment  of 
much  happiness  that  they  might  other- 
wise have  secured  to  themselves. 

11.  Jf  it  must  be  so  now,  do  this,  &c, 
Jacob's  reluctant  consent  is  at  length 
wrung  from  him  by  imperious  neces- 
sity. He  who  a  short  time  before  had 
said,  '  My  son  shall  not  go  down  with 
you,'  is  now  upon  the  v/hole  constrain- 
ed to  part  with  him.  A  rash  man  will, 
at  all  hazards,  obstinately  persist  in  a 
course  once  determined  upon,  but  a 
wise  man  will  yield  to  reason,  be  it 
from  a  servant,  from  a  son,  from  a 
wife,  or  from  any  other  person,  how- 
ever mferior  to  himself  in  station,  in 
good  sense,  or  piety.  The  manner  in 
which  the  pstriarch  acquiesces  is  wor- 
thy of  remark.  It  is  not  the  sullen 
consent  of  one  who  yields  to  fate 
while  his  heart  rebels  against  it.  No  ; 
he  yields  in  a  manner  worthy  of  a  man 
of  God ;  proposing  first  that  every 
possible  means  should  be  used  to  con- 
cihate  the  man,  the  lord  of  the  land, 
and  then  committing  the  issue  of  the 
whole  to  God.  He  recollected  the  ef- 
fect of  a  present  in  appeasing  his 
brother  Esau's  anger  tvhen  coming 
against  him  with  a  formidable  host. 
He  had  it  not  in  his  power,  perhaps,  or 
it  was  not  convenient,  to  send  so  rich 
a  present  to  Egypt.  But  it  would 
seem  that  the  land  of  Canaan  still 
produced  some  precious  commodities 
not  to  be  found  in  Egypt,  or  not  to  be 
found  there  in  such  perfection.  Of 
these  he  collects  some  of  the  choicest 
specimens  and  sends  them  down  to 
Egypt  where,  in  a  time  of  famine,  they 
would  no  doubt  be  very  acceptable  ;  at 
any  rate  they  would  be  viewed  as  a 
great  token  of  resnect.  IT  Of  the  best 
27 


of  your  sacks,  carry  it  again  in 
your  hand ;  peradventure  it  was 

an  oversight : 


fruits  of  the  land.  Heb.  f'^H^n  h^faS^a 
mizzimrath  haaretz,  of  the  song,  mu- 
sic, or  melody  of  the  land ;  a  strong 
metaphorical  expression,  by  which  the 
fruits  of  the  earth  are  named  from  the 
songs  and  praises  by  which  the  gather- 
ing them  in  at  harvest  was  accompa- 
nied. Others,  however,  with  less  rea- 
son suppose  the  import  to  be  that  of 
fruits  of  so  excellent  a  quahty  as  to  be 
especially  worthy  of  being  praised,  ft 
to  be  celebrated  in  songs  and  hymns. 

12.  Take  double  money  in  your  hand. 
Heb.  nri;;?^  t]Ci  keseph  mishnch,  sil- 
ver or  money  of  repetition.  The  origi- 
nal does  net  necessarily  imply  a  double 
amount  of  money  to  that  first  taken, 
but  may  be  understood  simply  of  an- 
other or  second  sum  in  respect  to  the 
first.  But  on  the  whole  the  idea  seems 
to  be  that  they  v/ere  to  take  back  the 
money  whicli*  had  been  put  in  the 
sacks,  together  v/ith  as  much  more; 

and  this  would  be  double  money. ^ 

Peradventure  it  teas  an  oversight.  It 
was  difficult  to  say  how  the  money 
had  come  into  the  mouth  of  their  sacks. 
Perhaps  it  was  wilfully  put  in  for  some 
bad  purpose.  So  Jacob  feared  when 
he  first  saw  it.  Perhaps  it  was  an 
oversight.  So  now  he  thought  or  wish- 
ed to  think,  like  a  man  who  in  doubtful 
matters  comes  to  that  conclusion  which 
is  most  conducive  to  his  peace.  But  if 
it  were  an  oversight,  he  will  take  no  ad- 
vantage of  it.  No  man  of  integrity 
will  take  an  unrighteous  advantage  of 
the  mistakes  of  those  with  whom  he 
deals.  Nothing  is  more  palpably  in- 
consistent with  the  great  rule  of  doing 
to  other  men  as  you  would  that  they 
should  do  unto  you.  Besides,  it  would 
have  been  very  unsafe  for  Jacob's  sons 


314 


GENESIS. 


[B,  C.  1707- 


13  Take  also  your  brother,  and 
arise,  go  again  unto  the  man  : 

14  And    God    Almighty  give 
you  mercy  before  the   man,  that 


to  have  taken  advantage  of  an  over- 
sight in  the  present  case.  It  might 
have  confirmed  the  suspicions  or 
awakened  the  resentment  of  the  lord 
of  Egypt.  But  it  is  never  safe  to  do 
any  injustice  while  God  reigns  in  heav- 
en, who  will  never  suffer  any  man 
with  impunity  to  go  beyond  or  defraud 
his  brother. 

13.  Take,  also  your  brother,  &c. 
This  was  the  greatest  trial  of  all,  but 
Jacob  determines  to  submit  to  it.  We 
must  obey  necessity,  and  ought  to  do 
it  without  repining.  No  doubt  at  the 
first  proposal  Jacob  would  as  soon 
have  sent  Benjamin  to  the  lions'  dens. 
The  wild  beasts  that  tore  Joseph  in 
pieces  did  not  seem  more  formidable  to 
the  dejected  mind  of  the  patriarch,  than 
the  man  who  had  entertained  such  un- 
just suspicions  concerning  his  sons, 
and  who  had  probably  put  money  into 
their  sacks  for  no  good  purpose.  But 
deep  religious  principle  triumphs  over 
the  struggles  of  nature.  Thus  we 
sometimes  see  an  affectionate  relative, 
who,  in  the  first  stages  of  a  dangerous 
disease,  thought  it  impossible  to  sustain 
the  loss  of  a  beloved  object,  gradually 
reconciled;  and  at  length  witnessuig 
the  dying  pangs  with  tranquil  resigna- 
tion. 

14.  God  Almighty  give  you  mercy  be- 
fore the  man,  &c.  However  a  good 
man  may  guide  his  affairs  with  dis- 
cretion, yet  he  will  not  trust  to  his  own 
prudence.  When  he  has  done  every 
thing  proper  to  be  done,  he  will  com- 
mit the  event  to  God,  and  lift  up  his 
soul  to  him  in  prayer  for  a  blessing  on 
the  result.  Thus  did  Jacob  on  a  for- 
mer trying  occasion,  and  thus  did  he 
now     We  may  observe  the  language 


he  may  send  away  your  other 
brother,  and  Benjamin:  e  If  I  be 
bereaved  of  my  children^  I  am 
bereaved. 

g  Esther  4.  tS. 


in  which  he  expresses  himself.  Ho 
does  not  load  the  cruel  man,  who  had 
treated  his  children  so  rigorously,  with 
any  railing  accusations  before  the  Lord. 
All  that  he  asks  is,  not  that  the  man's 
injustice  should  be  turned  upon  his 
own  head,  or  that  the  arm  which  had 
oppressed  his  family  should  be  broken ; 
but  that  his  heart  might  be  inclined  to 
pity  a  poor  distressed  family,  and  let 
the  oppressed  go  free.  Jacob  well 
knew  that  the  hearts  of  kings  and 
their  ministers  are  in  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  ;  and  that  whatsoever  a  man  de- 
vises, the  Lord  directs  his  steps.  His 
prayer  which  was  addressed  to  the 
Almighty  or  All-sufficient  God  of 
Abraham,  was  no  doubt  acceptable, 
because  offered  to  a  covenant  God  in 
true  faith  ;  but  yet  it  is  clear  that  it 
was  founded  on  a  mistake.  He  prayed 
for  the  turning  of  the  man's  heart  in  a 
way  of  mercy,  when  in  fact  his  heart 
did  not  need  turning.  Yet  Jacob 
thought  it  did,  and  had  no  means  of 
knowing  otherwise.  The  truth  of 
things  may  sometimes  be  concealed 
from  us  to  render  us  more  importunate, 
and  though  G:i)d  could  easily  pour  the 
light  of  certainty  on  our  minds,  yet  he 
sees  that  it  is  better  for  us  to  abide  for 
a  time  in  darkness.  But  another  re- 
markable feature  of  the  prayer  is  the 
rcdgnation  which  breathes  forth  in  the 
closing  sentence,  '  If  I  be  bereaved,  I 
am  bereaved.'  This  is  equivalent  to 
the  expression  occurring  Est.  4.  16,  'If 
I  perish,  I  perish.'  It  is  as  if  he  had 
said,  '  I  commit  the  event  unreservedly 
to  God.  If  it  seem  good  imto  him  to 
bereave  me  of  my  children,  the  will  of 
the  Lord  be  done ;  I  have  nothing  to 
say     The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lore 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


315 


15  T[  And  the  men  took  that 
present,  and  they  took  double 
money  in  their  hand,  and  Benja- 
min;  and  rose  up,  and  went 
down  to  Egypt,  and  stood  before 
Joseph. 

16  And  when  Joseph  saw  Ben- 
jamin with  them,  he  said  to  the 


laketh  away.'  When  God's  people 
under  their  trials  are  brought  to  this 
submissive  frame  of  spirit  it  is  no  un- 
usual thing  for  him  to  spare  them  the 
crisis  which  they  dreaded,  and  to  restore 
the  beloved  object  of  their  affections 
which  they  had  virtually  resigned. 

16.  When  Joseph  saw  Benjamin^ 
&c.  They  arrive  in  Egypt  without 
having  met  with  any  thing  memorable 
in  their  journey.  Here  they  are  again 
introduced  to  Joseph,  who  looking 
upon  them  discovers  his  brother  Benja- 
min. We  can  easily  conceive  that  in  this 
interview  his  eyes  would  be  in  danger 
of  betraying  his  heart :  and  it  was  prob- 
ably in  some  measure  in  consequence 
of  this  that  he  instantly  gave  orders  to 
his  steward  to  take  the  men  home  to 
his  house,  and  prepare  a  dinner  which 
he  would  partake  with  them  at  noon. 
This  would  give  him  time  to  compose 
himself;  but  there  is  no  doubt  he  had 
a  farther  drift  in  the  measure.  He  not 
only  desired  the  pleasure  of  meeting  and 
conversing  at  his  own  table  with  his 
youngest  brother,  but  he  wished  more- 
over, to  observe  the  conduct  of  the 
rest  of  his  brethren  toward  Benjamin, 
and  to  discover  whether  peculiar  honors 
conferred  upon  him  would  excite  that 
envy  to  which  himself  had  owed  so 
many  days  of  grief.  Joseph  was  not 
a  man  who  would  form  an  unreason- 
able suspicion  of  any  person,  but  after 
what  had  already  happened,  it  was  a 
matter  of  common  prudence  to  obtain 
good  proof  of  his  brethren's  reforma- 
tion.   This  was  desirable  not  only  for 


^  ruler  of  his  house,  Bring  these 
men  home,  and  slay,  and  make 
ready  :  for  these  men  shall  dine 
with  me  at  noon. 

17  And  tiie  man  did  as  Joseph 
bade  :  and  the  man  brought  the 
men  into  Joseph's  house. 

h  ch.  24.  2.  &  39.  4.  &  44.  1. 


his  own  sake,  but  for  theirs,  and  for 
the  sake  of  his  father,  who  was  soon 
to  hear  how  wickedly  they  had  be- 
haved, and  who  would  be  greatly  con- 
soled if  he  heard  that  they  now  be- 
haved in  a  very  different  way  under 

like  temptation. IT  Slay,  and  make 

ready.  Heb.  riDtO  MStO  tehoah  tebah, 
slay  a  slaughter.  This  indicates  ex- 
traordinary preparations.  Flesh  is  not 
in  common  use  among  the  Orientals, 
and  such  an  order  would  not  be  given 
unless  an  entertainment  of  more  than 
usual  sumptuousness  was  to  be  served 

up. IT  Dine  with  me.     Heb.  '1^55^1 

"^^J^    yokelu  itti,  eat  with  me. 

17.  The  man  did  as  Joseph  bade^ 
&c.  It  would  no  doubt  astonish  the 
ruler  of  Joseph's  house  to  hear  that 
these  strangers,  the  brothers  of  Simeon 
the  prisoner,  were  to  have  the  honor  of 
dining  with  his  master,  the  lord  of 
Egypt.  Had  he  not  known  the  defe- 
rence due  from  servants  to  masters,  he 
would  probably  have  desired  to  know 
the  reason  of  so  strange  a  proceeding; 
why  the  governor  made  such  a  differ- 
ence between  those  men  and  the  many 
thousands  of  strangers  that  came  to 
the  country  to  buy  corn.  But  like  a 
steward  that  knew  his  duty,  he  forbore 
all  inquiries  and  entered  at  once  upon 
the  execution  of  his  master's  order. 
Heads  of  households  may  often  have 
reasons  for  their  commands  which 
they  are  not  required,  and  which  it 
would  not  be  proper,  to  communicate 
even  to  the  most  confidential  of  their 
domestics. — Joseph's   house  was  un- 


316 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


18  And  the  men  were  afraid, 
Decause  ihey  were  brought  into 
Joseph's  house;  and  they  said, 
Because  of  the  money  that  was 
returned  in  our  sacks  at  the  first 


doubtedly  more  like  a  magnificent  pal- 
ace than  Uke  the  humble  dwellings  lo 
■which  his  fathers  had  been  accustomed 
for  more  than  two  hundred  years.  But 
perhaps  he  was  not  happier  in  it  than 
Abraham,  and  IsaaCj  had  been  in  their 
tents.  The  happiness  of  all  these  men 
flowed  from  their  hopes.  It  was  of  no 
very  great  consequence  to  them  wheth- 
er they  dwelt  in  palaces  of  cedar  and 
marble,  or  in  tents  of  rafters  and  goat- 
skins, for  they  knew  that  in  this  world 
they  had  no  continuing  city,  but  they 
sought  one  to  come,  whose  builder  and 
maker  was  God. 

18.  And  the  men  were  afraid,  &c. 
Things  still  wear  to  these  brethren  a 
mysterious  and  confounding  aspect. 
That  which  was  meant  in  love,  they 
construed  as  a  design  to  ensnare  and 
enslave  them.  Their  accusing  con- 
sciences represented  every  thing  to 
them  through  a  disheartening  medium. 
Yet  according  to  the  prevailing  custom 
of  the  East,  the  very  fact  that  they 
had  been  invited  to  Joseph's  table  was 
in  itself  an  encouraging  circumstance. 
Though  the  Orientals  are  for  the  most 
part  a  revengeful  people,  yet  if  you  eat 
with  them,  you  are  thenceforward  sure 
of  having  their  protection.  Even 
should  you  have  done  them  the  great- 
est injury,  yet  you  need  be  under  no 
apprehension  from  their  resentment. 
The  Egyptians  are  not,  perhaps,  so 
celebrated  for  their  attention  to  the 
rites  of  hospitaUty  as  their  nomade 
neighbors  the  Arabs,  yet  it  was  incred- 
ible that  such  a  man  as  the  governor 
of  Egypt,  whose  character  for  probity 
■was  very  high,  should  invite  men  to 
his  house  with  the  intention  of  taking 
advantage  and  robbing  them  of  their 


time,  are  we  brought  in  ;  that  he 
may  seek  occasion  against  us, 
and  fall  upon  us,  and  take  us  for 
bondmen,  and  our  asses. 


asses  or  of  making  them  slaves.  But 
in  their  present  state  of  mind  they 
scarcely  knew  what  other  construction 
to  put  upon  it.  So  unhappy  a  thing  is 
it  to  have  guilt  lying  upon  the  con- 
science. It  deadens  the  enjoyments 
of  life  and  embitters  its  sorrows.  It 
raises  fearful  apprehensions  on  the 
slightest  occasions,  and  continually 
arrays  the  Most  High  in  an  aspect  of 
wrath.  If  we  wish  to  be  happy  let  us 
seek  the  removal  of  that  never-fail- 
ing   source  of   misery. IT  That  he 

may  seek  occasion  against  us.  Heb. 
T.'^'bV  bbnr.nb  Uhitkgolel  aUnu,  to 
roll  himself  upon  us,  or  against  us  ; 
i.  e.  by  violent  oppression;  crushing  us 
like  a  stone  rolling  down  a  precipice. 
Gr.  'That  he  may  bring  a  false  accusa- 
tion against  us.'  Chal.  'That  he  may 
domineer  over  us.'  Thus,  by  a  similar 
metaphor,  Prov.  26.27,  'He  thatro//e^-'i 
a  stone,  it  will  return  upon  him ;'  i.  e. 
he  that  does  violent  wrong  to  another, 
or  spreads  a  slanderous  report  concern- 
ing him,  will  find  it  to  recoil  upon  him- 
self. '  To  say  a  man  rolls  himself  upon 
another,  is  the  eastern  way  of  saying 
\\e  falls  upon  him.  Is  a  person  beaten 
or  injured  by  another:  he  says  of  the 
other,  'He  rolled  himself  upon  me.' 
Of  the  individual  who  is  always  trying 
to  live  upon  another,  who  is  contmually 
endeavoring  to  get  something  out  oi 
him,  it  is  said,  'That  fellow  is  for  ever 
rolling  himself  upon  him.'  So,  also, 
'  I  will  not  submit  to  his  conduct  any 
longer;  I  will  beat  him,  and  roll  my- 
self upon  him.'  Has  a  man  commit- 
ted an  offence,  he  is  advised  to  go  to 
the  offended,  and  roll  himself  upon 
him.  A  person  in  great  sorrow,  who 
is  almost  destitute  of  friends,  asks  in 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


317 


19  And  they  came  near  to  the 
steward  of  Joseph's  house,  and 
they  communed  with  him  at  the 
door  of  the  house, 

20  And  said, 
indeed  down  at 
buy  food : 


O  sir,  «  we  came 
the  first  time  to 


ch.  42. 3,  10. 


his  distress,.  'Upon  whom  shall  I  roll 
myself  7'  When  men  or  women  are 
in  great  misery,  they  wring  their  hands 
and  roll  themselves  on  the  earth.  De- 
votees roll  themselves  round  the  tem- 
ple, or  after  the  sacred  car.'     Roberts. 

19,  20.  Communed  with  him  at  the 
door  of  the  house,  &c".  They  would  not 
venture  into  the  house  till  they  had  en- 
deavored to  banish  from  his  mind  the 
suspicions  w4iich  he  miglit  perhaps  en- 
tertain of  their  behavior.  They  were 
afraid  of  sharing  the  fate  of  Simeon, 
or,  what  was  Uttle  better,  of  being 
made  slaves,  to  the  ruin  of  the  fami- 
lies which  they  had  left  at  home,  un- 
less they  could  satisfy  the  ruler  of  Jo- 
seph's house  concerning  their  inno- 
cence. They  lost  no  time  therefore  in 
explaining  their  own  behavior,  and  rec- 
tifying misapprehension  if  any  existed, 
in  the  minds  of  Joseph  and  of  his  ser- 
vants. They  had  no  good  reason  to 
believe  that  these  Egyptians  were  their 
adversaries,  but  they  could  not  go  into 
Joseph's  house  with  pleasure  till  they 
were  assured  that  neither  he  nor  his 
people  had  any  thing  to  lay  to  their 
charge.  The  richest  feast  will  afford 
little  gratification  to  a  troubled  mind. 
'Who,  in  India,  has  not  seen  similar 
scenes  to  this?  When  people  come 
from  a  distance  to  do  business,  or  to 
have  an  interview  with  a  person,  they 
do  not  (if  it  can  be  avoided)  go  to  him 
at  once,  but  try  to  find  out  the  head 
servant,  and  after  having  made  him 
some  little  present,  try  to  ascertain  tho 


21  And  k  it  came  to  pass,  when 
we  came  to  the  inn,  that  we  open- 
ecte  our  sacks,  and  behold,  everij 
man's  money  was  in  the  mouth  of 
his  sack,  our  money  in  full  weight : 
and  we  have  brought  it  again  in 
our  hand. 

k  ch.  42.  27,  35. 


disposition  of  his  master,  what  are  his 
habits,  his  possessions,  and  his  family. 
Every  thing  connected  with  the  object 
of  their  visit  is  thoroughly  sifted,  so 
that  when  they  have  to  meet  the  indi- 
vidual, they  are  completely  prepared 
for  him.'     Roberts. 

21.  It  cavie  to  pass,  tchen  we  came  to 
the  inn,  &c.  It  was  well  judged  in 
them  to  volunteer  the  mention  of  this 
matter,  that  if  any  thing  was  afterward 
said  about  it  by  Joseph,  they  might  ap- 
peal to  the  steward,  and  he  could  testi- 
fy in  their  behalf  that,  without  any 
accusation  they  had  of  their  own  ac- 
cord related  the  whole  business  to  him, 
and  returned  the  money=  The  best 
apology  of  innocence  arraigned  is   a 

plain    statement    of    facts. IT    We 

opened  our  sacks.  We  do  not  read  that 
they  opened  more  than  one  of  their 
sacks  when  they  came  to  the  inn.  We 
cannot  say,  however,  that  they  gave  a 
false  account  of  the  matter.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  they  might  open  more  sacks 
than  one  at  the  inn,  though  it  is  not 
said  so ;  or,  the  words  may  signify 
that  they  began  the  opening  of  the 
sacks  at  that  place,  though  they  did 
not  finish  it  till  they  came  to  their 
father's  house.  In  like  manner,  it 
seems  pretty  clear  that  when  Paul  pro- 
fessed to  give  an  account  before  Agrip- 
pa  of  the  words  that  Jesus  spoke  to 
him  in  the  way  to  Damascu.s,  he  re- 
cited not  only  what  was  spoken  to  him 
in  the  way,  but  likewise  the  words 
which  Jesus  spoke  to  him  at  Damas- 


318 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


22  And  other  money  have  we 
brought  down  in  our  hands  to 
buy  food  :  we  cannot  tell  who  pyt 
our  money  in  our  sacks. 

23  And   he  said,  Peace  be  to 


cas,  by  the  mouth  of  Ananias.  Yet 
no  man  will  say  that  Paul  gave  a 
wrong  statement  of  facts.  The  words 
spoken  at  Damascus  were  a  continua- 
tion, and  a  full  exphcation  of  what 
was  said  to  him  in  the  way.  Acts, 
26.  3—18. 

22.  We  cannot  tell,  &c.  This  part 
of  the  address  was  discreetly  ma.fiaged. 
Next  in  importance  to  the  duty  of  ad- 
hering strictly  to  the  truth  in  all  our 
attempts  to  plead  our  own  cause,  is 
the  rule  that  requires  us  to  say  simply 
what  is  fit  and  expedient  to  be  said, 
and  nothing  more.  So  far  are  we  from 
being  required  to  say  all  we  think,  that 
the  truth  imprudently  uttered  may 
sometimes  be  little  better  than  a  lie. 
A  wise  man,  instead  of  uttering  all  his 
mind,  will  keep  it  in  till  afterward. 
There  was  a  suspicion  in  the  minds  of 
Jacob's  sons,  that  the  money  was  put 
into  their  sacks  by  one  of  Joseph's  ser- 
vants ;  perhaps  by  the  man  himself  to 
whom  they  were  now  speaking ;  but 
it  would  have  been  very  foolish  to  ex- 
press their  suspicion.  It  might  have 
kindled  up  resentment  in  his  mind ; 
and  therefore  they  say  they  do  not 
know  who  did  it.  It  was  true  they  did 
not  know.  They  only  guessed  the 
truth.  They  wisely  forbore  therefore 
any  insinuations,  and  their  readiness  to 
make  restitution  when  no  man  asked 
it  of  them,  gave  the  steward  reason  to 
believe  they  were  honest  men. 

23.  And  he  said,  Peace  be  to  you, 
fear  not,  &c.  The  answer  of  the  stew- 
ard is  very  remarkable.  Had  he  been 
himself  in  the  secret  he  could  scarcely 
have  spoken  more  suitably.  There  is 
no  reason  to  suppose  that  he  knew 


you,  fear  not:  your  God,  and  the 
God  of  your  father,  hath  given 
you  treasure  in  your  sacks :  1  had 
your  money.  And  he  brought 
Simeon  out  unto  them. 


these  were  Joseph's  brethren ;  yet  he 
knew  that  they  were  his  countrymen, 
and  perceiving  the  interest  which  he 
took  in  them,  and  the  air  of  mystery 
which  attended  his  conduct  towards 
them,  he  would  be  at  no  loss  to  con- 
clude that  there  was  no  ill  design 
against  them.  He  may  have  known 
that  the  money  was  returned  by  Jo- 
seph's order,  and  he  knew  his  master 
too  well  to  suppose  that  any  injury 
would  accrue  to  the  men  on  account  of 
what  had  been  done  by  his  direction. 
His  whole  address  leads  us  to  infer 
that  he  had  learnt  much  from  his  mas- 
ter. He  recognises  the  God  of  the  He- 
brews as  the  God  of  providence,  al- 
though when  he  tells  them  to  dismiss 
their  fears,  inasmuch  as  their  God  and 
the  God  of  their  fathers  had  given  them 
this  treasure  in  their  sacks,  he  does  not 
mean  that  God  had  put  it  into  their 
sacks  without  the  intervention  of  man; 
but  simply  that  the  matter  had  been 
overruled  so  that  they  should  come  by 

it  by  honorable    means. ^  I  had 

your  money.  Heb.  i;54  Jta  t^tClD 
kaspekem  ba  eai,  your  money  came  to 
me.  That  is,  you  cannot  be  called  to 
account  for  the  money,  for  I  had  it. 
Whatever  became  of  it  afterwards,  I 
hereby  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  it 
for  the  corn.  You  are  credited  with 
payment  in  full;  therefore  give  your- 
selves no  uneasiness  on  that  score.  In 
all  this  we  cannot  but  recognise  the 
fruits  of  Joseph's  instructions  to  his 
steward.  Happy  was  he  in  being  in 
the  service  of  such  a  man.  Joseph,  no 
doubt,  delighted  to  speak  of  his  God, 
and  the  God  of  his  fathers,  and  his 
steward  appears  to  have  learnt  his  sen- 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


319 


24  And  the  man  brought  the 
men  into  Joseph's  house,  and 
i  gave  them  water,  and  they 
washed  their  feet ;  and  he  gave 
their  asses  provender. 

1  ch.  18. 4.  <fe  24.  32. 


timents  and  his  language.  Many  have 
received  their  knowledge  and  impres- 
sions of  religion  in  families  where  di- 
vine providence  placed  them  as  ser- 
vants, and  they  would  not  have  ex- 
changed the  benefits  derived  from  that 
servitude  for  all  the  riches  of  the  earth. 
If  masters  and  mistresses  were  more 
faithful  to  their  domestics,  doubtless 
they  would  more  frequently  find  them- 
eelves  the  instruments  of  eternal  good 
to  their  souls. — But  the  steward,  to 
render  the  ten  brethren  still  more  at 
ease,  brings  forth  Simeon  from  his  con- 
finement, and  as  this  would  naturally 
be  understood  as  having  been  done  in 
pursuance  of  Joseph's  order,  it  would 
be  regarded  as  a  proof  of  his  being  sat- 
isfied. To  Simeon  himself  the  pleas- 
ure of  being  released  and  of  beholding 
his  brethren,  was  a  rich  compensation 
for  the  pain  of  confinement,  but  a  still 
richer  did  he  receive  from  the  happy 
effects  of  his  afHiction,  if  he  made  that 
improvement  of  it  which  Joseph  in- 
tended, and  which  reason  and  religion 
prescribed.  His  brethren,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  happy  to  find  him  restored 
to  their  society.  They  remembered 
their  father's  words,  'Joseph  is  not, 
and  Simeon  is  not,  and  ye  will  take 
Benjamin  away.'  Although  they  had 
no  hope  of  ever  being  able  to  restore 
Joseph,  they  pleased  themselves  with 
the  hope  of  hearing  their  father  in  a 
few  days  blessing  God,  and  thanking 
them  for  bringing  up  Simeon  and  Benja- 
min again  to  his  arms.  The  irretrieva- 
ble loss  of  Joseph  would  be  thought 
of  by  their  father  with  the  less  regret, 
when  two  other  sons  were  restored  to 


25  And  they  made  ready  the 
present  against  Joseph  came  at 
noon:  for  they  heard  that  they 
should  eat  bread  there. 

26  *[[  And  when  Joseph  came 
home,  they  brought  him  the  pres- 
ent which  was  in  their  hand  into 


his  arms,  about  whose  fate  he  was  long 
in  suspense.  Thus  the  clouds  which 
had  hitherto  darkened  their  horizon, 
began  in  a  very  slight  degree  to  break 
away,  but  some  time  was  yet  to  in- 
tervene before  the  full  noonday  light 
burst  upon  them. 

24,  25.  And  the  man  brought  the 
men  into  Joseph^ s  house,  &c.  While 
Joseph  was  occupied  in  his  various 
concerns,  and  thinking  how  he  should 
conduct  himseJf  toward  his  brethren, 
they  were  busy  in  washing  and  dres- 
sing themselves  to  appear  before  him, 
and  in  preparing  the  present  which 
they  had  brought  him.  Though  they 
were  in  a  great  measure  relieved  from 
their  painful  apprehensions  by  the 
courtesy  of  the  ruler  of  Joseph's 
house,  yet  they  were  still  anxious  about 
the  reception  they  should  meet  with 
from  his  master.  They  could  not  un- 
derstand for  what  reason  they  were 
singled  out  from  all  other  strangers  to 
the  honor  of  dining  with  him.  But 
whatever  might  be  his  reasons  for  in- 
viting them  to  his  table,  they  hope 
their  present  will  recommend  them  to 
his  favor,  and  that  it  may  be  accepta- 
ble they  know  it  should  be  given  with 
a  good  grace.  We  may  imagine  them, 
therefore,  drawing  forth  from  their  bag- 
gage the  balm,  and  the  honey,  the  pre- 
cious fruits,  the  spices,  and  the  gums, 
which  they  had  brought,  arranging 
them  in  proper  order,  and  consulting 
with  what  bodily  posture  and  what 
form  of  words  they  should  beg  his  ac- 
ceptance of  them. 

26.  And  when  Joseph  came  home, 
&c.    Joseph  knew  that  the   present 


320 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


the  house,  and  ""bowed  them- 
selves to  him  to  the  earth. 

27  And  he  asked  them  of  their 
welfare,  and  said.  Is  your  father 
■well,  the  old  man"  of  whom  ye 
spake  ?     Is  he  yet  alive  ? 

23  And  they  answered,  Thy 
servant  our  father  is  in  good 
health,    he    is   yet   alive:  ''and 


m  ch.  37.  7,  10. 
07. 7,  10. 


n  ch.  42.  n,  13.    o  ch. 


was  an  evidence  rather  of  their  fear 
than  of  their  love.  But  he  could  ex- 
cuse that  fear  which  his  own  policy 
had  occasioned.  He  hoped  soon  to 
gain  his  brethren's  love  by  discovering 
his  own.  In  the  mean  time,  as  it  was 
obvious  that  his  brethren  were  acting 
with  the  concurrence  and  by  the  di- 
rection of  their  father,  how  would  Jo- 
seph's heart  be  melted  at  the  thought 
that  his  anxious  father  was  now,  with- 
out knowing  it,  attempting  to  soften 
his  heart  in  the  same  method  as  he 
had  long  before  done  that  of  Esau,  by 
a  rich  present!  But  there  was  still 
more  in  the  incident  than  a  proof  of  Ja- 
cob's wish  to  conciliate  the  lord  of 
Egypt.  The  giving  of  costly  pres- 
ents was  and  ever  has  been  in  that 
quarter  of  the  world,  the  usual  token 
of  homage  to  superiors.  As  this  pres- 
ent came  from  Jacob  by  the  hand  of  his 
sons,  Joseph's  dream  might  now  be 
considered  as  verified,  that  the  sun, 
moon,  and  eleven  stars  did  obeisance  to 
him.  When  his  brethren  bowed  down 
themselves  to  the  earth  before  him, 
they  humbly  solicited  his  favor  for 
their  father  as  well  as  for  themselves. 
What  the  import  of  this  gesture  was, 
we  may  learn  from  Isaiah's  predictions 
concerning  the  homage  that  was  to  be 
paid  by  the  Gentiles  to  Zion  and  her 
king.  —Is.  45. 14.— 60.  14.— 49.  22,  23. 
27,  28.  And  he  asked  them  of  their 
tcelfare.      Heb.   Cl^sb    leshalom,    to 


they   bowed  down  their    heads, 
and  made  obeisance. 

29  And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes, 
and  saw  his  brother  Benjamin, 
p  his  mother's  son,  and  said,  Is 
this  your  younger  brother,  "J  of 
whom  ye  spake  unto  me?  And 
he  said,  God  be  gracious  unto 
thee,  my  son. 

p  ch.  35.  17,  18.    q  eh.  42.  13. 


peace  ;  i.  e.  as  to  their  peace  or  welfare, 
as  explained  above  in  the  note  on  Gen. 

29.6. ^  Is  your  father  well  7    Heb. 

tlD''lS^  tDlVl'H  ha-shalom  abikem,  is 
there  peace  to  your  father?  The  pre- 
sentation of  the  gifts  in  the  name  of 
Jacob  would  naturally  pave  the  way  to 
some  inquiries  respecting  him ;  and  it 
is  observable  how  adroitly  he  supports 
the  character  which  he  had  assumed, 
that  of  an  Egyptian  nobleman,  who 
remembered  what  they  had  said  about 
a  venerable  old  man,  of  whose  welfare 
he  now  politely  asks.  They  in  their 
answer  give  Joseph  the  intelligence 
that  would  most  delight  his  heart,  and 
at  the  same  time  by  calling  their  father 
his  '  servant,'  and  a  second  time  bowing 
and  doing  obeisance,  they  may  be  said 
again  to  have  confirmed  the  previous 
fulfilment  of  the  dream. 

29,  30.  He  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  saio 
his  brother  Benjamin.  He  seems  to 
have  noticed  Benjamin  before  upon  his 
first  arrival,  v.  16,  but  perhaps  distrust- 
ing his  command  of  his  feelings,  he 
seems  in  the  interval  to  have  put  him- 
self especially  on  his  guard.  But  now 
the  sight  of  him  again  awakens  too 
many  tender  recollections  to  be  resist- 
ed. His  countenance  brought  to  mind 
their  common  mother  and  her  prema- 
ture loss.  He  thought  of  the  partial 
affection  of  their  kind  father,  and 
of  the  present  anxiety  and  distress 
of  the  venerable  man.    He  reverted  to 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


321 


30  And  Joseph  made  haste ; 
for  ""his  bowels  did  yearn  upon 
his  brother  :  and  he  sought  lohere 
to  weep;  and  he  entered  into  his 
chamber,  and  *  wept  there. 

31  And  he  washed  his  face, 
and  went  out,  and  refrained  him- 
self, and  said,  Set  on  t  bread. 

r  1  KiiiEis  3.  26.     s  ch.  42.  24.     t  ver.  25. 


his  own  strange  eventful  history,  and 
thence  to  the  exposedness  of  his  be- 
loved brother  to  dangers  that  had  al- 
most proved  fatal  to  himself.  The 
consequence  was  a  rush  of  emotions 
upon  his  mind  too  powerful  to  be  sup- 
pressed. After  uttering  a  benediction 
which  under  the  disg-uise  of  a  good 
wish  from  a  stranger,  was  in  reality 
the  effusion  of  a  bursting  heart,  he  was 
obliged  to  retire  in  order  to  throw  a 
veil  over  those  feelings  which  must 
otherwise  have  betrayed  the  secret  that 
for  the  present  he  designs  to  keep.  He 
withdraws  therefore  to  give  vent  to 
his  tears  in  a  private  place;  and  how- 
ever bitter  were  the  tears  which  he  had 
formerly  shed  when  exiled  from  all 
that  was  dear  to  him  on  earth,  he  now 
shed  tears  of  joy  of  proportionable 
sweetness.  His  grief  for  what  was 
past  was  now  swallowed  up  in  the  ex- 
tacy  of  what  was  present,  and  what 

was    to    come. IT  His    hoioels    did 

yearn  upon  his  brother.  Heb.  ll^^D 
nikmeru,  did  burn,  were  kindled. 
Thus  Hos.  11.8,  '  Mine  heart  is  turned 
within  me,  my  repen tings  are  kindled 
(Tn;^52  nikmeru)  together.'  The  term 
occurs  elsewhere  only  1  Kings  3.  2. 
Sam.  5.  10.  Gr.  and  dial.  'Were 
turned.'    Vulg.  '  Were  moved.' 

31.  And  he  washed  his  face,  &c. 
Having  recomposed  himself,  he  returns 
to  the  company,  and  resuming  the 
Egyptian,  conmiands  the  entertain- 
ment to  be  served  up,  during  which  he 
has  sufficient  self-command  to  do  the 


32  And  they  set  on  for  him- 
self, and  for  them  by  themselves, 
and  for  the  Egyptians  which  did 
eat  with  him,  by  themselves  :  be- 
cause the  Egyptians  might  not 
eat  bread  with  the  Hebrews  ;  for 
that  is  ^an  abomination  unto  the 
Egyptians. 

V  ch.  46.  34.  Exod.  S.  26. 

honors  of  it  in  the  most  becoming 
manner.  Throughout  the  whole  scene 
Joseph  wins  equally  upon  our  love  and 
our  respect.  We  love  him  for  the 
warm  sensibility  of  his  heart,  and  we 
respect  him  as  one  who  knows  both 
when  and  where  to  weep,  and  who 
could  refrain  himself,  and  appear  cheer- 
ful when  it  v.'as  fit.  While  tears  shed 
on  proper  occasions  throw  a  grace  over 
the  manliest  character,  we  should  still 
bear  it  in  mind  that  there  is  not  only  'a 
time  to  weep,  but  also  a  time  to  laugh ; 
a  time  to  embrace  and  a  time  to  refrain 
from  embracing,'  and  that  he  whose 
tears  are  not  in  some  measure  under 
the  control  of  his  judgment,  is  rather  a 
child  than  a  man. 

32.  And  they  set  on  for  him  by  him- 
self, &c.  Heb.  I^I'j::;-!  yasimu^  they 
set,  placed,  stationed ;  i.  e.  not  so  prop- 
erly the  dishes,  as  the  tables,  or  the  gen- 
eral eating  apparatus.  One  was  set  for 
himself,  one  for  the  strangers,  and  one 
for  the  Egyptians.  This  was  undoubt- 
edly a  device  to  stimulate  their  curiosi- 
ty in  respect  to  himself.  That  the 
Egyptians  and  Hebrews  should  eat 
apart  they  could  easily  account  for; 
but  who  or  what  is  the  man  ?  Is  he  ■ 
not  an  Egyptian?  Yet  if  he  be,  why 
eat  by  himself?     Surely  he  must  be  a 

foreigner. IT   The  Egyptians  might 

not  eat  bread  with  the  Hebrews.  Heb. 
'llbil'^  iti  /o  yukelun,  were  not  able  to 
cat ;  i.  e.  it  was  contrary  to  established 
usage,  and  this  usage  carried  with  it 
such  a  binding  authority  to  their  con- 


322 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


33  And  they  sat  before  him, 
the  first-born  according  to  his 
birth-right,  and  the  youngest  ac- 
cording to  his  youth  :  and  the 
men  marvelled  one  at  another. 

34  And  he  took  and  sent  mess- 


sciences  that  they  felt  a  moral  inability 
to  disregard  it.  See  Note  on  Gen.  29. 
8.  The  reason  of  this  it  is,  at  the 
present  day,  extremely  difficult  to  ascer- 
tain. Some,  following  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Chaldee,  suppose  that  the 
Hebrews  were  accustomed  to  eat  the 
animals  which  the  Egyptians  worship- 
ped as  gods.  But  it  is  not  certain  that 
at  this  early  period  brute-worship  was 
established  in  that  country,  and  we  can- 
not at  any  rate  suppose  that  any  of  the 
Egyptian  gods  were  served  up  at  that 
table  where  the  Egyptians  sat  as 
guests.  It  is  perhaps  more  probable 
that  the  Hebrews  were  reckoned  im- 
pure by  the  Egyptians  because  they 
did  not  observe  those  ceremonies  in 
eating,  which  made  a  part  of  the  re- 
ligion of  Egypt.  It  is  well  known  that 
most  ancient  heathen  nations  were 
wont  to  honor  their  gods  at  their  tables 
by  observances,  which  they  thought 
no  religious  person  would  neglect.  We 
pity  their  bhndness,  but  we  read  in 
their  conduct  a  rebuke  of  multitudes  in 
christian  lands,  who  show  less  respect 
at  their  tables  to  the  God  of  all  their 
mercies,  than  the  heathen  showed  to 
these  vanities,  that  could  neither  do 
good  nor  evil. 

33.  And  they  sat  before  him,  the  first- 
born according  to  his  birthright,  &c. 
Not  only  was  the  order  of  the  tables, 
but  the  order  also  in  which  they  them- 
selves were  seated,  a  matter  of  sur- 
prise to  Joseph's  brethren.  They  were 
astonished  to  find  every  man  placed 
according  to  his  age.  Who  can  this  be, 
they  would  say  to  themselves,  that  is 


es  unto  them  from  before  him: 
but  Benjamin's  mess  was  xfive 
times  so  much  as  any  of  theirs. 
And  they  drank,  and  were  merry 
with  him. 

X  ch.  45.  22. 


so  well  acquainted  with  our  ages  as  to 
be  able  to  adjust  our  places  in  this  man- 
ner 1  Surely  it  must  be  some  one  who 
knows  us,  though  we  know  not  him. 
Or  is  he  a  diviner?  Who  or  what  can 
he  be?  They  might  well  be  said  to 
have  marvelled  at  one  another.  It 
was  marvellous  that  they  did  not  hence 
suspect  who  he  really  was. 

34.  And  he  took  and  sent  messes  wn- 
to  them  from  before  him,  &c.  It  was, 
and  still  is,  the  custom  in  the  countries 
of  the  East,  for  the  master  of  the  house 
to  testify  his  regard  for  his  guests,  by 
sending  messes  to  them  of  that  food 
which  is  served  up  for  himself.  Mr. 
Carne  remarks  that  being  hospitably 
entertained  by  an  Egyptian  Aga,  he 
received  from  his  host  the  choicest 
pieces  of  meat,  which  he  took  up  with 
his  fingers  and  placed  before  the  guest ; 
and  that  on  another  occasion,  when 
stopping  for  the  night  in  an  empty 
khan  or  inn,  one  of  the  travellers,  wish- 
ing to  give  him  a  proof  of  his  respect, 
threw  him  a  piece  of  meat,  though  at 
the  distance  of  several  yards.  There 
is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  Benjamin 
ate  more  than  the  rest,  but  Joseph  sent 
him  the  large  mess  as  a  mark  of  spe- 
cial favor.  In  this  it  is  probable  that 
it  was  his  real  design  to  try  whether 
the  superior  honors  conferred  upon 
Benjamin  would  kindle  up  envy  in 
their  breasts  against  him.  Joseph  had 
had  too  good  reason  to  know,  that  men 
are  naturally  envious  of  the  distinctions 
bestowed  upon  those  whom  they  are 
accustomed  to  consider  as  their  equals 
or    inferiors.      He  would  have  proof 


B.  C.  1707.J 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


J23 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 
A  ND  he  commanded  the  stew- 
-^  ard  of  his  house,  saying,  Fill 
the  men's  sacks  with  food, as  much 
as  they  can  carry,  and  put  every 
man's  money  in  his  sack's  mouth. 


(herefore  that  his  brethren  had  subdued 
;he  envious  dispositions  they  formerly 
cherished,  if  they  should  still  retain  the 
',varm  affection  of  brothers  to  Benja- 
min, after  he  had  been  distinguished 
with  peculiar  honors  by  the  lord   of 

Egypt. IT    They  drank,  and   were 

merry  with  him.  Heb.  1?a3>  I^S^"^ 
yishkeru  immo,  drank  largely  with 
him ;  i.  e.  freely,  but  not  to  intoxication. 
The  original  ^i'tU  shakar  properly 
means  to  drink  abundantly,  to  drink 
to  exhilaration  or  merriment ;  but  as  it 
appears  from  Gen.  40.  11,  that  the 
Egyptians  were  accustomed  at  this 
time  to  drink  the  fresh  juice  of  the 
grape  before  it  had  fermented  and  thus 
generated  alcohol,  they  were  in  little 
danger  of  intoxication  even  from  the 
largest  quantity  they  could  drink  of 
such  a  harmless  beverage.  The  term 
is  elsewhere  employed  to  signify  that 
cheerful  enjoyment  of  God's  good  crea- 
tures which  is  perfectly  consistent  with 
the  laws  of  the  strictest  sobriety.  Thus, 
Cant.  5.  1,  '  Drink,  {iT\'J2  shethu)  yea, 
drink  abundantly  ("1*1^^  shikru),  O 
beloved.'  Here  the  two  words  in  the 
original  are  the  very  same  as  those 
used  in  the  passage  before  us,  and  sure- 
ly our  blessed  Lord  would  not  borrow 
images  from  the  vile  debaucheries  of 
revellers  and  drunkards  to  illustrate  his 
grace  and  kindness  to  the  persons 
whom  he  loves.  Thus  too  in  the  ac- 
count of  the  marriage-feast  at  Cana  of 
Galilee,  John  2.  10,  when  Jesus  turned 
water  into  wine,  the  word  which  we 
render  'have  well  drunk'  (^£0i«t0w<7j) 
answers  in  meaning  to  the  Heb.  word 
used  in  this  place.    But  it  would  be 


2  And  put  my  cup,  the  silver 
cup,  in  the  sack's  mouth  of  the 
youngest,  and  his  corn  money  : 
and  he  did  according  to  the  word 
that  Joseph  had  spoken. 


blasphemy  against  Christ  to  allege  that 
he  turned  water  into  wine  to  supply 
the  extravagant  cravings  of  a  licentious 
appetite.  In  like  manner,  it  would  be  a 
violation  of  that  respect  which  we  owe 
to  Joseph's  memory,  to  suppose  that 
he  either  encouraged  or  allowed  an  ex- 
cessive use  of  liquor  at  his  table.  He 
would  certainly  much  rather  have  ex- 
posed himself  to  the  censure  or  dis- 
pleasure of  the  noblest  guests,  by  re- 
straining debauchery,  than  to  the  dis- 
pleasure of  the  Most  High  God,  by  giv- 
ing countenance  to  those  fleshly  indul- 
gences which  his  law  condemns ;  and 
so  would  any  right-minded  man.  God 
is  a  gracious  Master.  He  allows  a 
cheerful  use  of  the  good  things  of  this 
life,  but  his  goodness  is  abused  and  in- 
sulted, if  we  take  occasion  from  his 
Hberality  to  fulfil  the  lusts  of  the  flesh. 

CHAPTER   XLIV. 

1,  2.  And  he  commanded  the  steward 
of  his  house,  saying,  &c.  Joseph  here 
has  recourse  to  another  expedient  still 
longer  to  detain  his  brethren  and  more 
effectually  to  bring  them  to  a  proper 
spirit.  His  immediate  object  in  the 
present  step  seems  to  have  been  to  try 
still  farther  their  temper  towards  Ben- 
jamin. If  they  discovered  little  or  no 
concern  for  his  affliction,  it  would  be 
too  evident  that  they  still  lived  under 
the  influence  of  that  selfish  and  envi- 
ous spirit  which  prompted  them  to  sell 
himself  in  to  Egypt.  But  if  they  should 
discover  a  strong  desire  to  preserve 
Benjamin,  it  might  be  presumed  that 
their  dispositions  were  improved,  and 
that  they  could  entertain  the  afFection 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


3  As  soon  as  the  morning  was 
Jight,  the  men  were  sent  away, 
they,  and  their  asses. 

4  And  when  they  were  gone 
out  of  the  city,  and  not  yet  far 
off,  Joseph  said  unto  his  steward, 
Up,  follow  after  the  men ;    and 


of  a  brother  towards  one  v/hom  their 
father  loved  above  themselves.  But 
while  we  can  easily  see  why  Joseph 
put  the  silver  cup  into  Benjamin's  sack, 
it  is  not  so  easy  to  conjecture  the  rea- 
sons for  his  ordering  each  man's  mon- 
ey to  be  put  in  the  mouth  of  his  sack. 
Joseph,  no  doubt,  would  have  scorned 
the  idea  of  requiring  the  ordinary  price, 
or  any  price,  for  that  food  with  which 
he  wished  to  sustain  his  father's  house- 
hold ;  but  his  generous  intentions  do 
not  account  for  a  manner  of  restoring 
their  corn-money,  which  he  foresaw 
would  fill  them  with  amazement  and 
distress.  The  pain  of  such  uneasiness 
as  they  would  feel,  was  too  high  a 
price  for  the  money  which  Joseph  re- 
stored. The  reason  of  the  proceeding 
probably  was,  that  they  might  have 
no  grounds  to  suspect  Benjamin  as  the 
real  thief  of  the  cup.  While  he  wished 
to  have  a  pretence  for  detaining  Benja- 
min, he  did  not  wish  that  they  should 
have  reason  to  suspect  that  he  was 
really  guilty.  His  desire  was  to  find 
nis  brethren  disposed  to  defend  Benja- 
min in  a  just  cause,  from  that  oppression 
to  which  he  seemed  to  be  exposed.  If 
there  had  been  too  great  appearance  of 
guilt  in  their  eyes,  they  might  have 
been  excused  if  they  had  left  him  to 
the  just  punishment  of  his  crime.  In 
all  this  Joseph's  conduct  was  governed 
by  the  circumstances  under  which  it 
occurred.  It  will  not  justify  us  for  re- 
sorting to  like  measures  when  there  is 
not  the  like  occasion.  We  are  not  to 
devise  methods  to  explore  the  secret 
principles  by  which  our  friends  are  ac- 


when  thou  dost  overtake  them, 
say  unto  them,  Wherefore  have 
ye  rewarded  evil  for  good  ? 

5  Is  not  this  it  in  which  my 
lord  drinketh,  and  whereby  in- 
deed hedivineth?  ye  have  done 
evil  in  so  doing. 


tuated,  when  they  have  given  us  no 
good  reason  to  form  suspicions  con- 
cerning them. 

3.  As  soon  as  the  inorning  was  light, 
&c.  Joseph's  brethren,  being  early 
dismissed,  set  out  on  their  journey 
with  cheerful  spirits.  Simeon  is  re- 
stored, Benjamin  is  safe,  and  they  are 
well  laden  with  provision  for  the  fam- 
ily. They  would  now  be  ready  to  an- 
ticipate the  pleasure  of  seeing  their 
father,  and  of  easing  his  anxious  heart. 
But  the  most  beautiful  morning  may 
soon  be  overcast  with  dark  clouds. 
Joseph  was  preparing  for  them  grief 
and  fear,  although  he  intended  good 
and  not  harm.  Let  us  never  be  too 
confident  that  to-morrow  will  be  as 
this  day,  or  that  this  day  will  be  serene 
and  bright  till  the  evening. 

4,  5.  Ajid  uhen  they  were  gone  out  of 
the  city,  &c.  Scarcely  have  they  left 
the  precincts  of  the  city,  when  the 
steward  overtakes  them,  and  charges 
them  with  the  heinous  crime  of  having 
stolen  his  lord's  cup,  by  which  we  are 
to  understand,  according  to  the  force 
of  the  original,  a  large  deep  goblet,  out 
of  which  the  wine  was  poured  into  the 
drinking-vessel.  This  was  a  crime 
which  would  have  been  highly  offen- 
sive at  any  time,  but  pre-eminently  so 
after  the  generous  treatment  they  had 

now  received. ^  Whereby  indeed  he 

divineth.  Heb.  1^  m2">  rn2  nahesh 
yenahesh  bo,  searching  maketh  search 
by  it;  i.e.  learns  experimentally  by 
means  of  it.  The  original  term  THD 
nahash,  from  which  comes  the  Heb. 
word  for  serpent,  Gen.  3.  1,  signifies 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


325 


6  T[  And  he  overtook  them, 
and  he  spake  unto  them  these 
same  words. 

7  And  they  said  unto  him, 
Wherefore  saith  my  lord  these 
words  ?  God  forbid  that  thy  ser- 
vants should  do  according  to  this 
thinff: 


primarily  a  close  scrutinizing  search, 
and  secondarily  the  practice  of  div- 
ination or  augury.  The  use  of  the 
term  by  the  steward  does  not  imply 
that  Joseph  ordinarily  made  use  of  the 
diviner's  art ;  but  as  it  had  probably 
been  attributed  to  him,  on  account  of 
his  great  wisdom,  by  the  Egyptians, 
he  merely  takes  advantage  of  the  fact 
to  accomphsh  a  particular  purpose, 
without  leaving  us  any  ground  to  infer 
that  the  popular  impression  was  either 
true  or  false.  In  addressing  Joseph's 
brethren  in  this  manner,  we  think  it 
probable  that  the  steward  alluded  to 
the  circumstances  that  occurred  at  the 
entertainment  the  day  before.  It  is 
natural  to  suppose  that  he  would  have 
had  his  cup  before  him  on  that  occa- 
sion if  ever,  and  as  he  had  appeared  to 
discern  their  relative  seniority  by  some 
supernatural  means,  we  may  easily 
conceive  that  the  -steward's  phrase 
would  convey  to  them  the  impression, 
that  it  was  owing  to  some  mysterious 
magical  virtue  in  the  cup.  All  this 
could  no  doubt  be  said  without  any 
impeachment  of  his  piety,  and  we  have 
therefore  no  occasion  to  resort  to  any 
of  the  various  renderings  which  have 
been  suggested  in  order  to  save  the 
credit  of  Joseph  as  an  upright  man. 
It  was  certainly  as  harmless  a  device 
as  that  of  his  feigning  to  be  a  stranger 
to  his  brethren  and  keeping  them  so 
long  in  ignorance  of  his  real  character. 
6.  And  he  overtook  them,  &c.  What 
Joseph  designed  by  this  step  it  was 
perhaps  impossible  for  the  steward  to 
guess,  but  he  was  persuaded  that  his 
2^ 


8  Behold,  *  the  money  which 
we  found  in  our  sacks'  mouths, 
we  brought  again  unto  thee  out 
of  the  land  of  Canaan  :  how  then 
should  we  steal  out  of  thy  lord's 
house  silver  or  gold  ? 

ach.  43.  21. 

master  was  too  good  a  man  to  enlist 
him  in  an  iniquitous  scheme.  Men  of 
know^n  integrity  enjoy  this  privilege, 
that  their  character  in  the  main  se- 
cures them  against  suspicions  of  dis- 
honesty, even  when  they  behave  in 
such  a  way  as  might  expose  other 
men  to  suspicion.  Relying  on  the  jus- 
tice and  wisdom  of  his  master,  there- 
fore, the  steward  dexterously  seconded 
his  designs,  and  appeared  so  much  in 
earnest,  that  no  doubt  seems  to  have 
been  entertained  of  his  sincerity  by 
Joseph's  brethren.  But  they  thought 
themselves  able  to  give  satisfactory  evi- 
dence of  their  integrity. 

7,  8.  God  forbid  that  thy  servants 
should  do,  &c.  The  sons  of  Jacob 
were  chargeable  in  the  sight  of  God 
with  many  sins.  They  were  conscious 
of  as  great  crimes  as  this  which  was 
now  laid  to  their  charge,  or  rather  of 
crimes  vastly  greater,  and  yet  they 
were  thunderstruck  at  the  present  ac- 
cusation, and  expressed  the  utmost 
abhorrence  of  such  a  conduct.  *God 
forbid,'  or  Heb.  '  Far  be  it  from  thy 
servants,  that  they  should  do  according 
to  this  thing.'  Could  they  be  so  base 
and  so  wicked  as  to  steal  a  favorite 
cup  from  the  great  man  who  had  treat- 
ed them  with  such  distinction  7  Was 
it  possible  that  they  should  abuse  his 
goodness  to  an  opportunity  of  pilfering 
the  most  precious  furniture  of  that 
table  at  which  they  had  been  honored 
with  a  place?  In  order  to  strengthen 
their  denial,  they  appeal  to  a  fact  with 
which  the  steward  was  well  acquaint- 
ed, viz.  their  having  brought  again  the 


326 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707 


9  With  whomsoever  of  ihy 
servants  it  be  found,  ^  both  let 
him  flie,  and  we  also  will  be  my 
lord's  bond-men. 

10  And  he  said,  Now  also  let 
it  be  according  unto  your  words  : 
he  with  whom  it  is  found  shall 
be  my  servant ;  and  ye  shall  be 
blameless. 

11  Then    they   speedily   took 

b  ch.  31.  32. 

money  which  they  had  found  in  their 
sacks.  Did  this  conduct  comport  with 
the  character  of  thieves  1  It  is  the  great 
advantage  of  those  whose  past  con- 
duct has  been  unreproachable  that  they 
can  produce  it  as  a  witness  in  their 
favor  when  falsely  accused  or  unjustly 
suspected.  In  all  their  late  intercourse 
with  Joseph  their  behavior  had  been 
upright  and  honorable.  Through  some 
oversight  their  money  had  been  re- 
stored to  them,  which  they  brought 
back  and  returned  when  it  was  not 
sought.  How,  then,  could  it  be  be- 
lieved that  they  would  now  seize  upon 
what  had  never  belonged  to  them, 
especially  when  they  had  no  reason  to 
expect  that  they  would  escape  detec- 
tion, disgrace,  and  punishment?  A 
good  name  justly  acquired  will  repel 
groundless  charges  that  might  other- 
wise be  of  the  most  serious  injury  to 
our  reputation. 

9.  With  whomsoever,  &c.  Jacob's 
sons  could  confide  in  one  another. 
Notwithstanding  all  that  was  past,  yet 
they  were  all  persuaded  that  none  of 
them  would  degrade  themselves  so  far 
as  to  put  their  hands  upon  what  was 
not  their  own.  They  were  so  confi- 
dent of  one  another's  integrity,  that 
ihey  could  risk  their  own  liberty  upon 
it.  They  unanimously  doomed  the 
thief,  and  themselves  to  slavery,  if  he 
was  found  among  their  number.  Yet 
they  were  doubtless  too  rash  in  proffer- 


down  every  man  his  sack  to  the 
ground,  and  opened  every  man 
his  sack. 

12  And  he  searched,  and  be- 
gan at  the  eldest,  and  left  at  the 
youngest :  and  the  cup  was  found 
in  Benjamin's  sack. 

13  Then  they  <=  rent  their 
clothes,  and  laded  every  man  his 
ass,  and  returned  to  the  city. 

c  ch.  37.  29,  34.    Num.  14.  6.    2  Sam.  1.  11. 

ing  to  subject  themselves  to  such  a 
penalty.  It  was  indeed  brotherly  con- 
duct to  express  such  a  firm  confidence 
in  one  another's  innocence,  but  the 
money  which  they  had  formerly  found 
in  the  mouths  of  their  sacks,  might 
have  taught  them,  that  the  cup  in  ques- 
tion might  likewise  have  been  put  into 
the  sack  of  one  of  them,  without  any 
fault  on  his  part.  He  that  is  hasty 
with  his  tongue,  often  erreth. 

10.  And  he  said,  Now  also  Id  it  be, 
&c.  The  steward  takes  the  sons  of 
Jacob  at  their  word,  so  far  only  as  jus- 
tice allowed.  He  will  have  the  sacks 
searched,  that  it  may  be  known  wheth- 
er any  of  them  had  taken  the  cup ;  but 
he  will  not,  as  they  proposed,  punish 
the  innocent  with  the  guilty,  nor  will 
he  punish  the  guilty  so  rigorously  as 
they  proposed.  When  others  speak 
rashly,  we  ought  not  to  take  advan- 
tage of  their  rashness,  for  we  ourselves 
have  no  doubt  often  come  under  en- 
gagements without  due  deliberation,  ol 
which  others,  if  they  had  been  dis- 
posed, might  have  availed  themselves 
greatly  to  our  injury. 

11.  Then  they  speedily  took  down, 
&c.  With  the  steward's  proposal  they 
readily  acquiesce  and  with  indignant 
sensations  unlade  every  man  his  beast, 
in  order  to  disprove  the  charge.  A 
few  moments,  they  thought,  would  be 
sufficient  for  the  full  proof  of  their  in- 
nocence.   But  their  faces  were  covered 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


327 


14  T[  And  Judah  and  his  breth- 
ren came  to  Joseph's  house,  (for 
he  was  yet  there:)  and  they  ''fell 
before  him  on  the  ground. 


d  ch.  37.  7. 


with  shame  when  they  saw  vyhat  they 
did  not  expect  to  find. 

12,  13.  The  cup  was  found  in  Ben- 
jamin's sack.  Joseph's  steward  might 
have  begun  with  the  sack  of  the  young- 
est, and  saved  himself  the  trouble  of 
searching  so  many  sacks  in  vain  ;  but 
he  thought  it  necessary  still  to  put  on 
the  appearance  of  justice,  although  he 
knew  he  could  not  deceive  the  breth- 
ren, nor  is  it  likely  that  he  wished  them 
to  be  deceived.  Ten  out  of  eleven  are 
clear,  and  enjoy  the  triumph  of  a  good 
conscience ;  but  lo,  in  the  sack  of  the 
youngest  the  cup  is  found  1  How  soon 
was  their  joy  turned  into  mourning, 
and  their  cheerful  hopes  into  dismal 
fears!  And  what  shall  they  now  do  7 
There  was  apparent  danger  in  their  re- 
turning to  the  city.  Snares,  it  was  too 
obvious,  were  laid  for  Benjamin.  And 
what  if  all  of  them  should  be  involved 
in  these  snares  7  Was  it  not  safest  to 
leave  Benjamin  to  his  fate,  and  to  se- 
cure themselves  by  a  speedy  flight 7 
But  their  bowels  yearned  over  their 
poor  brother,  and  over  their  father,  who 
would  be  inconsolable  under  his  loss. 
Rather  than  see  the  misery  of  their 
father,  they  will  return,  and  try  what 
can  be  done  to  save  Benjamin.  Thus 
they  might  not  only  make  some  httle 
compensation  to  their  father  for  be- 
reaving him  of  Joseph,  but  they  would 
also,  by  shewing  themselves  so  deeply 
interested  in  Benjamin's  misfortune 
dissipate  Joseph's  remaining  doubts 
concerning  them,  and  in  a  great  meas- 
ure repay  him  for  all  the  injuries  he 
had  experienced  at  their  hands. 

14.  And  Judah  and  his  brethren 
came  to  Joseph's  house,  &c.    Joseph 


15  And  Joseph  said  unto  them, 
What  deed  is  this  that  ye  have 
done?  wot  ye  not  that  such  a 
m.an  as  I  can  certainly  divine  ? 


probably  remained  at  his  house  anx- 
iously expecting  their  return,  and  the 
first  thing  they  did  upon  their  arrival 
was  to  fall  down  prostrate  before  him, 
doing  obeisance  again  in  the  name  of 
their  father  and  their  own.  Judah  is 
particularly  mentioned  because  it  was 
he  who  had  persuaded  Jacob  to  send 
Benjamin  into  Egypt,  and  he  would 
feel  that  the  chief  responsibility  rested 
upon  him.  But  neither  he  nor  his 
brethren  seem  capable  of  uttering  a 
word.  They  can  only  wait  in  their 
humble  posture  to  hear  what  is  said  to 
them.  'Thu?,'  says  an  ancient  father, 
'  they  bow  down  to  him  whom  they 
sold  into  slavery  lest  they  should  bow 
down  to  him.' 

15.  Wot  ye  not  that  such  a  man  as  1 
can  certainly  divine?  Here  again  it 
would  seem  that  Joseph  avails  himself 
of  the  reputation  in  which  he  was  pop- 
ularly held.  We  cannot  understand  it 
as  implying  a  claim  on  his  part  to  the 
character  of  a  real  diviner.  It  is  very 
possible  that  the  Egyptian  language 
had  not  words  to  distinguish  between 
the  pretended  arts  of  their  diviners,  and 
the  true  gift  of  prophecy,  with  which 
the  Hebrew  patriarchs  were  blessed. 
As  the  prophets  of  Baal  and  the  proph- 
ets of  Jehovah  are  called  by  the  gene- 
ral name  of  prophets,  so  the  Egyptians 
might  give  to  such  a  prophet  as  Joseph 
appeared  to  be,  the  same  appellation 
which  they  gave  to  their  own  pretend- 
ed prophets.  Joseph,  therefore,  when 
he  ostensibly  laid  claim  to  what  was 
called  divination  in  Egypt,  did  not 
mean  that  he  was  a  diviner  of  the  same 
kind  with  those  of  Egypt,  but  simply 
one  that  had  the  gift  of  discovering 


328 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


16  And  Judah  said,  What  shall 
we  say  unto  my  lord  ?  what  shall 
we  speak  ?  or  how  shall  we  clear 
ourselves?  God  hath  found  out 
the  iniquity  of  thy  servants:  be- 
hold ^  we  are  my  lord's  servants, 
both  we,  and  he  also  with  whom 
the  cup  is  found. 

e  ver.  9. 

things  hidden  from  other  men.  Was  it 
not  to  be  supposed  that  he  who  could 
foretel  that  seven  years  of  plenty  would 
be  followed  by  seven  years  of  famine, 
could  also  discover  the  pilferer  of  the 
cup  out  of  which  he  drank  7  How 
vain  then  would  it  be  to  think  of 
escaping  with  his  property  in  their 
hands  undetected?  It  is  plain,  how- 
ever, that  he  is  merely  carrying  on  to 
its  final  developement  the  trial  which  he 
was  making  of  the  temper  of  his 
brethren.  He  put  on  a  stern  aspect, 
and  upbraided  them  with  a  pretended 
crime,  but  it  was  to  give  them  occasion 
to  show  forth  their  innocency  and  their 
repentance. 

16.  And  Judah  said,  &c.  It  was 
no  doubt  by  common  consent  that  Ju- 
dah took  the  lead  and  acted  as  spokes- 
man on  this  occasion.  No  wonder 
that  he  was  at  a  loss  what  to  say. 
How  could  he  justify  or  excuse  Benja- 
min without  seeming  to  criminate  the 
governor,  whose  favor  it  was  so  neces- 
sary to  court?  But  if  he  confessed 
that  his  brother  were  guilty  of  the  base- 
ness imputed  to  him,  how  could  he,  in 
view  of  such  black  ingratitude,  claim 
any  favor  for  him?  His  perplexity 
was  indeed  excruciating.  On  the  one 
hand,  appearances  were  so  strongly 
against  Benjamin  as  to  warrant  his  de- 
tention, and  yet  how  could  they  return 
without  him?  What  can  he  say  or 
do?  He  can  only  suggest  that  it  is 
a  mysterious  providence,  in  which  it 
appears  to  be  the  design  of  God  to 


17  And  he  said,  ^  God  forbid 
that  I  should  do  so  :  but  the  man 
in  whose  hand  the  cup  is  found, 
he  shall  be  my  servant;  and  as 
for  you,  get  you  up  in  peace  unto 
your  father. 


f  Prov.  17.  15. 


punish  them  for  their  former  crimes. 
In  saying  '  God  hath  found  out  the  in- 
iquity of  thy  servants,'  he  does  not 
mean  to  plead  guilty  to  the  present 
charge,  nor  make  a  definite  acknowl- 
edgment of  any  particular  offence, 
but  to  say  in  general,  that  it  was  in 
consequence  of  former  misdeeds  that 
God  had  suffered  them  to  fall  into  this 
unhappy  predicament,  and  to  express 
a  willingness  that  he  should  punish 
them  in  this  way,  if  he  saw  fit.  They 
well  knew  that  they  had  sold  Joseph 
for  a  slave,  and  filled  up  many  of  the 
years  of  their  father's  life  with  bitter 
anguish,  and  they  admit  that  it  were  a 
righteous  thing  with  God  to  make 
them  all  slaves  for  crimes  which  their 
consciences  charged  upon  them,  but 
of  which  they  supposed  Joseph  to  be 
profoundly  ignorant.  If  Joseph  had 
really  been  the  character  which  he  ap- 
peared to  be,  such  an  answer  would 
have  gone  far  towards  disarming  him 
of  his  resentment.  The  simple  and 
genuine  utterance  of  the  heart  is  the 
most  irresistible  of  all  eloquence. 

17.  And  he  said,  God  forbid  that  1 
should  do  so,  &c.  The  words  both  of 
Joseph  and  the  steward,  v.  10,  declare 
their  detestation  of  extending  punish- 
ment beyond  the  offence  or  the  of- 
fender. Joseph  had  no  complaint 
against  Benjamin's  brethren,  and  there- 
fore they  might  return  in  peace  to  their 
father.  But  what  an  alternative  was 
this!  Better  all  be  detained  than  he; 
for  it  will  m  all  probability  be  the  death 


B.  C.  1707.J 


PTF.R  XLIV 


329 


18  T[  Then  Judali  came  near 
unto  him,  and  said,  O  my  lord, 
let  thy  servant,  I  pray  thee,  speak 
a  word  in  rny  lord's  ears,  and 
s  let  not  thine  anger  burn  against 
thy  servant:  for  thou  art  even  as 
Pharaoh. 

19  My  lord  asked  his  servants, 
saying.  Have  ye  a  father,  or  a 
brother  ? 

g  ch.  18.  30,  3-2.     Exod.  32.  22. 


of  their  father.  Joseph,  however,  had 
the  pleasure  to  find  that  his  permission 
to  return  was  not  accepted. 

18.  Judah  came  near  unto  him  and 
said,  &c.  The  surety  here  becomes 
the  advocate,  and  presents  one  of  the 
most  powerful  pleas  ever  uttered. 
Though  he  knew  nothing  of  the  schools 
or  the  rules  of  the  rhetoricians,  yet  no 
orator  ever  pronounced  a  more  moving 
oration.  His  good  sense,  and  his  affec- 
tion for  his  venerable  father,  taught 
him  the  highest  strains  of  eloquence. 
Learning  that  one  only  of  their  num- 
ber was  to  be  detained  he  conceives  a 
hope  of  releasing'  Benjamin,  and  ac- 
cordingly forms  his  speech  with  the 
most  admirable  adroitness  to  compass 
this  end  with  the  governor  of  Egypt. — 
'A  company  of  people  have  always 
some  one  among  them,  who  is  known 
and  acknowledged  to  be  the  chief 
speaker ;  thus,  should  they  fall  into 
trouble,  he  will  be  the  person  to  come 
forward  and  plead  with  the  superior. 
He  will  say,  'My  lord,  I  am  indeed  a 
very  ignorant  person,  and  not  worthy 
to  speak  to  you  :  were  I  of  high  caste, 
perhaps  my  lord  would  hear  me.  May 
I  say  t^yo  or  three  words?'  (some  of 
the  party  will  then  say,  'Yes,  ^es,  our 
lord  will  hear  you.')  He  then  pro- 
ceeds:— 'Ah,  my  lord,  your  mercy  is 
known  to  all ;  great  is  your  wisdom ; 
you  are  even  as  a  king  to  us :  let,  then, 
your  servants  find  favor  in  your  sight.' 
28* 


20  And  we  said  unto  my  lord, 
We  have  a  father,  an  old  man, 
and  ^  a  child  of  his  old  age,  a 
little  one :  and  his  brother  is  dead, 
and  he  alone  is  left  of  his  mother, 
and  his  father  loveth  him. 

21  And  thou  saidst  unto  thy 
servants,  »  Bring  him  down  unto 
me,  that  T  may  set  mine  eyes  up- 
on him. 

h  ch.  37.  3.    i  ch.  42.  15,  20. 


He  then,  like  Judah,  relates  the  whole 
affair,  forgetting  no  circumstance  which 
has  a  tendency  to  exculpate  him  and 
his  companions  ;  and  every  thing  which 
can  touch  the  feelings  of  his  judge  will 
be  gently  brought  before  him.  As  he 
draws  to  a  conclusion,  his  pathos  in- 
creases, his  companions  put  out  their 
heads  in  a  supplicadng  manner,  accom- 
panied by  other  gesticulations;  their 
tears  begin  to  flow,  and  with  one  voice 
they  cry,  'Forgive  us,  this  time,  and 
we  will  never  offend  you  more.'     Bob- 

eris. IT    1'hou  art  even  as  Pharaoh. 

That  is,  invested  with  all  but  royal 
authority  ;  having  the  power  to  punish 
and  to  pardon;  standing  in  the  place 
of  Pharaoh,  and  therefore  to  be  equally 
reverenced. 

19 — 21.  Mj/ lord  asked  his  servants, 
&.C.  Judah,  it  will  be  observed,  closes 
his  pathetic  address,  v.  33,  with  the  re- 
quest to  be  permitted  to  remain  instead 
of  Benjamin.  In  order  to  introduce 
and  enforce  this  petition,  he  here  enters 
upon  a  detailed  statement  of  facts  suf- 
ficient to  have  moved  a  heart  of  stone. 
Some  of  these  facts  Joseph  had  heard 
before,  when  his  brethren  had  no  such 
purpose  as  the  present  to  serve  by  re- 
lating them.  He  had  been  informed 
by  them  that  they  had  a  younger  broth- 
er, the  only  surviving  son  of  a  much- 
boloved  mother,  and  therefore  doubly 
dear  to  his  gray-haired  father.  If  Jo- 
seph then  had  any  regard  for  venerable 


330 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  170? 


22  And  we  said  unto  my  lord, 
The  lad  cannot  leave  his  father: 
for  if  he  should  leave  his  father, 
his  father  would  die. 

23  And  thou  saidst  unto  thy 
servants,  ^  Except  your  youngest 
brother  come  down  with  you,  ye 
shall  see  my  face  no  more. 

24  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
we  came  up  unto  thy  servant  my 
father,  we  told  him  the  words  of 
my  lord. 

25  And  1  our  father  said,  Go 
again,  and  buy  us  a  little  food. 

26  And  we  said.  We  cannot 
go  down  :  if  our  youngest  brother 

k  ch.  43,  3,  5.    1  ch.  43.  2. 


age,  any  pity  for  an  old  man  whose  life 
was  bound  up  in  the  life  of  his  son,  he 
would  not  bereave  him  of  the  solace  of 

his  declining  days. IF  Bring    him 

down  unto  me  that  I  may  set  viine  eyes 
upon  him.  Gr.  '  And  I  will  have  a  care 
of  him.'  The  phrase  '  to  set  one's 
eyes  upon  a  person,'  is  evidently  synon- 
ymous, in  the  following  passages,  with 
*  exercising  a  tender  care  towards  him.' 
Jer,  39.  12,  '  Take  him  and  look  well  to 
him,  alid  do  him  no  harm  ;'  Heb.  'set 
thine  eyes  upon  him.'  Jer.  40.  4,  '  If  it 
seem  good  unto  thee  to  come  with  me 
into  Babylon,  come;  and  I  will  look 
well  unto  thee ;'  Heb.  'I  will  set  mine 
eyes  upon  thee.'  '  Has  a  beloved  son 
been  long  absent,  does  the  father  anx- 
iously desire  to  see  him,  he  says,  '  Bring 
him,  bring  him,  that  the  course  of  mine 
eyes  may  be  upon  him.'  '  Ah,  mine 
eyes,  do  you  again  see  my  son  1  Oh, 
mine  eyes,  is  not  this  pleasure  for  you  7' 
Hoberts. 

22.  "^The  lad  cannot  leave  his  father. 
That  is,  his  father  cannot  consent  to 
part  with  him.  The  inability  was 
rather  on  the  part  of  Jacob  tlian  of 
Benjamin;  but  the  idea  is  sufficiently 
obvious.     He  is  called  a  '  lad'  from  his 


be  with  us,  then  will  we  go  down 
for  we   may  not  see  the  man's 
face,  except  our  youngest  brother 
be  with  us. 

27  And  thy  servant  my  father 
said  unto  us.  Ye  know  that  •"  my 
wife  bare  me  two  so7is: 

28  And  the  one  went  out  from 
me,  and  I  said,  "  Surely  he  is  torn 
in  pieces;  and  1  saw  him  not 
since: 

29  And  if  ye  °  take  this  also 
from  me,  and  mischief  befall 
him,  ye  shall  bring  down  my 
gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to  the 
grave. 

mch.  46.  19.    n  ch,  37.  33.    o  ch.  42.  30,  33 


being  the  youngest  of  the  brethren, 
though  he  was  now  married  and  had 
ten  children,  Gen.  46.  21.  So  the  three 
companions  of  Daniel,  Shadrach,  Me- 
shach,  and  Abednego,  though  old 
enough  to  be  'set  over  the  affairs  of 
the  province,'  yet  are  spoken  of  as  the 
three  children  who  were  cast  into  the 
fiery  furnace.  See  Note  on  Gen  22.  5. 
27 — 29.  Ye  know  that  my  wife  bare 
me,  &c.  Sorrow  is  ever  entitled  to 
respect.  No  one  possessed  of  the  com- 
mon feelings  of  humanity  but  will  be 
disposed  to  alleviate  the  grief  of  him 
whom  God  has  wounded  by  singular 
afflictions.  He  must  have  the  spirit  of 
a  fiend  who  wilfully  doubles  those  sor- 
rows of  an  innocent  man  M'hich  are 
already  great.  It  is  a  dreadful  afflic- 
tion to  have  one  of  two  favorite  sons 
torn  in  pieces  by  wild  beasts.  The 
person  who,  without  indispensable  ne- 
cessity, bereaves  him  of  the  other  is 
more  merciless  than  the  beasts  of  prey 
which  deprived  him  of  the  first.  Judah 
was  far  from  thinking  that  the  brother 
supposed  by  the  father  to  be  torn  of 
wild  beasts,  was  the  very  man  before 
whom  he  was  now  pleading  with  such 
affectio  .ate  earnestness.     Yet  it  is  ob- 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


331 


30  Now  therefore  when  I  come 
to  thy  servant  my  father,  and  the 
lad  be  not  wiih  us;  (seeing  that 
p  his  life  is  bound  up  in  the  lad's 
life  ;) 

31  It  shall  come  to  pass,  when 
he  seeih  that  the  lad  is  not  with 
Its,  that  he  will  die:  and  thy  ser- 
vants shall  bring  down  the  gray 
hairs  of  thy  servant  our  father 
with  sorrow  to  the  grave. 

32  For  thy  servant  became 
surety  for  the  lad  unto  my  lather, 

p  1  Sam.  18.  1. 


servable  that  lie  said  nothing  but  what 
was  true,  ahhough  he  did  not  tell  all 
the  truth.  It  was  not  to  be  expected 
that  he  would  tell  how  Benjamin's 
brother  was  lost.  He  only  told  his 
father's  opinion  concerning  it,  and  that 
was  enough  to  melt  any  man's  heart 
into  compassion  for  a  father  bereaved 
in  such  a  cruel  manner  of  one  son,  and 
trembling  in  apprehension  of  the  loss 
of  another.  He  had  indeed  many 
other  sons  left,  but  none  of  them  by 
the  best-beloved  of  his  wives.  When 
he  lost  the  son  whom  he  believed  to 
have  been  the  prey  of  ravenous  beasts, 
his  body  was  not  so  much  enfeebled  by 
the  infirmities  of  age.  But  in  his  pres- 
ent state  of  weakness,  it  was  impossi- 
ble, to  all  appearance,  that  he  could 
survive  a  second  shock  more  grievous 
than  the  first. 

30,  31.  Seeing  that  his  life  is  bound 
up  in  the  la  is  life.  Or,  Heb.  TI^Sw 
TiJ5"^  rr^lEp  naphsho  keshurah  be- 
napsho,  his  soul  is  bound  up  in  his  {the 
lad's)  soul.  Gr.  '  His  soul  hangeth  on 
this  nan's  soul.'  Chal.  'His  (Benja- 
min's) soul  is  beloved  unto  him  as  his 
own  soul.'  If  we  love  our  lives  or  if 
we  regard  the  commandment  which 
requires  us  to  use  all  lawful  endeavors 
to  preserve  them,  let  us  beware  of  im- 
moderate attachment  to   any  worldly 


saying,  ^If  I  bring  him  not  unto 
thee,  then  I  shall  bear  the  blame 
to  my  father  for  ever. 

33  Now  therefore,  I  pray  thee, 
'let  thy  servant  abide  instead  ot 
the  lad  a  bond-man  to  my  lord  ; 
and  let  the  lad  go  up  with  his 
brethren. 

34  For  how  shall  I  go  up  to 
my  father,  and  the  lad  be  not 
with  me  ?  lest  peradventure  I  see 
the  evil  that  shall  come  on  my 
father. 

qch.  43.9.     r  Eiod.  32.  32. 


object.  If  our  lives  are  bound  up  in 
any  created  enjoyment  in  this  change- 
able world,  we  subject  not  only  our 
peace  and  comfort,  but  our  lives  them- 
selves, to  great  hazard.  Jacob's  lifd 
was  bound  up  in  the  life  of  Benjamin, 
and  therefore  there  was  great  danger, 
if  any  mischief  had  befallen  tbe  young 
man,  that  his  father's  precious  life 
would  have  been  cut  oft^  by  inconsola 
ble  grief.  Many  parents  have,  without 
intending  it,  shortened  their  days,  by 
giving  an  unbounded  scope  to  parental 
fondness.  We  pity  them,  but  we  can- 
not commend  them.  They  reap  ac- 
cording to  that  they  have  sown. 

33,  34.  Let  thy  servant  abidt  instead 
of  the  lad.  Judah  became  bound  to  re- 
store Benjamin  to  his  father,  and  he 
wishes  to  perform  his  word  although 
by  his  fidelity  he  should  make  himself 
a  slave  for  life.  He  that  sweareth  to 
his  own  hurt,  and  changelh  not,  is  a 
man  of  tried  integrity.  Comparatively 
but  little  praise  is  due  to  him  who  keeps 
his  promises  when  he  has  no  tempta- 
tion to  break  them.  But  that  man  is 
a  lover  of  truth  and  righteousness,  who 
prefers  a  pure  conscience,  not  only  to 
gold  and  silver,  but  to  his  pleasure,  his 
family,  his  liberty,  and  his  life.  It  is 
probably  to  be  inferred  that  Judah  had 
not  at  this  time  a  wife,  as  otherwise  it 


332 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1707. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

THEN  Joseph  could  not  refrain 
himself  before  all  them  that 
stood    by    him;    and    he    cried, 


would  not  have  been  his  duly  to  come 
under  engagements  that  might  sepa- 
rate him  from  her.  He  had  three  chil- 
dren, but  these  he  might  safely  leave  to 
the  care  of  his  father  and  his  brethren, 
especially  his  younger  brother,  whose 
liberty  he  was  willing  to  redeem  with 
his  own.  There  was  no  duty  that  im- 
periously prohibited  him  from  taking 
the  place  of  his  unfortunate  brother. 
He  was  so  far  master  of  his  own  liber- 
ty that  he  could  warrantably  put  him- 
self in  Benjamin's  room  if  the  govern- 
or gave  his  consent.  But  let  it  not  be 
thought  from  this  that  Judah  was  in- 
sensible to  the  sweets  of  liberty.  Lib- 
erty was  no  doubt  dear  to  him,  but  his 
father's  comfort  was  dearer.  Much 
rather  would  he  have  chosen  to  con- 
tinue in  Egypt  as  a  slave,  excluded 
from  the  society  of  his  father,  his 
brethren,  his  children,  than  to  return 
without  Benjannn,  and  see  the  grief 
that  would  soon  put  an  end  to  his 
father's  life.  Such  an  example  of  fiUal 
affection  has  strong  claims  to  our  at- 
tention. Those  children  who  have  yet 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  their  fathers  in 
the  land  of  the  living,  may  hence  learn 
what  value  to  put  upon  this  blessing 
and  what  regard  they  ought  to  pay  to 
the  happiness  of  those  that  brought 
them  into  the  world.  Shall  they  not 
do  what  they  can  to  make  the  lives  of 
those  men  pleasant,  without  whom 
they  themselves  would  not  have  tasted 
the  pleasure  of  living?  Let  them  not 
say  that  their  fathers  have  not  treated 
them  with  that  kindness  which  he 
shows  some  of  their  brothers  or  sis- 
ters; that  he  has  his  favorites  in  the 
family.  Judah  saw  plainly  that  Ben- 
jamin was  loved  far  above  himself,  or 


Cause  overy  man  to  go  out  from 
me:  and  there  stood  no  man  with 
him,  while  Joseph  made  himself 
known  unto  his  brethren. 


any  of  his  brethren  by  the  same  moth- 
er. Jacob  made  no  secret  of  his  pa- 
rental tenderness  for  Benjamin.  Yet 
Judah  is  so  far  from  repining  at  the 
superiority  of  his  father's  regard  for 
Benjamin,  that  he  is  willing  to  become 
a  slave  for  him,  because  his  father 
would  be  less  hurt  by  his  misfortunes 
than  by  Benjamin's.  How  different 
was  the  spirit  which  he  now  discover- 
ed, from  that  which  appeared  in  the 
sons  of  Jacob  when  they  sold  Joseph 
into  Egypt  because  their  father  loved 
him  better  than  themselves !  Now 
Judah  is  willing  himself  to  become  a 
slave  in  Egypt  for  Benjamin  simply  for 
the  reason  that  his  father  loved  Benja- 
min better  than  himself!  Blessed  be 
God,  that  though  that  which  has  been 
done  cannot  be  undone,  yet  the  doers 
of  evil  may  be  made  in  God's  sight  as 
though  they  had  not  done  it !  '  If  any 
man  be  in  Christ  he  is  a  new  creature.' 
Let  not  penitents  be  upbraided  with 
their  old  sins.  They  are  not  what  they 
once  were ;  and  when  their  iniquities  are 

sought  for  they  shall  not  be  found. U 

The  evil  that  shall  come  ripon  my  fa 
ther.  Heb.  ^::i^  rii  5<::)2"'  '"iIL'i^  asher 
yimtza  eth  abi,  uhich  shall  Jind  my 
father  ;  i.  e.  which  shall  befall  or  in- 
vade my  father.  Thus,  1  Chron.  10.  3, 
'And  the  battle  went  sore  against 
Saul,  and  the  archers  hit  him.'  Heb. 
found  him.'  Ps.  116.3,  '  The  sorrows 
of  death  compassed  me,  and  thepains 
of  hell  gat  hold  upon  me.'  Heb. 
'■found  me.' 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

The  present  chapter  brings  us  at 
length  to  the  winding  up  of  this  'strange 
eventful  history.'    The  purposes  of  Jo 


B.  C.  1707.] 


CHAPTER  XLV. 


333 


2  And  he  wept  aloud  ;  and  the 
Egyptians  and  the  house  of  Pha- 
raoh heard. 

3  And  Joseph    said   unto  his 


seph,  or  rather  of  that  providence 
whose  minister  he  was,  in  subjecting 
the  sons  of  Jacob  to  such  a  series  of 
trials  and  vexations,  are  answered,  nd 
all  things  are  now  ready  for  the  final 
grand  discovery.  The  speech  of  Judah 
recorded  in  the  last  chapter  had  evi- 
dently penetrated  the  heart  of  Joseph. 
He  had  heard  enough,  and  more  than 
enough,  to  satisfy  him  that  his  breth- 
ren sincerely  loved  Benjamin  and  their 
father.  The  affectionate  manner  in 
which  Jacob  was  mentioned  ;  the  un- 
feigned earnestness  expressed  to  save 
him  from  the  impending  blow ;  the 
generosity  of  Judah's  offer  to  put  him- 
self in  Benjamin's  place;  all  this  as- 
sures him  that  time,  affliction,  and  a 
sense  of  duty,  had  introduced  another 
and  happier  spirit  into  the  family.  Jo- 
seph's heart  accordingly  was  strongly 
agitated  by  the  tenderest  and  most 
powerful  emotions,  filial  and  fraternal 
love,  compassion,  joy,  and  grief.  He 
could  contain  himself  no  longer.  He 
felt  that  he  must  give  way  to  the 
insuppressive  burst  of  nature,  and  no 
longer  defer  the  pleasure  which  he 
should  both  give  and  receive  while  he 
stood  revealed  before  his  brethren  as 
the  LONG-LOST  Joseph. 

1.  Cause  every  man  to  go  out  from 
me.  The  curiosity  of  the  domestics 
must  have  been  greatly  excited  by  the 
unaccountable  peculiarity  of  his  be- 
havior to  those  strangers  from  Canaan, 
but  he  does  not  choose  to  have  any 
spectators  to  the  tender  scene  before 
him,  except  those  who  were  to  be  actors 
in  it.  The  heart  does  not  like  to  have 
it3  stronger  emotions  exposed  to  the 
view  of  many  witnesses.    Moreover, 


brethren,  »I  am  Joseph  ;  doth  my 
father  yet  live  ?  And  his  breth- 
ren could  not  answer  him;  for 
they  were  troubled'  at  his  presence. 


a  Acts  7.  13. 


had  his  servants  been  present  they 
must  soon  have  learned  what  treat- 
ment Joseph  once  received  from  his 
brethren;  and  it  was  not  to  be  expect- 
ed that  they  would  so  easily  forgive  the 
injuries  done  to  their  lord,  as  their  lord 
himself  could  do.  Joseph  with  his 
characteristic  generosity  determines  at 
once  to  spare  the  feelings  of  his  breth- 
ren and  consult  their  reputation,  by 
having  all  spectators  removed. 

2.  And  he  wept  aloud.  Heb.  '■,n''- 
'^ID^D  Ijjp  tl&i  yitten  eth  kolo  bivki, 
gave  forth  his  voice  in  weeping.  'In 
this  way  do  they  speak  of  a  person 
who  thus  conducts  himself:  'How 
loudly  did  he  give  forth  his  voice  and 
weep.'  'That  child  is  for  ever  giving 
fortli  its  voice.'  This  violence  of  their 
sorrow  is  very  great,  and  their  voice 
may  be  heard  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance.' Roberts.  Joseph  probably  was 
scarcely  able  to  articulate  the  orders 
for  all  his  servants  to  leave  the  pres- 
ence-chamber, when  the  uncontrollable 
emotions  that  wrought  in  his  bosom 
found  vent  in  a  flood  of  tears.  Had 
he  been  less  moved  these  tears  might 
have  flowed  in  silence.  But  he  broke 
forth  in  a  loud  weeping,  so  that  the 
Egyptians  from  without  heard  him. 
But  if  their  minds  were  filled  with 
amazement,  and  a  desire  to  know  the 
cause  of  this  strange  affair,  how  must 
his  brethren  within  have  been  over- 
whelmed with  surprise  to  witness  such 
a  burst  of  sorrow  from  him,  who,  but 
a  while  before,  was  all  sternness  and 
severity  !  But  the  mystery  is  soon  to 
be  solved. 

3.  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  breth- 
ren, &c.    We  can  easily  conceive  that 


334 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706. 


4  And  Joseph  said  unto  his 
brethren,  Come  near  to  me,  I 
pray  you:  and  they  came  near: 
and  he  said,  I  am  Joseph  your 
brother,     ''  whom    ye     sold    into 


Egypt. 


b  cb.37.28. 


Joseph's  voice  must  for  a  time  have 
been  so  obstructed  by  his  feehngs  as 
to  render  articulation  impossible.  But 
when  at  length  he  found  the  power  of 
utterance,  his  first  astounding  words 
were,  I  AM  JOSEPH  ! ! !  and  in  the 
next  breath  pours  out  his  heart  in  the 
tender  enquiry,  Doth  my  father  vet 
LIVE? — after  which  we  may  suppose 
his  voice  again  smothered  in  sobs,  and 
a  fresh  flood  of  tears  streaming  from 
his  eyes.  His  brethren,  on  the  other 
hand,  struck  dumb  with  astonishment, 
oppressed  with  shame,  stung  with  re- 
morse, petrified  with  terror,  are  unable 
to  utter  a  word.  Had  their  brother 
been  actually  dead,  and  risen  again  and 
appeared  before  them,  their  feelings 
would  scarcely  have  been  different 
from  what  they  were.  The  rush  of 
thoughts  which  would  at  once  crowd 
in  upon  their  minds,  is  past  description. 
They  were  covered  with  confusion  on 
frnding  themselves  in  the  presence  of 
the  man  whom  they  had  hated  without 
a  cause,  and  upon  whom  they  had 
heaped  such  accumulated  wrongs. 
Yet  the  words,  the  looks,  the  gushing 
tears  of  their  brother  indicate  any  thing 
but  a  purpose  of  vengeance,  and  the 
encouragement  they  would  take  from 
those  outward  signs  is  strongly  con- 
firmed by  what  immediately  follows. 

4,  5.  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  breth- 
ren, Come  near  me,  &c.  His  brethren 
being  unable  to  make  any  reply,  their 
silence  affords  to  Joseph  an  opportuni- 
ty to  administer  to  them  the  strongest 
of  all  consolation.  A  spirit  less  mag- 
nanimous than  his  might  have  been 


5  Now  therefore  •=  be  not  griev- 
ed, nor  angry  with  yourselves, 
that  ye  sold  me  hither  :  ^  for  God 
did  send  me  before  you  to  pre- 
serve life. 


c  Isa.  40.  2. 
Ps.  105.  16,  17. 


2  Cor.  2.  7.    d  ch.  .50.  20. 
2  Sam.  16. 10,  11,  Acts  4.  24. 


disposed,  in  the  midst  of  all  its  sympa- 
thy, to  enjoy  the  triumph  which  he 
now  had  over  them  and  to  make  them 
feel  it.  But  he  has  made  them  feel 
sufl5ciently  already;  and  having  for- 
given them  in  his  heart,  he  remembers 
their  sin  no  more,  but  is  full  of  tender 
solicitude  to  calm  their  troubled  spirits. 
He  bids  them  approach  him  and  again 
assures  them  that  he  is  their  brother — 
the  brother  whom  they  sold  into  Egypt. 
This  painful  event  he  seems  to  have 
mentioned,  not  in  order  to  stir  up  new 
anguish  in  their  minds,  but  for  the  sake 
of  convincing  them  that  it  was  he  him- 
self, their  brother  Joseph,  and  not  an- 
other; and  lest  the  mention  of  it 
should  be  taken  as  a  reflection,  and  so 
add  to  their  distress,  he  immediately 
follows  it  up  with  a  dissuasive  from 
overmuch  sorrow  ;  '  Now  therefore  be 
not  grieved  nor  angry  with  yourselves,' 
&c.  In  this  soothing  and  tender  strain 
did  he  pour  balm  into  their  wounded 
hearts.  A  less  delicate  mind  would 
have  talked  oi  forgiving  them ;  but  he 
entreats  them  to  forgive  themselves, 
as  though  his  forgiveness  was  out  of 
the  question.  There  was  indeed  suffi- 
cient reason  for  them  to  be  grieved  and 
to  be  angry  with  themselves,  but  Jo- 
seph knew  that  at  present  their  grief 
might  be  carried  to  a  dangerous  excess. 
So  long  as  he  had  reason  to  think  that 
his  brethren  were  not  sufficiently  sen- 
sible of  the  atrocity  of  their  guilt,  he 
treated  them  with  a  severity  which 
brought  their  sin  to  remembrance  in 
all  its  aggravations.  But  when  he  saw 
them  deeply  humbled  and  overwhelm- 


B.  G.  1706.J 


CHAPTER  XLV. 


335 


6  For  these  two  years  hath 
the  famine  been  in  the  land :  and 
yet  there  are  five  years,  in  the 
which  there  shall  neither  he  ear- 
inof  nor  harvest. 


ed  with  confusion,  he  administered  sea- 
sonable consolation.  They  were  not 
to  consider  their  crime  too  gredt  to  be 
forgiven,  either  by  that  God  or  that 
brother  whom  they  had  offended.  In- 
deed his  main  object  seems  now  to  be 
to  bring  them  to  eye  the  hand  of  an 
overruUng  providence  in  all  that  had 
happened,  so  as  to  be  reconciled  to  the 
event,  though  they  might  weep  in  se- 
cret places  for  the  part  which  they  had 

acted. IT  God   did  send  me   before 

you  to  preserve  life.  We  know  that 
the  righteous  God  hates  all  sin  with 
a  perfect  and  irreconcilable  hatred  ;  but 
it  is  his  prerogative  to  bring  good  out 
of  evil,  and  no  sin  can  be  committed 
without  his  knowledge,  or  in  opposition 
to  his  holy  counsels.  Sinners  are  as 
really  the  ministers  of  his  providence 
as  saints,  and  he  glorifies  himself  by 
the  wickedness  which  he  hates  and 
punishes,  as  well  as  by  that  holiness 
which  he  loves  and  rewards.  When 
Joseph  was  sold  into  Egypt  by  the 
envy  of  his  brethren,  God  by  his  secret 
working  sent  him  thither,  that  he  might 
both  attain  the  grandeur  which  they 
were  endeavoring  to  counteract,  and 
might  be  the  happy  instrument  of  sa- 
ving many  lives,  not  only  the  lives  of 
his  father's  family,  but  of  the  whole 
nation  of  Egypt,  and  of  muhitudes  in 
the  neighboring  countries.  Let  us  not 
then  in  thinking  of  our  misfortunes  or 
our  blessings  lose  sight  of  the  great 
Author  of  our  being  and  the  manager 
of  our  concerns.  Instead  of  feeling  ir- 
ritation of  spirit  against  those  who 
have  been  the  instruments  of  our  mis- 
eries, or  lavishing  all  our  gratitude  on 
those  to  whom  we  have  been  indebted 


7  And  God  sent  me  before 
you,  to  preserve  you  a  posterity 
in  the  earth,  and  to  save  your 
lives  by  a  great  deliverance. 


for  favors,  let  us  raise  our  minds  te 
him  who  has  said,  '  I  form  light,  and 
create  aarkness;  I  make  peace  and  cre- 
ate evil;  I  the  Lord  do  all  these  things.' 
This  was  a  lesson  which  Joseph  had 
learned.  He  was  instructed  to  ac- 
knowledge and  revere  God's  providence 
in  all  that  befel  him,  and  would  have 
his  brethren  share  with  him  in  these 
pious  sentiments.  Seeing  the  hand  of 
God  in  his  afflictions,  and  seeing  good- 
ness and  mercy  in  them  all,  he  could 
not  only  cheerfully  forgive  those  who 
were  his  instruments  in  bringing  him 
low,  but  endeavor  also  to  revive  their  de- 
jected spirits  by  turning  their  attention 
to  the  gracious  operations  of  providence 
bringing  much  good  to  themselves  and 
to  many  others,  out  of  their  own  bad 
conduct.  What  we  have  done,  we  can- 
not undo ;  nor  can  we  prevent  the  nat- 
ural tendency  of  sin  to  produce  the 
most  miserable  effects  to  ourselves  and 
others;  but  we  shall  ever  find  abun- 
dant cause  of  thanksgiving  that  a  gra- 
cious God  has,  in  innumerable  instan- 
ces, counteracted  that  tendency,  and 
preserved  us  from  the  pain  of  seeing 
misery  diffused  around  us  as  the  fruit 
of  our  doings.  Yet  for  our  humiliation 
let  us  remember  that  the  nature  of  sin 
is  not  altered  by  the  use  that  God 
makes  of  it.  Poison  does  not  cease  to 
be  poison,  because  it  may  enter  into  the 
composition  of  healing  medicines.  '  If 
our  unrighteousness  commend  the  right- 
eousness of  God,  what  shall  we  say? 
Is  God  unrighteous  who  taketh  ven- 
geance 1  God  forbid ;  for  then  how 
shall  God  judge  the  world  V 

6,  7.  Yet  there  are  five  years  in,  th» 
which,  &c.    As  Joseph's  brethren  were 


336 


GENESIS. 


[B.  G.  1706. 


S  So  now  it  was  not  you  that 
sent  me  hither,  but  God  :  and  he 
hath  made  me  *  a  father  to  Pha- 

e  ch.  41.  43.    Judg.  17.  10.    Job  29.  16. 


little  capable  of  speaking  at  present,  he 
himself  continued  the  discourse.  To 
divert  their  minds  from  terror,  and  still 
more  strongly  to  reassure  their  confi- 
dence, he  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  still 
farther  provision  that  it  was  necessary 
to  make  against  the  rigor  of  the  fam- 
ine, of  which  only  two  out  of  seven 
years  had  now  elapsed.  These  two 
years  were  but  the  beginning  of  sor- 
rows. They  were  to  be  followed  by 
other  five,  every  one  of  which  would 
be  more  grievous  than  the  former,  in 
which  there  was  to  be  neither  earing, 
i.  e.  plowing,  nor  sowing  through  the 
greater  part  of  the  fertile  country  of 
Egypt.  The  reason  of  this  would  be, 
that  there  was  to  be  no  crop  during 
that  time,  and  of  course  men  would  not 
break  up  the  ground,  nor  cast  that  seed 
into  the  earth  which  would  produce 
no  increase.  Hope  is  necessary  as  a 
stimulus  in  every  human  pursuit ;  and 
it  is  the  will  of  God  that  'he  that  plow- 
eth  should  plow  in  hope,  and  that  he 
that  thresheth  in  hope  should  be  par- 
taker of  his  hope ;'  i.  e.  should  realise 
the  object  of  his  hope.  He  repeats 
what  he  had  already  said  respecting 
the  divine  purpose  in  sending  him  be- 
fore them,  that  it  might  make  a  deeper 
impression  on  their  hearts.  Whatever 
might  be  the  pressure  of  the  famine, 
God  designed  not  only  to  preserve  the 
hves  of  those  who  then  existed,  but  to 
preserve  also  a  posterity  in  the  earth 
for  Abraham  and  Jacob.  If  Isaac  had 
perished  on  Mount  Moriah,  what 
would  have  become  of  the  promise  to 
Abraham?  If  Jacob's  sons  had  died 
of  hunger,  what  would  have  become  of 
the  promise  to  Jacob,  that  in  his  seed 


raoh,  and  lord  of  all  his  house, 
and  a  ruler  throughout  all  the 
land  of  Egypt. 

9  Haste  ye,  and  go  up  to  my 


all  the  nations  of  the  earth  should  be 
blessed?  Let  us  learn  from  this  to  be 
thankful  to  God  for  those  mercies  to 
our  fathers,  by  which  they  were  pre- 
served from  destruction.  They  were 
upheld  for  our  sakes  as  well  as  their 
own.  None  are  suffered  to  die  till  they 
have  brought  into  existence  those  who 
were  to  proceed  from  their  loins.  Let 
us  remember  too  that  while  the  daily 
preservation  of  our  lives  is  a  great  mer- 
cy, yet  some  deliverances  are  so  singu- 
larly great  on  account  of  the  greatness 
of  the  danger  from  which  they  preserve 
us,  or  the  singular  circumstances  at- 
tending them,  that  they  ought  to  be 
especially  remarked  and  celebrated. 

8.  It  was  not  you  that  sent  me  hither, 
but  God.  That  is,  it  was  not  you  sole- 
ly; it  was  not  so  much  you  as  God. 
Similar  absolute  for  comparative  ex- 
pressions frequently  occur.  Thus,  Ex. 
16.  8,  'Your  murmurings  are  not 
against  us,  but  against  the  Lord  ;'  i.  e. 
rather  against  the  Lord  than  against 
us.  Prov.  8.  10,  'Receive  my  instruc- 
tion, and  not  silver ;'  i.  e.  rather  than 
silver.  John  6.  38,  '  I  came  not  to  do 
mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that 
sent  me  ;'  i.  e.  not  my  will  only.  John 
5.  45,  '  Do  not  think  that  I  will  accuse 
you  to  the  father;'  i.  e.  that  I  only  will 
accuse.  Words  have  not  always  the 
same  meaning  when  uttered  by  differ- 
ent speakers.  Had  such  words  as 
these  been  spoken  by  Joseph's  breth- 
ren, we  should  justly  have  thought 
they  were  uttering  a  lie,  and  almost  a 
blasphemous  lie,  by  endeavoring  to 
transfer  their  criminal  conduct  to  God. 
Adam  said  nothing  but  what  was  strict- 
ly true  when  ho  said,  'The  woman 


B.  C.  1706.] 


CHAPTER  XLV. 


337 


father,  and  say  unto  him,  Thus 
saith  thy  son  Joseph,  God  hath 
made  me  lord  of  all  Egypt ;  come 
down  unto  me,  tarry  not : 

10  And  fthou  shalt  dwell  in 
the  land  of  Goshen,  and  thou 
shalt  be  near  unto  me,  thou,  and 

fch,47.  1. 


whom  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  she 
gave  me  of  the  fruit,  and  I  did  eat ;'  yet 
in  these  words  we  discover  the  corrupt 
disposition  of  the  speaker.  He  wished 
to  transfer  his  own  guilt  to  his  wife, 
and  almost  charged  divine  providence 
with  it.  It  was  saying  in  effect,  that 
if  God  had  not  bestowed  upon  him  a 
wayward  wife  he  might  still  have  been 
innocent  and  happy.  Tiius  if  Joseph's 
brethren  had  said,  'It  was  not  we  that 
sent  you  hither,  but  God,'  we  might 
justly  have  pronounced  them  guilty  of 
daring  impiety.  But  when  Joseph  is 
the  speaker,  we  recognise  the  drift  of 
the  words  at  once,  and  see  that  they 
are  free  from  any  exceptionable  mean- 
ing. His  object  is  to  intimate  that  his 
coming  to  Egypt  was  more  God's  work 
than  theirs;  that  they  were  but  instru- 
ments overruled  by  him  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  his  own  purposes; 
that  consequently  he  entertained  no 
harsh  sentiments  of  their  conduct,  but 
considered  it,  and  all  the  efiects  of  it, 
as  a  step  of  divine  providence  for  his 
good.  Their  intention  was  no  doubt 
evil,  but  his  thoughts  were  so  much 
occupied  with  God's  intentions,  that  he 
forgot  theirs.  It  is  indeed  wonderful 
that  the  Lord  of  hosts  permits  so  much 
evil  in  the  world,  but  no  less  wonder- 
ful that  he  controls,  directs,  limits,  and 
overrules  it,  so  as  to  make  it  redound 

to  his  glory. TT  He  hath  made  me  a 

father  to  Pharaoh.  However  much 
Joseph  was  indebted  to  the  king  of 
Egypt,  he  was  infinitely  more  indebted 
to  the  God  of  heaven.  It  was  God 
90 


thy  children,  and  thy  children's 
children,  and  thy  flocks,  and  thine 
herds,  and  all  that  thou  hast: 

11  And  there  will  I  nourish 
thee,  (for  yet  there  are  five  years 
of  famine;)  lest  thou,  and  thine 
household,  and  all  that  thou  hast 
come  to  poverty. 


that  brought  him  to  the  knowledge  of 
Pharaoh,  and  gave  him  favor  in  his 
sight.  It  was  God  that  exalted  him, 
and  endowea  him  with  knowledge,  and 
wisdom,  and  authority,  to  be  an  emi- 
nent benefactor  to  Pharaoh  and  his  king- 
dom. He  looked  beyond  his  brethren 
to  God  when  he  thought  upon  his  af- 
flictions, and  beyond  Pharaoh  to  God 
when  he  thought  of  his  exaltation. 
Thus  he  bears  his  sfSiction  with  meek- 
ness and  his  elevation  with  humility. 

9.  Haste  ye,  and  go  up,  &c.  It  is 
not  surprising  that  Joseph  was  now 
impatient  to  communicate  to  his  fa- 
ther the  happy  tidings  of  his  life  and 
his  glory  in  Egypt.  From  prudential 
reasons  he  had  hitherto  done  violence 
to  his  feelings  in  witholding  informa- 
tion that  would  have  cheered  the  heart 
of  his  father  to  its  core.  Now  every 
thing  was  removed  out  of  the  way 
w^hich  might  render  it  unadviseable  to 
make  Jacob  acquainted  with  his  condi- 
tion ;  and  providence  had  so  ordered 
matters  that  he  could  entertain  a  rea- 
sonable hope  of  prevailing  upon  him 
to  come  down  to  Egypt.  We  too  often 
mar  our  pleasures  by  too  much  precipi- 
tancy in  enjoying  them.  By  patience 
and  prudence  we  make  sure  of  enjoy- 
ing them  with  a  far  better  relish. 

10,  11.  Thou  shalt  drcell  in  the  land 
of  Goshen,  &c.  Joseph  speaks  as  if 
he  had  all  power  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
and  ^yould  take  it  upon  him  to  assign 
one  of  the  best  and  most  convenient 
districts  in  that  land  to  his  father. 
But  this  intimation  would   probably 


33S 


GEI^ESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706, 


12  And  behold,  your  eyes  see, 
and  the  eyes  of  my  brother  Ben- 
jamin, that  it  is  8  my  movUh  that 
speaketh  unto  you. 

g-ch.42.2?. 


be  less  gratifying  to  the  good  old  man 
than  the  prespect  of  being  near  to  his 
beloved  son.  From  the  words  of  Ju- 
dah,  Joseph  had  learned  what  bitter 
griefs  his  father  had  endured  by  his 
own  separation  from  him.  He  rejoiced 
greatly  that  God  had  now  put  it  into 
his  power  to  compensate  his  father  for 
all  those  floods  of  tears  wbidi  he  had 
shed  on  his  behalf.  What  happiness 
might  father  and  son  now  expect  to 
enjoy  together,  should  Providence  spare 
their  lives !  Jacob  could  not  certainly 
wish  for  a  greater  felicity  than  to  be 
with  Joseph,  till  the  time  should  come 
when  angels  should  carry  him  to  Abra- 
ham's bosom,  which  was  far  better. 

12.  And  behold,  your  eyes  see,  &c. 
What  the  brethren  of  Joseph  now 
heard  and  saw  was  so  passing  strange, 
that  it  was  no  doubt  difficult  for  them  to 
believe  their  own  eyes  and  ears.  They 
would  be  apt  to  question  whether  all 
was  true,  whether  they  were  not  in  a 
dream,  or  imposed  upon  in  some  mys- 
terious way.  To  obviate  these  misgiv- 
ings, Joseph  calls  upon  them  to  notice 
him  more  particularly,  and  see  whether 
they  could  not  recollect  the  features  of 
his  face  and  the  sound  of  his  voice; 
especially  as  he  was  now  speaking  to 
them  without  an  interpreter.  Even 
Benjamin,  who  was  but  a  child  when 
Joseph  left  Canaan,  could  not  but 
know  that  it  was  Joseph  who  was 
speaking  to  them.  It  is  probable,  how- 
ever, that  they  were  quite  as  much  un- 
der the  influence  of  shame  as  of  uncer- 
tainty. They  could  not  doubt  on  the 
whole  that  it  was  really  the  mouth  of 
Joseph   that    spake   with    them,   nor 


13  And  ye  shall  tell  my  father 
of  all  my  glory  in  Egypt,  and  of 
all  that  ye  have  seen:  and  ye 
shall  haste,  and  ^  bring  down, 
my  father  hither, 

h  Acta  7. 14. 


could  they  well  dsubt  his  kindness-. 
But  they  still  found  it  difficult  to  be- 
lieve that  he  retained  no  resentment  at 
all  on  account  of  their  cruel  usage  to- 
wards him.  They  were  conscious  that 
they  deserved  severe  rebuke  and  punish- 
ment y  and  they  also  probably  felt  that 
they  could  not  from  their  hearts  have 
forgiven  one  who  had  treated  them  a» 
they  had  treated  Joseph.  It  has  been 
frequently  observed  that  it  is  mucb 
easier  to  forgive  the  injuries  done  to  us, 
than  to  believe  that  the  injuries  which 
we  have  done  to  others  are  forgiven. 

13.  Ye  shall  tell  my  father  of  all  my' 
glory,  &c.  But  what  shall  we  think 
of  Joseph's  motive  in  thus  speaking  of 
his  own  grandeur?  Are  we  to  suppose 
that  he  was  vainly  puffed  up  by  a 
fleshly  mind  7  Far  from  it.  His  uni- 
formly meek  and  humble  deportment 
at  once  contradicts  the  idea.  But  he 
v/as  extremely  anxious  to  turn  away 
the  thoughts  of  his  brethren  from  that 
wretched  state  to  which  they  had  de- 
signedly reduced  him,  to  the  happy 
state  to  which  they  had  undesignedly 
advanced  him.  He  wished  to  have 
them  persuade  themselves  that  the 
sense  of  their  past  wrongs  was  buried 
in  the  joy  of  his  exaltation.  Again,  he 
desired  his  father  might  be  informed  of 
his  glory  in  Egypt,  because  he  knew  it 
would  afford  him  unspeakable  pleasure 
and  open  his  mouth  in  praise  to  that 
God  who  had  been  so  gracious  to  him 
in  the  person  of  his  son.  An  affection- 
ate son  takes  great  pleasure  in  giving 
pleasure  to  his  father.  A  lover  of  God 
takes  pleasure  in  telling  what  God  has 
done  for   him,   that    his  friends  may 


B.  C.  1706.] 

14  And  he  fell  upon  his  broth- 
er*  Benjamin's  neck,   and  wept. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 


magnify  the  Lord  with  him.  Joseph 
had  perhaps  still  another  end  in  view 
in  desiring  his  brethren  to  tell  his 
father  of  his  glory.  This  part  of  the 
message  might  give  them  the  hope  of 
finding  forgiveness  with  their  father. 
When  he  learned  what  they  had  done 
against  their  brother,  he  must  have 
been  shocked  at  their  unnatural  bar- 
barity ;  but  by  hearing  of  Joseph's 
glory,  he  could  perceive  that  God  had 
sent  him  into  Egypt  by  their  hands  to 
accomplish  his  prophetical  dreams. 
The  grace  of  God,  in  giving  such  a  fa- 
vorable issue  to  Joseph's  afflictions, 
would  reconcile  Jacob  to  the  men  who 
had    brought    those    afflictions    upon 

him. H    Ye  shall  haste   and  bring 

down  my  father  hither.  Though  Jo- 
seph now  saw  that  his  brethren  could 
not  forgive  themselves  for  what  they 
had  done  against  him,  yet  he  lets  them 
know  that  they  have  it  in  their  power, 
in  some  degree  to  compensate  his  for- 
mer miseries,  by  using  their  influence 
along  with  his  to  hasten  down  their 
father  to  Egypt.  One  of  his  griefs  had 
been  that  in  Egypt  he  could  not  see 
his  father's  face;  but  for  the  pleasure 
of  again  beholding  him,  he  would  ac- 
count himself  indebted  to  his  brethren, 
if  they  could  prevail  upon  him  to  make 
no  tarrying  save  what  he  would 
find  to  be  absolutely  necessary.  His 
father's  great  age  also,  and  the  conse- 
quent uncertainty  of  life,  made  him 
still  more  anxious  that  the  removal 
should  take  place  with  the  least  possi- 
ble delay. 

14.  He  fell  upon  his  brother  Benja- 
min's neck,  and  wept.  Joseph's  bow- 
els had  yearned  over  his  brother  Ben- 
jamin at  the  time  when  he  stood 
arraigned  before  him  as  a  thief,  and  so 
confounded  with  the  charge  that  he 


and   Benjamin 
neck. 


wept    upon 


339 


his 


could  not  utter  a  word  in  his  own  de- 
fence. But  now,  when  there  was  no 
farther  occasion  for  concealing  what 
was  in  his  heart,  his  afTection  broke 
forth  in  all  its  force.  Words  were  in- 
sufficient to  express  half  the  tender- 
ness of  his  soul.  He  sprung  into 
Benjamin's  embraces,  and  held  him 
fast,  and  was  relieved  from  an  oppres- 
sion of  joy  by  a  fresh  flood  of  tears. 
Benjamin  was  no  doubt  little  less 
transported  than  Joseph.  The  transi- 
tion from  emotions  of  the  most 
gloomy  character  to  the  sweetest  joys 
that  mortality  can  taste,  was  almost 
too  much  for  him  to  bear.  But  tears 
came  likewise  to  his  relief.  He  wept 
upon  Joseph's  neck.  Though  many 
years  had  since  elapsed,  yet  he  could 
remember  how  pleasant  his  brother 
Joseph  had  been  to  him  before  the 
time  that  he  was  supposed  to  have 
been  torn  in  pieces  by  the  beasts  of 
prey.  He  was  not  then  too  young  to 
feel  the  loss  of  such  a  brother.  He 
had  moreover,  doubtless,  when  stand- 
ing by  his  father's  knee,  often  heard 
him  speak  of  the  amiable  qualities  and 
the  unhappy  fate  of  Joseph.  He  no 
more  expected  to  see  him  in  the  land 
of  the  living,  than  he  did  to  see  his 
fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac  raised  up 
again  from  their  graves  in  the  cave  of 
Machpelah.  What  overwhelming  joy 
poured  into  his  heart,  when  that  crafty 
tyrant  who  would  fain  have  made  him 
a  thief  and  a  slave,  was  found  to  have 
no  existence,  and  his  own  much-la- 
mented brother  appeared  in  his  place ! — 
as  if  the  lions  which  had  devoured  him 
had  rendered  up  their  prey,  and  bone 
had  come  again  to  its  bone !  Cases 
have  been  known  where  life  has  been 
unable  to  sustain  the  impetuous  tide 
of  joy  which  filled  the  bosom,  when 


340 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  mA 


15  Moreover,  he  kissed  all  his 
brethren,  and  wept  upon  them: 
and  after  that  his  brethren  talked 
with  him. 

16  II  And  the  fame  thereof 
was  heard  in  Pharaoh's  house, 
saying,  Joseph's  brethren  are 
come:  and  it  pleased  Pharaoh 
well,  and  his  servants. 

17  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Jo- 


those  friends  who  had  been  supposed 
dead  were  found  to  be  alive.  We 
should  not  have  wondered  had  Benja- 
min died  with  joy  or  fainted  in  Jo- 
seph's presence.  But  the  tears  which 
he  wept  unloaded  his  heart  of  its  ex- 
cess of  transports. 

15.  Moreover,  he  kissed  all  his  breth- 
ren. Benjamin  did  not  monopolise 
the  love  of  Joseph.  His  brethren  were 
all  dear  to  him,  and  he  greatly  desired 
a  place  in  their  hearts.  Though  from 
delicacy  he  had  said  nothing  of  forgiv- 
ing them,  yet  he  would  now  express 
as  much  or  more  by  his  actions,  and 
his  affectionate  kisses  accompanied  by 
tears  were  sure  tokens  that  all  their 
offences  were  to  him  as  if  they  had 
never  been  committed.  This  appears 
more  than  any  thing  else  to  have  re- 
moved their  terror,  so  that  now  they 
are  sufficiently  composed  to  talk  with 
him.  How  different  their  converse 
now  from  that  which  they  had  recent- 
ly held  at  the  governor's  table ;  where 
he  avoided  every  thing  which  might 
have  betrayed  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  their  family,  and  where  Ihey  were 
especially  guarded  in  their  answers  to 
his  questions,  that  they  might  not  dis- 
cover any  of  those  family  secrets 
which  were  so  httle    to  their  credit ! 

16.  Audit  pleased  Pharaoh  icell  and 
his  servants.  Heb.  'i:"'^?::  it2"'"i1 
{1515  va-yitab  be-ene  Paroh,  and  it 
was  good  in  the  eyes  of  Pharaoh.  As 
Joseph  was  in  Pharaoh's  eyes  such  a 


seph,  Say  unto  thy  brethren, 
This  do  ye;  lade  your  beasts, 
and  go,  get  you  unto  the  land  of 
Canaan  ; 

IS  And  take  your  father,  and 
your  households,  and  come  unto 
me :  and  I  will  give  you  the 
good  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 
ye  shall  eat  '  the  fat  of  the  land. 

i  ch.  27.  2S.     Numb.  IS.  12,  29. 


wonderful  man,  he  may  have  supposed 
that  his  family  were  also  remarkable 
for  wisdom  above  the  mass  of  man- 
kind, and  that  if  settled  in  his  country, 
they  might    be  in  some  way  a  signal 


blessing  to  it.  Conscious  that  it  had 
already  received  from  Joseph  greater 
benefits  than  he  was  able  to  repay,  he 
is  resolved  that  the  whole  family  shall 
partake  of  his  gratitude  and  bounty. 
In  this  it  appears  he  had  the  consent 
and  approbation  of  his  'servants,'  or 
officers.  This  is  perhaps  more  to  be 
wondered  at  than  that  the  king  himself 
should  be  inclined  to  favor  him.  The 
servants  of  princes  are  seldom  dis- 
posed to  look  kindly  upon  those  that 
are  raised  above  themselves,  especially 
if  foreigners.  Joseph's  merits  indeed 
were  such  that  they  could  not  but  be 
universally  acknowledged.  Yet  the 
spirit  which  is  in  man  lusteth  so 
strongly  to  envy,  that  Joseph's  continu- 
ed good  standing  in  the  court  of  Pha- 
raoh must  be  considered  as  a  singular 
testimony  to  the  wisdom  and  blame- 
lessness  of  his  deportment  to  all 
around  him. 

17,  18.  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Jo- 
seph,  &c.  In  other  affairs  Pharaoh 
appears  to  have  left  nearly  every  thing 
to  Joseph.  But  in  the  present  case,  in 
order  to  spare  his  feelings  in  haiing  to 
invite  his  own  relations,  as  it  were,  to 
another  man's  house,  as  well  as  to  ex- 
press his  gratitude  to  so  great  a  bene- 
factor, the  king  comes  forward   and 


B.  C.  1706.] 


19  Now  thou  art  commanded, 
this  do  ye;  take  your  wagons 
out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  for  your 
little  ones,  and  for  your  wives. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

brins: 


341 


issues  the  requisite  orders  himself.  His 
orders  are  extremely  liberal,  as  he  will 
not  only  afford  suf5cient  means  of 
sustenance  to  old  and  young  amongst 
them,  but  they  shall  eat  of  the  fat  of 
the  land.  We  cannot  but  applaud  this 
royal  munificence,  though  we  feel  that 
it  was  little  to  what  Joseph  had  done 
for  Pharaoh's  kingdom.  Yet  it  is 
pleasant  to  see  a  conduct  so  different 
from  that  of  the  king  of  Egypt  in  the 
following  age,  who  remembered  not 
Joseph.  The  present  sovereign  enter- 
tained such  a  sense  of  obligation  to 
Joseph  as  to  be  glad  of  an  opportunity 
for  extending  his  goodness  to  all  the 
kindred  of  a  public  benefactor. 

19.  Now  thou  art  commanded,  &c. 
Pharaoh  not  only  fermils,  but  com- 
mands Joseph  to  furnish  every  conven- 
lency  for  the  accommodation  of  his  fa- 
ther's family,  that  they  might  not  find 
any  embarrassment  to  retard  their  jour- 
ney to  Egypt.  For  this  purpose  they 
were  to  take  wagons  along  with  them 
to  Canaan  to  bring  down  the  patriarch's 
household.  This  was  a  mode  of  trav- 
elling to  which  Jacob  had  been  but 
little  used.  As  at  that  day,  so  at  the 
present,  wheel-carriages  are  almost 
wholly  unknown  in  the  country  of 
Palestine,  as  may  be  learned  from  the 
following  note  from  the  Pictorial 
Bible  :  '  The  Hebrew  word  seems  to 
be  fairly  rendered  by  the  word  '  wag- 
on.' A  wheel-carriage  of  some  kind 
or  other  is  certainly  intended  ;  and  as 
from  other  passages  we  learn  that  they 
were  covered,  at  least  sometimes,  the 
best  idea  we  can  form  of  them  is,  that 
they  bore  some  resemblance  to  our 
tilted  wagons.  With  some  small  ex- 
29* 


your     father,     and 


and 
come. 

20  Also  regard  not  your  stuff: 
for  the  good  of  all  the  land  of 
Egypt  IS  yours. 


ceptlon,  it  may  be  said  that  wheel-car- 
riages are  not  now  employed  in  Africa 
or  Western  Asia ;  but  that  they  were 
anciently  used  in  Egypt,  and  in  what  is 
now  Asiatic  Turkey,  is  attested  not 
only  by  history,  but  by  existing  sculp- 
tures and  paintings.  It  would  seem 
that  they  were  not  at  this  time  used 
in  Palestine,  as  when  Jacob  saw  them 
he  knew  they  must  have  come  from 
Egypt.  Perhaps,  however,  he  knew 
this  by  their  peculiar  shape.  The  only 
wheel-carriages  in  Western  Asia  with 
which  we  are  acquainted  are,  first,  a 
very  rude  cart,  usually  drawn  by  oxen, 
and  employed  in  conveying  agricultu- 
ral produce  in  Armenia  and  Georgia ; 
and  then  a  vehicle  called  an  Arabah, 
used  at  Constantinople  and  some  other 
towns  towards  the  Mediterranean.  It 
is  a  light  covered  cart  without  springs, 
and  being  exclusively  used  by  women, 
children,  and  aged  or  sick  persons,  (see 
v.  19.)  would  seem  both  in  its  use,  and 
as  nearly  as  we  can  discover,  in  its 
make,  to  be  no  bad  representative  of 
the  wagons  in  the  text.  No  wheel- 
carriage  is,  however,  now  used  in  a 
journey.' 

20.  Regard  not  your  stuff.  Heb 
Cnn  bi^  fii3">5  enekem  al  tahos, 
let  not  your  eye  spare.  Frugality  is 
certainly  a  christian  virtue,  yet  there 
are  times  and  cases  when  the  ordinary 
rules  of  frugality  ought  to  be  set  aside. 
Pharaoh  did  not  wish  Jacob''s  sons  to 
encumber  themselves  with  all  that 
stuff  which  might  have  been  useful  to 
them  had  they  remained  in  Canaan. 
He  desired  them  to  leave  behind  such 
articles  of  furniture  as  were  of  little 
value  or  difficult  of  conveyance,  giving 


342 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706. 


21  And  the  children  of  Israel 
did  so  :  and  Joseph  gave  them 
wagons,  according  to  the  com- 
mandment of  Pharaoh,  and  gave 
them  provision  for  the  way. 

22  To  all  of  them  he  gave  each 
man  changes  of  raiment:  but  to 
Benjamin  he  gave  three  hundred 


'pieces  of  silver,  and  ^five  changes 
of  raiment. 

23  And  to  his  father  he  sent 
after  this  manner ;  ten  asses 
laden  with  the  good  things  ot 
Egypt,  and  ten  she-asses  laden 
with  corn  and  bread  and  meat  for 
his  father  by  the  way. 

k  ch.  43.  34. 


them  to  understand  that  they  should 
be  no  loser?  when  they  arrived  in 
Egypt.  Joseph  had  already  made  the 
king  rich,  and  was  every  day  increas- 
mg  his  riches,  and  it  would  be  no  sensi- 
ble diminution  of  his  wealth  to  enrich 
the  whole  family  of  Joseph's  father  to 
the  extent  of  their  needs  and  desires. 
If  the  good  of  all  the  land  of  Egypt  was 
before  these  men,  what  inducements 
had  they  to  encumber  themselves  with 
the  furniture  of  their  tents,  or  to  be 
vexed  on  account  of  any  thing  that 
might  be  left  behind  them,  or  damaged 
in  their  journey  ?  And  why  should 
those  who  have  all  the  riches  of  the 
better  country  before  them,  give  them- 
selves any  disquiet  about  the  perishing 
things  that  belong  to  the  earthly  house 
of  this  tabernacle  7  The  heirs  of  heav- 
en are  rich  in  the  midst  of  poverty; 
although  they  have  nothing,  they  pos- 
sess all  things.  Never  let  them  give 
less  credit  to  the  promises  of  their 
heavenly  Father,  than  Jacob's  sons 
gave  to  the  kmg  of  Egypt. 

21.  And  the  children  of  Israel  did  so. 
That  is,  resolved  to  do  so  ;  saw  fit  to 
comply  wath  this  injunction.  They 
could  not  be  said  to  have  done  all  that 
was  comprised  in  the  order  till  they  had 
actually  brought  their  father  and  their 
families  to  Egypt.  But  such  a  phrase- 
ology is  common  to  express  the  jmr- 
pose  of  an  action,  or  series  of  actions, 
afterwards  performed.  It  is  very  prob- 
able that  the  commandments  of  Pha- 
raoh were   the  suggestion  of  Joseph 


himself,  for  Pharaoh  commanded  him 
to  do  for  his  brethren  what  he  express- 
ed his  intention  of  doing  when  Pharaoh 
knew  not  that  his  brethren  were  come. 

22.  He  gave  each  man  changes  of 
raiment.  It  is  still  a  common  custom 
in  the  East  with  rich  men,  to  testify 
their  love  for  their  friends,  or  their  es- 
teem for  strangers,  by  presents  of  gar- 
ments. As  the  fashion  of  clothes 
never  changes  with  them  as  with  us, 
ihey  do  not  become  useless  as  long  as 
they  last,  if  proper  care  be  taken  of 
them.  Joseph  by  giving  five  changes 
of  raiment  to  his  brother  Benjamin  vir- 
tually published  to  his  brethren  the 
superior  regard  which  he  entertained 
for  him  as  the  son  of  his  mother,  as 
well  as  of  his  father.  In  this  he  was  so 
far  from  showing  any  disrespect  to  his 
other  brethren,  that  he  paid  them  a 
compliment  which  we  cannot  doubt 
was  very  grateful  to  them.  He  showed 
his  confidence  in  their  good  dispositions 
toward  Benjamin.  Had  he  not  firmly 
believed  that  there  was  now  a  complete 
revolution  in  their  temper,  he  would  not 
have  honored  him  with  such  an  open 
testimony  of  his  partial  fondness  ;  and 
this  they  could  not  fail  to  perceive. 

23.  To  his  father  he  sent  after  this 
manner,  &c.  It  was  no  doubt  a  pleas- 
ure to  Jacob  to  partake  of  the  fruits  ol 
the  attention  and  kindness  of  his  long- 
lost  Joseph.  Yft  we  may  safely  sup- 
pose he  derived  more  pleasure  from  Jo- 
seph's goodness  to  his  brethren,  than 
from  the  presents  sent  to  himself.     He 


B.  €.  1706.3 


CHAPTER  XLV, 


343 


24  So  he  s«nt  his  brethren 
away,  and  they  departed:  and  he 
said  unto  them,  See  that  y^e  fall 
not  out  by  the  way. 

25  ^  And  they  went  ,up  out  of 
Egypt,  and  came  into  the  land  of 
Canaan  uato  Jacob  their  father, 

had  no  reasan  to  doubt  of  Joseph's 
warm  filial  affection,  but  it  would  fill 
him  with  joy  unspeakable  to  find  his 
son  exhibiting  the  l>ighest  pattern  of 
jTieekness,  and  of  the  forgiveness  of 
injuries,  thai  the  world  had  ever  yet 
beheld.  The  greatest  pleasure  of  an 
^ged  saint  is  to  see  his  children  walking 
in  the  truth  and  bringing  forth  fruits  of 
dghteousness  to  the  praise  of  the  glory 
of  God.  Joseph  did  not  send  this 
large  supply  to  his  father  to  enable  hiKi 
•to  continue  longer  in  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, for  he  hoped  soon  to  have  him 
with  himself.;  but  while  the  additional 
•quantity  and  value  of  the  gifts  served 
as  a  token  of  his  pecuhar  affection,  as 
did  the  five-fold  mess  to  Benjamin,  it 
was  probably  no  more  than  v/as  requi- 
site as  a  supply  for  their  wants  on  the 
way  to  Egypt. 

24.  See  that  ye  fall  net  cut  by  tke  way. 
Heb.  ITj'^n  b^  al  tirgezu,  be  nc4 
stirred i  i.e.  do  not  fall  into  conten- 
tions ;  do  not  give  w€.y  to  criminations 
and  recriminations.  The  original  word 
may  signify  any  strong  commotion  of 
mind,  under  the  influence  dtlier  of  fear, 
or  grief,  or  anger.  Gr.  *Do  not  be 
angry.'  Chal. 'Do  noi  contend.^  They 
were  in  effect  forbidden  to  accuse  each 
other  with  respect  to  the  past.  Joseph 
had  seen  the  violent  agitation  of  their 
minds,  both  when  they  were  put  in 
prison,  and  when  he  made  himself 
known  to  them.  He  had  already  heard 
from  Reuben  some  severe  reflections 
on  his  brethren,  and  he  was  afraid  lest 
they  should  either  feel  more  uneasiness 
than  he  wished  them  to  do,  or  exas- 
perate one  another  by  reflections  on  I 


26  And  told  him,  saying,  Jo- 
seph is  yet  alive,  and  he  is  gov- 
ernor over  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 
1  And  Jacob's  heart  fainted,  for 
he  believed  them  not. 

27  And  they  told  him  all  the 

1  Job.  29.  24.    Ps.  126.  1.    Luke  2i.  41,  44. 


their  former  conduct.  As  Joseph  was 
now  a  happy  man,  he  desired  to  make 
all  his  brethren  happy,  and  to  preserve 
them  from  any  thing  that  would  make 
them  unhappy,  and  ipartioularly  from 
quarrels  among  themselves.  In  the 
course  of  their  long  journey  their  con- 
versation would  turn  naturally  on  the 
remarkable  events  that  had  taken  place, 
and  without  a  strong  guard  both  on 
their  hearts  and  their  lips  they  v/ould 
be  in  danger  of  conceiving  mutual  re- 
sentments, hurtful  to  their  comfort  and 
their  peace.  If  he  had  forgiven  them 
all,  it  was  highly  reasonable  that  they 
should  forgive  one  another.  Joseph 
therefore  was  a  peace-maker  both  by 
precept  and  example. 

25,  26.  And  they  went  up  out  of 
Egypt,  &c.  Jacob  was  no  doubt  look- 
ing and  longing  for  their  return,  and 
the  sight  of  them  as  they  came  up  fill- 
ed him  with  ineffable  delight,  Simeon 
and  Benjamin  were  both  in  the  com- 
pany. His  soul  was  filled  with  the 
praises  of  that  goodness  which  had 
preserved  them  in  the  way  which  they 
went,  and  restored  them  safe  to  his 
arms.  But  he  was  soon  made  to  un- 
derstand that  materials  existed  for 
thanksgiving  beyond  what  he  had  ever 
imagined.  Yet  it  can  scarcely  be  sup- 
posed that  the  main  tidings  were  an- 
nounced so  suddenly  as  is  here  related. 
They  would  naturally  endeavor  to 
break  the  force  ctf  the  transports  ef  joy 
into  which  he  would  be  thrown,  by 
gradually  imparting  their  intelligence. 
Yet  whatever  was  the  mode  of  annun- 
ciation, it  was  not  to  be  expected  that 
Jacob  could  hear  the  tidings  without 


344 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706. 


words  of  Joseph,  which  he  had 
said  unto  them:  and  when  he 
saw  the  wagons  which  Joseph 
had  sent  to  carry  him,  the  spirit 
of  Jacob  their  father  revived  : 


28  And  Israel  said.  It  is 
enough :  Joseph  ray  son  is  yet 
alive :  I  will  go  and  see  him  be- 
fore I  die. 


being  wrought  up  to  a  pitch  of  over- 
whelming joy.  We  are  not  surprised 
therefore  to  hear  it  said  that  Jacob's 
heart  fainted  on  the  reception  of  the 
news,  and  that  he  considered  it  too 
good  to  be  tr-ie. H  His  heart  faint- 
ed. Heb.  yz^  35^  yaphog  libbo,  his 
heart  was  weakened.  Gr.  e^eaTn  tt} 
Siavoia,  he  was  astonished  in  his  mind. 
Chal.  '  And  those  words  were  waver- 
ing in  his  mind.'  The  meaning  plain- 
ly is,  that  the  report  agitated  his  mind 
to  such  a  degree  that  his  frame  could 
scarcely  sustain  the  shock.  There 
seemed  to  be  certam  proof  both  that 
Joseph  was  dead,  and  that  he  v/as  not 
dead.  There  was  an  inexplicable  mys- 
tery in  the  affair,  and  the  extremes  of 
joy  and  grief  seized  on  the  old  man. 
His  soul  was  enfeebled  in  his  weak, 
body  by  his  conflicting  emotions. 

27.  Tlie  spirit  of  Jacob  revived.  If 
Jacob  upon  the  first  report  of  the  ti- 
dings brought  by  his  sons  was  so  over- 
powered as  almost  to  lose  for  a  time 
the  possession  of  his  faculties,  he  did 
not  remain  long  in  that  state,  but  was 
soon  able  to  attend  to  the  account 
which  his  sons  gave  him  of  their  jour- 
ney, and  of  the  invitation  sent  to  him 
to  Egypt.  This  account  they  were 
able  to  confirm  by  pointing  him  to  the 
wagons  which  they  had  brought  with 
them.  The  sight  of  these  forbade  his 
doubting  any  longer.  Surely  his  sons 
had  not  collected  so  many  wagons  to 
impose  an  incredible  falsehood  upon 
him,  and  one  so  dishonorable  to  them- 
eelves.  The  proof  was  complete.  His 
apprehensions  were  banished.  '  His 
spirit  revived,'  and  joy  without  meas- 
ure took  possession  of  his  soul. 


28.  And  Israel  said,  It  is  enough^ 
&c.  What  he  had  heard  and  seen  was 
enough  not  only  to  remove  his  doubts, 
but  to  heal  his  wounded  heart,  to  set 
all  right,  to  solve  all  mysteries,  and  to 
satisfy  his  soul.  '  I  have  full  evidence 
that  Joseph  is  alive.  I  could  not  be 
better  assured  of  the  fact,  if  I  saw  him 
with  mine  own  eyes;  and  my  joy  is 
full.  All  the  happiness  that  the  world 
can  give  is  mine.  I  have  no  more 
wishes  on  this  side  of  the  grave.'  The 
words  remind  us  of  what  was  said  by 
the  father  of  the  prodigal  son,  when  he 
returned  to  the  paternal  roof.  '  This 
my  son  v/as  lost,  and  is  found ;  he  was 
dead,  and  is  now  alive.'  It  will  be  ob- 
served that  nothing  is  said  of  his  recep- 
tion of  the  gifts,  nor  is  it  intimated  that 
he  was  particularly  affected  by  the  re- 
port of  his  son's  glory  in  Egypt;  it 
was  enough  for  him  that  he  was  alive. 
This  was  at  present  his  grand  absorb- 
ing consolation  ;  and  though  the  sight 
of  Benjamin  an  hour  before  tliis  time 
would  have  appeared  to  him  a  suffi- 
cient happiness  for  this  world,  yet  now 
he  enjoys  not  only  that,  but  cherishes 
the  hope  of  seeing  and  embracing  onco 
more  the  son  whose  loss  he  had  mourn- 
ed year  after  year  in  bitterness  of  souL 
'  I  will  go  and  see  him  before  I  die.' 
His  beloved  Rachel  would  be  again 
alive  to  him,  when  blessed  with  the 
sight  of  his  lost  and  best-beloved  son. 
Trials  might  have  to  be  undergone,  and 
dangers  to  be  encountered,  by  a  body 
exhausted  by  age  and  grief,  before  he 
can  set  his  eyes  on  Joseph;  but  what 
will  not  Jacob  do,  or  suffer,  or  risk  to 
obtain  another  sight  of  that  son  whom 
his  soul  loved  7    That  love  which  is  as 


B.  C.  1706.1 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 


345 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

A  ND  Israel  took  his  journey 
■^  with  all  that  he  had,  and 
came  to  *  Beer-sheba,  and  offered 
sacrifices  ^  unto  the  God  of  his 
father  Isaac. 


ach.  21.  31,  33.  &  28.  10. 
&  28.  13.  <fe  31. 42. 


b  ch.  26.  24,  25. 


Strong  as  death  would  reconcile  him  to 
death  when  once  again  he  had  feasted 
his  eyes  upon  its  precious  object. 


CHAPTER   XLVI. 

1.  Aiid  Israel  took  his  journey  with 
all  that  he  had,  &c.  That  is,  with  all 
his  household;  for  it  seems  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  he  complied  with  Pha- 
raoh's intimation,  and  left  his  various 
heavy  furniture  and  utensils  behind 
him.  The  step  which  he  was  now 
about  to  take  was  obviously  one  of  the 
utmost  importance  both  to  himself  and 
his  posterity;  and  we  cannot  suppose 
that  so  good  a  man  would  enter  upon 
such  an  undertaking  without  solemnly 
mvoking  the  divine  blessing.  But 
though  he  had  doubtless  privately  corn- 
mined  his  way  to  God  from  the  first, 
yei  he  seems  to  have  had  some  special 
reasons  for  deferring  his  public  devo- 
tions till  he  should  arrive  at  Beersheba. 
This  was  a  memorable  spot.  It  was 
rendered  so  by  the  sojournings  there  of 
Abraham  and  Isaac,  and  himself  also, 
and  by  the  many  testimonies  there  re- 
ceived of  the  favor  and  protection  of 
their  covenant  God.  This  therefore  he 
selects  as  the  place  for  the  offering  up 
of  his  solemn  sacrifices,  a  place  lying 
on  the  borders  of  that  land  of  promise 
which  he  was  now  leaving  for  ever,  and 
where  so  many  familiar  objects  and 
sacred  -recollections  would  aid  the  de- 
vout sentiments  of  his  heart.  In  his 
approaches  to  God  he  did  not  forget  to 
avail  himself  of  the  covenant  made 
with  his  fathers  and  of  the  promises 
already  on  record.    In  hke  manner  it 


2  And  God  spake  unto  Israel 
"  in  the  visions  of  the  night,  and 
said,  Jacob,  Jacob!  and  he  said, 
Here  am.  I. 

3  And  he  said,  I  am  God,  '^  the 
God  of  thy  father:  fear  not  to  go 

cch.  15.  1.     Job.  33.  14,  15.     d  ch.  23.  13. 


is  both  wise  and  pleasant  for  us  to 
avail  ourselves  of  the  remembrance  of 
our  pious  ancestors  when  we  plead 
with  God  for  special  mercies.  It  is 
sweet  to  a  devout  mind  to  be  able  to 
say,  'He  is  my  God,  and  I  will  exalt 
him ;  my  father's  God,  and  I  will  build 
him  an  habitation.'  Jacob  no  doubt 
greatly  longed  to  see  Joseph,  but  hia 
most  ardent  passions  were  under  the 
control  of  religious  principle,  and  he 
would  rather  have  died  without  seeing 
Joseph  in  this  world,  than  go  to  see 
him  without  the  comfortable  assurance 
of  having  the  divine  blessing  in  so 
doing.  Nor  did  he  value  the  delay  in 
his  journey  necessary  to  secure  this 
blessing.  '  He  that  believeth  shall  not 
make  haste.' 

2.  And  God  spake  unto  Israel,  &c. 
The  historian  in  this  and  in  the  fore- 
going verse  calls  Jacob  by  the  name  of 
Israel,  an  appellation  which  appears 
gradually  to  have  come  into  use,  and 
which  from  its  associations  was  well 
calculated  to  afford  him  encourage- 
ment in  every  season  of  distress.  The 
Most  High,  however,  visiting  him  in 
the  visions  of  the  night,  here  called 
him  by  his  first  and  ordinary  name 
'Jacob,'  perhaps  to  put  him  in  mind  of 
what  he  was  in  himself  He  was  now 
indeed  honored  with  a  very  glorious 
title,  but  he  must  not  forget  that  he 
was  only  Jacob  when  God  met  with 
him  in  his  early  days.  He  might  have 
been  exalted  above  measure  with  the 
revelations  made  to  him,  if  he  had  for- 
gotten what  he  once  was.  The  ad- 
dress which  God  here  makes  to  his  ser- 


346 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706. 


down  imo  Egypt ;  for  I  will  there 
*  make  of  thee  a  great  nation  : 

4  f  I  will  go  down  with  thee 
into    Egypt;    and    I    will    also 

ech.12.2.    Deut.26.5.    f  ch.2S.15.&48. 21. 

vani  undoubtedly  had  reference  to 
Jacob's  design  in  offering  the  sacrifices. 
Accordingly  we  learn  from  the  tenor  of 
the  answer  that  his  object  was  to  ob- 
tain some  clear  testimony  of  the  divine 
approbation  of  the  step  he  was  about 
to  take.  This  is  abundantly  afforded 
him  in  what  follows. 

3,  4.  1  am  God,  the  God  of  thy  fa- 
ther. As  such  the  patriarch  sought 
Jehovah,  v.  1,  and  as  such  he  found 
him.  He  well  knew  that  Isaac  had 
ever  found  God  faithful  to  all  his  gra- 
cious engagements,  and  nothing  would 
yield  him  stronger  consolation  than  to 
be  assured  that  the  same  loving-kind- 
ness and  truth  would  be  extended  to 
him  also.  This  language,  accordingly, 
was  a  virtual  renewal  of  the  covenant 
of  Abraham,  and  would  leave  nothing 
to  be  desired  on  the  score  of  assurance. 

IT  Fear  not  to  go  down  into  Egypt. 

The  seasons  when  God  administers  his 
comforts  to  his  people,  are  generally 
those  in  which  they  stand  in  the  great- 
est need  of  them.  At  this  time  Jacob 
greatly  needed  support  to  his  heart  in 
view  of  his  journey  to  Egypt.  He  per- 
haps saw  little  difficulty  in  his  way 
when  he  first  thought  of  it.  His  joy 
at  hearing  of  Joseph's  life  and  glory 
was  so  rapturous  that  all  obstacles 
were  overlooked.  But  when  he  delib- 
erated coolly  on  the  subject,  it  present- 
ed itself  in  new  lights.  In  the  first 
place,  his  father  Isaac  in  a  time  of  fam- 
ine had  been  warned  not  to  go  down 
to  Egypt.  Was  it  then  lawful  for 
him  1  .Secondly,  he  was  doubtless  ac- 
quainted with  the  prediction  that  his 
seed  were  to  be  afBicted  in  Egypt. 
Might  not  his  going  thither  tend  to 


surely  s  bring  thee  up  again . 
and  ^  Joseph  shall  put  his  hand 
upon  thine  eyes. 


g  ch.  15. 
h  ch,  50. 1. 


16.  &  50.  13,  24,  25.      Exod.  3.  8, 


hasten  that  dreaded  crisis?  Thirdly, 
he  may  have  been  apprehensive  that 
by  thus  removing  to  a  foreign  country 
his  posterity  would  not  only  be  de- 
prived of  the  land  of  promise,  but  be  in 
imminent  danger  of  being  corrupted  by 
the  prevailing  idolatry  of  Egypt.  On 
all  these  accounts  it  was  very  desirable 
that  he  should  have  a  clear  warrant 
from  heaven  as  to  the  measure  con- 
templated, and  God  is  pleased  to  re- 
move all  his  latent  misgivings,  and  in- 
timates that  Egypt  was  to  be  the 
cradle  of  that  great  nation  which  was 
to  descend  from  his  loins.  How  stri- 
kingly this  promise  was  verified  we 
may  learn  from  the  fact  that  the  sev- 
enty souls  which  went  down  into  Egypt 
increased  in  the  space  of  two  hundred 
and  fifteen  years,  to  about  eighteen 
hundred  thousand.  But  the  Lord  not 
only  thus  removes  his  doubts  as  to 
the  path  of  duty,  but  assures  him 
moreover  that  he  would  go  with  him 
thither  as  he  had  been  with  him  hither- 
to. If  so,  no  enemies  would  be  able  to 
destroy  him,  no  accident  to  harm  him. 

^  I  will  surely  bring  thee  up  again. 

The  Lord  does  not  say  that  he  would 
bring  him  up  again  as  soon  as  the  re 
maining  years  of  the  famine  were  end- 
ed, nor  even  that  he  would  bring  him 
up  alive.  Indeed,  the  contrary  might 
be  inferred  from  the  very  words  of 
the  promise ;  for  he  was  to  remain 
there  till  he  had  become  a  great  nation, 
and  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  he  ex- 
pected or  wished  to  live  till  that  prom- 
ise was  accomplished.  The  words 
were  fulfilled  to  the  letter  when  Jacob's 
dead  body  was  brought  up  from  Egypt. 
But  this  was  a  small  thing.    It  waa 


B.  C.  1706.] 


CHAPTER  XLVl. 


347 


5  And  i  Jacob  rose  up  from 
Beer-sheba  :  and  the  sons  of  Israel 
carried  Jacob  their  father,  and 
their  little  ones,  and  their  wives, 
in  the  wagons  ^  which  Pharaoh 
had  sent  to  carry  him. 

6  And  they  took  their  cattle, 
and  their  goods  which  they  had 

i  Acts  7.  15.    k  ch.  45.  19,  21.     . 


only  a  pledge  of  the  fulfilment  ef  the 
promise  in  its  larger  and  truer  sense; 
for  it  was  to  be  in  the  person  of  his 
seed  that  Jacob  was  to  be  brought  up 
to  possess  the  earthly  inheritance.  In 
his  own  person  he  was  received  into 
the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light, 

IT  Joseph  shall  put  his  hand  upon 

thine  eyes.  That  is,  shall  stand  by  the 
bed-side  in  the  hour  of  thy  dissolution, 
and  perform  the  last  office  of  filial 
piety  in  closing  thine  eyes.  Such  a 
promise  was  not  only  an  assurance, 
that  God  in  love  to  him  would  order 
the  circumstances  of  his  latter  end  to 
his  own  satisfaction,  but  that  he  and 
Joseph  should  not  be  again  separated. 
Long  had  this  dear  son  been  lost  to 
him,  though  still  alive,  but  now  he 
learns  that  Joseph  is  to  survive  him, 
and  that  he  should  enjoy  his  society 
till  death.  No  parent  now  knows 
whether  any  of  his  dearest  friends  will 
live  to  close  his  eyes.  Parents  have 
been  often  known  to  lament  that  they 
had  lived  so  long  in  a  valley  of  tears  to 
bemoan  the  loss  of  those  whose  youth 
and  vigor  promised  a  long  continuance 
of  life.  Jacob  was  almost  the  only  fa- 
ther who  could  certainly  say  that  he 
would  not  live  to  mourn  over  the  best 
beloved  of  his  children.  David  knew 
that  Solomon  would  outhve  him,  but 
he  saw  the  miserable  end  of  another 
son  not  less  dear  to  his  heart. 

5.  And  Jacob  rose  up  from  Beer- 
sheba,  &c.  Jacob,  though  doubtless 
refreshed  and  strengthened  by  the  late 


gotten  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  and 
came  into  Egypt,  i  Jacob,  and  all 
his  seed  v/ith  him  ; 

7  His  sons,  and  his  sons'  sons 
with  him,  his  daughters,  and  his 
sons'  daughters,  and  all  his  seed 
brought  he  with  him  into  Egypt. 

I  Deut.  26.  5.    Josh.  24.  4.    Ps.  105.  23 
Isa.  52.  4. 


manifestation,  was  unable  to  travel  on 
foot  to  a  distant  country,  as  he  had 
done  in  the  days  of  his  youth.  In  this 
emergency  a  kind  providence  furnishes 
him  with  suitable  vehicles  to  carry  him 
to  Egypt,  and  his  children  were  careful 
to  perform  for  him  every  office  that 
could  make  his  journey  pleasant.  This 
was  a  debt  of  kindness  which  was  just- 
ly owed  to  Jacob  from  his  sons.  They 
were  little  children  at  the  time  of  his 
last  long  journey,  and  he  prayed  and 
wrestled  with  God  for  them  when  they 
were  in  danger,  and  used  all  possible 
means  to  appease  their  enraged  uncle, 
and  moved  slowly  along  the  road  as 
the  women  and  children  were  able  to 
bear.  Now  Jacob  was  himself  a  child 
in  strength,  and  his  vigorous  children 
recompensed  their  father's  tender  care 
by  their  care  of  him  on  the  journey. 

6.  They  took  their  cattle  and  their 
goods,  &c.  The  mention  of  their  bring- 
ing their  *  goods'  with  them  may  strike 
the  reader  as  inconsistent  with  what 
we  have  said  in  v.  1,  respecting  their 
compliance  with  Pharaoh's  injunction 
as  to  their  '  stuff.'  But  the  truth  is, 
the  original  words  for  goods  and  sivf 
are  different  and  doubtless  have  a  dif- 
ferent import ;  so  that  they  might  have 
left  their  stuff,  their  coarser  and  more 
cumbrous  utensils  behind  them,  while 
their  goods,  their  more  choice,  precious, 
and  costly  effects,  they  may  have  ta- 
ken with  them. 

7.  His  sons,  and  his  sons^  sons  with 
him,  his  daughters^  &c.    Jacob  had 


348 


GENESIS.  [B.  C.  1706 


^  S  And  "'  these  are  the  names 
of  the  children  of  Israel,  which 
came  into  Egypt,  Jacob  and  his 
sons :  "  Reuben,  Jacob's  first- 
born. 

9  And  the  sons  of  Reuben ; 
Hanoch,  and  Phallu,  and  Hezron, 
and  Carmi. 

10  TI  And  °  the  sons  of  Simeon ; 
Jemuel,  and  Jamin,  and  Ohad, 
and  Jachin,  and  Zohar,  and 
Shaul  the  son  of  a  Canaanitish 
woman. 


m  Ex.   1.   1.   &  6.   14.    n   Numb.  26.  5. 
1  Chron.  5.  1.    o  Ex.  6.  15.     1  Chron.  4.  24. 


but  one  daughter,  Dinah,  but  the  term 
may  here  include  his  daughters-in-law, 
or  it  may  be  used  indefinitely,  as  'sons,' 
V.  23,  signifies  one  son.  In  like  man- 
ner it  is  said  that  the  malefactors  who 
were  crucified  with  Christ,  reviled  him, 
when  it  appears  from  another  Evan- 
gelist that  but  one  of  them  is  intended. 
It  was  said  in  the  previous  verse  that 
Jacob's  sons  carried  him  in  the  wag- 
ons which  they  had  brought  from 
Egypt.  Here  we  are  told  that  Jacob 
brought  all  his  sons,  and  his  sons'  sons 
with  him  into  Egypt.  The  two  passa- 
ges together  form  one  of  those  insinu- 
ating modes  of  expression  not  unusual 
in  the  Scripture,  the  drift  of  which  is  to 
iir  brm  us  that  while  his  sons  took  all 
tl  e  trouble  of  the  journey  upon  them- 
selves, their  father  kept  all  the  author- 
ity in  his  hands  and  was  looked  upon, 
out  of  respect  to  his  age,  as  the  proper 
controUing  head  of  the  expedition.  This 
precedency  none  of  his  sons  grudged 
to  their  venerable  father.  They  were 
happy  to  be  under  his  direction,  and 
considered  him  as  the  bond  of  their 
union.     See  Note  on  Gen.  11.  31. 

8 — 14.  These  are  the  names  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  &c.  We  have  here 
a  list  of  Jacob's  descendants  who  went 


11  Tl  And  the  sous  of  p  Levi, 
Gershon,  Kohath,  and  Merari. 

12  Tl  And  the  sons  of  'i  Judah; 
Er,  and  Onan,  and  Shelah,  and 
Pharez,  and  Zarah:  but  ""Er  and 
Onan  died  in  the  land  of  Canaan. 
And  nhe  sons  of  Pharez  were 
Hezron,  and  Hamul. 

13  T[  t  And  the  sons  of  Issa- 
char;  Tola,  and  Phuvah,  and 
Job,  and  Shimron. 

14  Tl  And  the  sons  of  Zebulon ; 
Sered,  and  Elon,  and  Jahleel. 

p  1  Chron.  6.  1,  16.  q  1  Chron.  2.  3.  &  4. 
21.  r  ch.  38.  3,  7,  10.  s  ch.  33.  29.  1  Chron. 
2,  5.    I  1  Chron.  7.  1. 


with  him  into  Egypt,  the  leading  de- 
sign of  which  is,  by  the  contrast  be- 
tween their  present  small  number  and 
their  subsequent  amazing  increase,  to 
illustrate,  in  the  most  striking  manner, 
the  truth  of  the  divine  prediction  and 
promise  made  to  Abraham,  Gen.  15.  5. 
The  different  rate  of  increase  of  the 
chosen  seed  at  different  periods  of  the 
430  years  is  very  remarkable,  and  such 
as  must  greatly  have  tried  the  faith  of 
the  patriarchs.  For  twenty-five  yeara 
after  the  promise,  Abraham  had  no 
child.  When  Isaac  was  at  length  born, 
he  lived  to  the  age  of  forty  before  he 
was  married.  Here  were  sixty-five 
years  elapsed  and  but  a  single  one  of 
that  seed  which  was  to  be  as  the  stars 
of  heaven  for  multitude.  Isaac  finally 
married,  and  twenty  years  pass  by  be- 
fore he  has  a  child,  by  which  time 
Abraham  has  reached  the  age  of  a  hun- 
dred and  sixty.  Jacob  is  born,  and 
about  eighty  years  of  his  life  elapse  be- 
fore he  becomes  a  father.  So  that  for 
one  hundred  and  sixty  five,  years  after 
the  date  of  the  promise,  only  two  indi- 
viduals, Isaac  and  Jacob,  appeared  as 
its  fruits.  But  now  the  promised  seed 
began  to  increase  rapidly  in  number. 
Early  in  life  each  of  Jacob's  sons  had 


B.  C.  1706.] 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 


349 


15  These  be  the  sons  of  Leah, 
which  she  bare  unto  Jacob  in 
Padan-aram,  with  his  daughter 
Dinah :  all  the  souls  of  his  sons 
and  his  daughters  ivej-e  thirty  and 
three. 

16  If  And  the  sons  of  Gad; 
"  Ziphion,  and  Haggi,  Shuni, 
and  Ezbon,  Eri,  and  Arodi,  and 
Areli. 

17  ![  ^  And  the  sons  of  Asher; 
Jimnah,  and  Ishuah,  and  Isui,  and 
Beriah,  and  Serah  their  sister. 
And  the  sons  of  Beriah  ;  Heber, 
and  Malchiel. 

18  y  These    are    ihe  sons    of 

u  Numb.  26.   15,  &c.    x  1  Chron.  7.  30. 
y  ch.  30.  10. 


Bons  born  to  them,  and  some  of  them, 
were  grandfathers  when  they  had  arri- 
ved at  middle  age.  God  will  hasten 
his  word  in  his  own   time,   and  not 

sooner. IT  Which  came  into  Egypt. 

The  original  here  affords  us  a  specimen 
of  that  graphic  power  for  which  the 
Hebrew  is  so  remarkable,  and  which 
IS  so  often  lost  to  the  mere  readers  of 
versions.  Although  the  historian  is 
describing  an  event  long  since  past, 
and  might  therefore  have  been  expect- 
ed to  employ  a  verb  in  the  past  tense, 
/et  instead  of  IJ^^  ^uJj!^  asher  ba-u 
which  came,  he  makes  use  of  the  pres- 
ent participle  d^i^-H  habba-im,  which 
were  going,  a  phraseology  that  depicts 
the  scene  as  actually  transpiring  before 
us.  We  see  them,  as  it  v/ere,  in  the 
very  act  of  emigration.     See  my  Note 

on  Gen.  41.  2.    Ps.  3.  6. IT  v.  10, 

SJiaul  the  son,  &c.  One  of  Simeon's 
sons,  in  distinction  from  the  rest,  is 
said  to  have  been  by  a  Canaaniiish  wo- 
man. This  circumstance  would  not 
have  been  mentioned,  if  if  had  not  been 
an  uncommon  thing  in  the  hol^  family 
to  marry  the  daughters  of  Canaan. 
Tho  fact,  therefore,  is  a  kind  of  dis- 
30 


Zilpah,  ^  whom  Laban  gave  to 
Leah  his  daughter  :  and  these  she 
bare  unto  Jacob,  eve7i  sixteen 
souls. 

19  The  sons  of  Rachel,  ^Ja- 
cob's wife  ;  Joseph,  and  Benjamin. 

20  1[  ^  And  unto  Joseph  in  the 
land  of  Egypt  were  born  Manas- 
seh  and  Ephraim,  which  Asen- 
ath  the  daughter  of  Poti-pherah 
priest  of  On  bare  unto  him. 

21  Tl"  ''And  the  sons  of  Benja- 
min loere  Belah,  and  Becher,  and 
Ashbel,  Gera,  and  Naaman,  <^Ehi, 
and  Rosh,  ^  Muppim,  and  Hup- 
pim,  and  Ard. 

z  ch.  29.  24.  a  ch.  44.  27.  b  ch.  41.  SO. 
c  1  Chron.  7.  6.  &  8.  1.  d  Numb.  26.  38. 
e  Numb.  26.  39. 

graceful  brand  fixed  upon  the  memory 
of  Simeon,  for  having  violated  the  usage 
and  the  precept  which  in  this  respect 
governed  the  chosen  race.  Again,  in 
the  list  of  Judah's  family  we  have  an 
account  of  two  young  persons  who  left 
their  carcases  in  Canaan ;  Er  and 
Onan,  it  is  said,  died  in  the  land  of 
Canaan,  Why  then  do  we  hear  of 
them  in  this  place  which  is  occupied  in 
an  account  of  those  who  went  down 
with  Jacob,  and  not  of  what  happened 
in  Canaan?  We  must  not  suppose 
there  are  any  useless  repeUtions  in  the 
Bible.  The  story  of  Er  and  Onan  is 
recalled  to  mind,  that  we  may  not  for- 
get how  dangerous  it  is  to  provoke  the 
Lord.  They  were  very  young  persons 
when  they  perished  in  their  iniquity. 
Let  net  the  young  take  liberty  to  sin 
in  the  presumptuous  hope  that  they 
will  repent  and  find  mercy  when  they 
are  old.  What  if  God  should  suddenly 
cut  them  off  from  life  before  the  time 
come  that  they  have  set  for  repentance, 
and  make  them  a  warning  to  others 
that  their  time  is  not  in  their  own 
hands? 

15.   These  be  the  sons  of  Leah,  &c. 


350 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706. 


22  These  are  the  sons  of  Ra- 
chel, which  were  born  to  Jacob ; 
all  the  souls  icere  een. 

23  II  f  And  the  sons  of  Dan  ; 
Hushim. 

24  ll  e  And  the  sons  of  Naph- 
lali ;  Jahze  I,  and  Guni,  and  Je- 
zer,  and  Shillem. 

25  ^^  These  are  the  sons  of 
Bilhah^  >  which  Laban  ga  e  unto 
Rachel  his  d  ughter,  and  she  bare 
these  unto  Jacob:  all  the  souls 
tcere  seven. 

26  ''A  1  the  souls  that    came 

f  1  Chron.  7.  12.  1  Chron.  7.  13.  h  ch. 
30.  5,  7.    i  ch.  29.  29.    k  Ex.  1.  5. 


Leah  was  the  literal  mother  of  the  six 
heads  of  families  in  Israel  mentioned 
above ;  but  is  only  by  a  Heb.  usage 
that  she  is  called  the  mother  of  those 
who  descended  from  them.  In  like  man- 
ner we  must  allow  something  for  idiom 
when  we  are  told  that  they  were  born 
in  Padan-aram.  It  is  only  in  the  sense 
of  her  having  borne  them  in  the  per- 
sons of  their  fathers  that  the  words 
hold  true,  for  they  were  all  born  in 
Canaan.  It  is  an  instance  of  the  same 
usage  by  which  Levi  is  said  to  have 
paid  tithes  in  the  loins  of  his  father 
Abraham.     See  also  Note  on  Gen.  24. 

5, IT  With  his  daughter  Dinah.     It 

is  worthy  of  note,  that  Dinah  is  men- 
tioned alone  in  this  connexion.  All 
Leah's  sons  were  heads  of  families  and 
fathers  of  tribes  in  Israel.  But  poor 
Dinah  was  only  an  aunt,  not  a  mother, 
in  Israel.  She  had  taken  a  false  step 
m  her  youth,  which  clouded  all  her  fu- 
ture days.  From  yielding  too  much  to 
the  impulses  of  a  girlish  curiosity,  she 
had  become  the  victim  of  the  seducer. 
From  that  time  she  appears  to  have  hved 
desolate  in  her  father's  house.  To  what 
misery  do  the  rash  and  thoughtless  often 
subject  themselves  through  the  whole 
onrsc  of  their  lives  by  one  imprudent 


with  Jacob  into  E^ypt,  which 
came  out  of  his  loins,  besides 
Jacob's  sons'  wives,  all  the  souls 
were  threescore  and  six  ; 

27  And  the  sons  of  Joseph 
which  were  borne  him  in  Egypt, 
were  two  souls  :  ^  all  the  souls 
of  the  house  of  Jacob,  which  came 
into  Egypt,  were  threescore  and 
ten. 

2S  Tl  And  he  sent  Judah  before 
him  unto  Joseph,  "^  to  direct  his 
face  unto  Goshen ;  and  they  came 
"  into  the  land  of  Goshen. 


1  Deut.  10.  22. 
nch.47. 1. 


Acts  7.  14.    m  ch.  31.21. 


piece  of  conduct ! IT  All  the  souls  of 

his  sons  and  daughters  were  thirty  and 
three.  Or  rather  according  to  the  Heb., 
'AH  the  souls,  (including)  sons  and 
daughters,  were  thirty  and  three.'  The 
number  is  made  out  by  including  Ja- 
cob himself  and  excluding  Er  and 
Onan,  who  were  now  dead,  as  was 
also  Leah  herself. 

26,  27.  All  the  souls  that  came  uiih 
Jacob  into  Egypt,  &o.  There  is  an 
apparent  discrepancy  between  this  ac- 
count of  Piloses  and  that  of  Stephen, 
Acts  17.  4,  in  regard  to  the  numbers 
here  mentioned.  But  Stephen  in  ma- 
king his  statement,  followed  the  Sept. 
which  has  seventy-five.  This  arose 
from  their  adding  five  sons  of  Ephraim 
and  Manasseh,  born  in  Egypt,  on  the 
authority  of  1  Chron.  7.  14—20.  So 
that  in  fact  both  accounts  are  true. 
Bloses  says  that  all  the  souls  he  had 
reckoned  were  seventy;  but  he  does 
not  say  there  were  no  more;  the  Sept. 
adds  the  names  of  five  more,  and  then 
says  that  all  the  names  reckoned  were 
seventy  five,  which  is  true  if  the  book 
of  Chronicles  be  true.  Though  there 
is  a  variation  therefore,  there  is  no  con- 
tradiction. But  the  Sept.,  it  may  be 
remarked,  is  several  times  quoted  by 


B.  C.  1706.1 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 


351 


29  And  Joseph  made  ready  his 
chariot,  and  went  up  to  meet  Is- 
rael his  father  to  Goshen;  and 
presented  himself  unto  him  :  and 
he  °  fell  on  his  neck,  and  wept  on 
his  neck  a  good  while. 

o  ch.  45,  M. 


the  New  Testament  writers,  even  when 
it  varies  from  the  Hebrew  text.  The 
number  seventy  in  v.  27,  is  made  out 
by  including  those  who  are  excluded 
in  V.  26. 

28.  And  he  sent  Judah  before  him, 
&c.  Drawing  nigh  to  Egypt,  or  to 
the  royal  city,  Judah  is  sent  before  to 
apprise  Joseph  of  bis  father's  arrival. 
Jacob  could  not  travel  with  such  speed 
as  he  desired  to  see  the  son  so  dear  to 
his  heart,  but  doubted  not  that  when 
he  heard  of  his  approach  he  would 
come  forth  to  meet  him.  Thus  they 
would  both  gain  som.e  hours  of  happi- 
ness. Besides,  it  was  obviously  prop- 
er that  the  house  of  Pharaoh  also 
should  have  warning  of  the  approach 
of  such  a  large  company  before  they 
made  their  appearance. IF  To  di- 
rect his  face.  Heb.  ivfc^  Ti^inb  ^e/io- 
rothlephanav,  to  teach  or  inform  before 
him.  This  may  be  understood  both  of 
Judah' s  informing  Joseph  of  his  fa- 
ther's arrival,  and  also  of  Joseph's 
'teaching,'  or  'giving  information,'  rel- 
ative to  the  location  of  Jacob  and  his 
family  in  the  land  of  Goshen.  Chal. 
'  That  he  might  make  preparation  be- 
fore him.' 

29.  And  Joseph  made  ready  his  cha- 
riot. Heb.  iri^2"i^  '"iw^*i  yesorvier- 
kavto,  bound  his  chariot;  i.  e.  bound  or 
harnessed  the  horses  to  the  chariot. 
The  term  '  chariot'  is  taken  in  a  large 
sense  embracing  both  the  vehicles  and 
the  horses  by  which  they  were  drawn. 
Joseph  sent  wagons  only  for  his  father 
and  hi.i  father's  house,  but  made  ready 


30  And  Israel  said  unto  Jo- 
seph, pNov/  let  me  die,  since  I 
have  seen  thy  face,  because  thou 
art  yet  alive. 

31  And  Joseph  said  unto  his 
brethren,    and    unto   his    father's 

p  Luke  2.  29,  30. 


a  chariot  for  himself.  This  proceeded 
not  from  a  spirit  of  vain  ostentation, 
but  it  was  proper  that  Joseph  should 
appear  with  an  equipage  suited  to  the 
station  to  which  the  king  had  advanced 
him.  Particular  situations  in  life  often 
impose  that  upon  humble  minds  which 
they  would  not  covet  of  their  own  ac- 
cord.  ^Presented  himself  to  him; 

Heb.  Ti^S^  Jft'^'i  yera  elav,  uas  seen 
or  appeared  to  him.  The  expression 
implies  that  this  was  done  as  an  act  of 
special  honor  and  reverence  to  his 
father,  as  the  term  is  thai  which  is 
used  in  the  law  for  men's  appearing  or 
presenting  themselves  before  the  Lord, 
Thus  Ex.  23.  17,  '  Three  times  in  the 
year  all  thy  males  shall  appear  (Heb. 
nHT^  yeraehf  shall  be  seen)  before  the 

Lord  God.' IT  Fell  on  his  neck  and 

wept,  &c.  The  indefinite  form  of  the 
expression  leaves  us  at  liberty  to  refer 
the  '  he'  either  to  Jacob  or  to  Joseph, 
or  to  both,  as  no  doubt  the  falling  on 
the  neck  was  mutual.  It  would  be  a 
vain  and  useless  attempt  to  describe 
the  pleasure  that  both  father  and  son 
received  and  gave  while  thus  locked  in 
a  tender  embrace.  Their  emotions 
were  too  strong  for  utterance,  and  they 
could  only  express  them  by  their  min- 
gled tears.  How  richly  was  Joseph 
now  compensated  for  all  the  bitter 
tears  which  the  envy  of  his  brethren, 
and  the  rage  of  his  mistress  had  ex- 
torted from  his  eyes.  Pleasant  were 
the  moments  when  he  wept  on  the 
neck  of  Benjamin ;  but  his  pleasure 
seems  to  nave  been  still  greater  when 


352 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706. 


house,  ^  I  "vvill  go  up,  and  shew 
Pharaoh,  and  say  unto  him,  My 
brethren,  and  my  father's  house, 
which  were  in  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, are  come  unto  me  : 

q  ch.  47.  1. 


he  wept  on  his  father's  neck,  as  it  is 
here  said  that  he  wept  on  it  '  a  good 
while.' 

30.  And  Israel  said  unto  Joseph, 
Now*  let  me  die,  &c.  The  good  old 
man  is  now  so  filled  to  overflowing 
with  happiness,  that  the  thoughts  of 
death  came  to  him  as  a  kind  of  rehef. 
Having  enjoyed  as  much  as  he  could 
desire  in  this  world,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  he  should  now  wish  to  go  to  an- 
other. Although  life  was  more  pleas- 
ant to  Jacob  than  it  had  been  for  many 
past  years,  yet  pleasant  as  it  had  be- 
come, he  would  have  parted  with  it 
without  sorrow,  because  the  pleasure 
he  experienced  would  not  admit  of  the 
approaches  of  sorrow.  As  a  man  that 
has  found  a  precious  treasure  which  he 
did  not  expect,  would  not  feel  much 
pain  in  losing  a  small  sum  of  money, 
because  his  gain  exceeds  his  loss ;  so 
Jacob,  had  he  died  at  this  time,  would 
have  thought  the  loss  of  his  own  life 
a  small  matter,  when  he  had  gained  a 
more  precious  life  than  his  own.  His 
joy  was  no  doubt  the  greater  in  pro- 
portion to  his  previous  mourning. 
Having  in  his  own  mind  so  long  num- 
bered Joseph  with  the  dead,  the  sight 
of  him  living  was  Uttle  short  of  receiv- 
ing him  from  among  the  tenants  of  the 
tomb.  Who  can  wonder  therefore  that 
he  should  have  virtually  exclaimed, 
like  good  old  Simeon,  '  Lord,  now  let 
thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation.'  How 
httle  did  he  think  that  he  had  seventeen 
years  of  life  yet  before  him  in  this 
world ! 

31.  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  breth- 


32  And  the  men  are  shep- 
herds, for  their  trade  hath  been 
to  feed  cattle ;  and  they  have 
brought  their  flocks,  and  their 
herds,  and  all  that  they  have. 


re7i,  &c.  Though  Joseph  no  doubt 
continued  for  some  time  in  sweet  con- 
verse with  his  father,  yet  he  did  not 
overlook  his  brethren.  They  were  all 
welcome,  and  he  behaved  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  make  them  feel  that  they 
were  welcome  to  Egypt,  to  partake  in 
his  prosperity.  They  were  shepherds 
compelled  to  leave  their  own  country. 
Joseph  was  the  lord  of  Egypt,  yet  he 
was  not  ashamed  to  acknowledge  his 
relation  to  them,  either  before  the  peo- 
ple or  before  the  king.  His  heart  was 
not  exalted  above  his  brethren  by  the 
superiority  of  his  station,  nor  alienated 
from  them  by  their  malicious  conduct 
toward  himself.  It  was  a  proper  token 
of  respect  to  the  king,  as  well  as  to  his 
brethren,  to  inform  Pharaoh  that  they 
were  come  to  his  country,  from  the 
land  of  Canaan,  at  his  desire.  Pha- 
raoh told  Joseph  that  in  the  throne 
himself  only  was  to  be  greater,  and 
Joseph  did  not  forget  the  respect  to  so 
kind  a  sovereign  and  benefactor. 

32.  The  men  are  shepherds,  &c. 
Joseph  well  knew  how  greatly  shep- 
herds were  detested  by  the  Egyptians, 
and  yet  he  would  not  conceal  from  the 
king  that  he  was  spnmg  from  a  race 
of  shepherds.  His  credit  was  loo  well 
established  to  be  affected  by  the  knowl- 
edge of  this  connexion,  and  it  was 
necessary  that  his  brethren's  occupa- 
tion should  be  known  to  the  king  that 
he  rright  assign  them  a  convenieni 
dwelUng  for  their  flocks  and  herds. 
And  here  it  is  observable  with  what 
'  meekness  of  wisdom'  Joseph  demean- 
ed himself  in  this  affair.  Most  men  in 
cimilar  circumstances  would  have  been 


B.  C.  1706.] 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 


353 


33  And  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
when  Pharaoh  shall  call  you, 
and  shall  say,  "■  What  is  your  oc- 
cupation? 

34  That  ye  shall  say,  Thy  ser- 
vants' *  trade  hath  been  about  cat- 

r  ch.  47.  2,  3.     s  ver.  32. 


for  introducing  their  relations  as  speed- 
ily as  possible  into  posts  of  honor  and 
profit,  lest  they  should  disgrace  him. 
But  Joseph's  ambition  runs  not  in  that 
channel.  He  seeks  not  high  things  for 
his  relations,  but  is  more  concerned  for 
their  purity  than  for  their  outward  dig- 
nity. He  was  aware  that  they  would 
be  in  danger  fiom  contact  with  an 
idolatrous  nation,  and  therefore  sought 
.  to  secure  them  a  place  as  free  as  pos- 
sible from  the  evil  influences  to  which 
they  would  be  expos;d  in  a  court. 
This  was  probably  one  ground  of  the 
frankness  which  he  proposed  to  assume 
in  addressing  the  king. 

33.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  &c.  It 
was  to  be  expected  that  Pharaoh  would 
call  fur  Joseph's  brethren,  and  con- 
verse with  them  His  long  friendship 
for  Joseph  would  make  him  desirous  of 
seeing  his  brethren,  and  perhaps  of 
honoring  them  with  employment  in 
his  service.  It  was  fitting  therefore 
that  they  should  be  prepared  by  pre- 
vious instructions  for  such  an  inter- 
view. First  impressions  concerning 
them  on  the  king's  mind  might  be  very 
useful  or  hurtful  to  their  interests.  Jo- 
seph knew  that  an  inquiry  as  to  their 
occupation  would  naturally  be  made. 
The  king  would  not  ask  them  whether 
they  had  amj  occupation,  for  that  they 
had  some,  and  had  not  been  tiirough 
life  eating  the  bread  of  idleness,  he 
would  take  for  granted.  But  he  would 
wish  to  know  ^chat  their  occupation 
was.  Accordingly  Joseph  says  in  ef- 
fect, '  I  will  go  before  you  and  tell  the 
30* 


tie  t  from  our  youth  even  until 
now,  both  we,  cmcl  also  our  fa- 
thers :  that  ye  may  dwell  in  the 
land  of  Goshen  ;  for  every  shep- 
herd is  "  an  abomination  unto  the 
Egyptians. 

t  ch.  30.  35.  &  34.  5.  «fe  37. 12.     u  en.  43.  32. 
Exod.  8.  26. 


king  that  you  are  shepherds,  and  have 
been  so  all  your  lives,  and  your  fathers 
before  you.  This  will  prevent  his  ma- 
king any  proposals  for  raising  you  to 
posts  of  honor  in  the  state;  and  he  will 
at  once  feel  the  propriety  of  assigning 
you  a  part  of  the  country  which  ia 
suited  to  the  sustenance  of  your  flocks 
and  herds,  and  where  you  may  live  by 
yourselves  uncontaminated  by  Egyp- 
tian customs.  And  when  you  come 
before  the  king,  and  he  shall  ask  you 
of  your  occupation,  then  do  you  con- 
firm what  I  have  said  of  you.  And  as 
the  employment  of  a  shepherd  is  mean- 
ly accounted  of  in  Egypt,  and  those 
that  follow  it  are  despised  and  reckoned 
unfit  for  public  offices,  this  will  deter- 
mine the  king  to  say  nothing  on  that 
subject,  but  to  grant  you  a  place  in 
Goshen.'  Thus,  while  men  in  general 
are  pressing  after  the  highest  stations 
in  life,  and  sacrificing  every  thing  to 
obtain  them,  we  see  a  man  who  had 
for  nine  years  occupied  a  place  of  emi- 
nence, and  felt  both  its  advantages  and 
its  disadvantages,  carefully  directing 
his  dearest  friends  and  relations  in  an- 
other course  of  life,  as  far  more  produc- 
tive of  peace  and  happiness.  Every 
wise  man  will  consider  that  situation 
as  best  for  his  children  and  friends, 
which  will  be  esteemed  best  on  a  death- 
bed, or  in  another  world. 

34.  Every  shepherd  is  an  abomina- 
tion unto  the  Egyptians.  It  is  not 
clear  whether  we  are  to  regard  these 
as  the  words  of  Joseph,  urging  the  fact 
stated  as  an  argument  with  his  brethren 


354 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706. 


to  induce  them  to  follow  his  advice,  or 
as  the  words  of  Moses  giving  a  reason 
for  Joseph's  counsel.    The  fact  itself 
is  a  very  remarkable  one,  and  one  for 
which  various   causes  have  been  as- 
signed by  historians  and  commenta- 
tors.   As  we  have  no  authentic  history 
of  the  Egyptians  at  this  early  period, 
except  what  we  find  in  the  Bible,  it  is 
no  wonder  that  the  solutions  proposed 
still  leave  the  subject  a  theme  for  con- 
iecture.     By  some  it  has  been  supposed 
that  this  abhorrence  of  shepherds  was 
occasioned  by  cruel  depredations  com- 
mitted in  Egypt  at  a  former  period  by 
an   army  of  nomade  Cushites   called 
the  '  shepherd-kings,'  who   came  from 
Arabia,  and  overrun  nearly  the  whole 
country,  and  who  afterwards  withdrew 
to  Palestine,  where  they  became  the 
Philistines.      Others    have    conceived 
that  the  cause  was  to  be  sought  for  in 
the  animal  worship  of  the  Egyptians, 
which  naturally  rendered  them  averse 
to  persons  who  fed  on  creatures  which 
they  consid.ered  sacred.     But  it  is  by 
no  means  certain  that  the  Egyptians 
as  a  people  practised  this  superstition, 
or  that  its  influence  upon  the  rearing 
or  rearers  of  cattle  was  very  marked. 
'  Of  the  larger  cattle,   the  cow  alone 
was  considered   sacred.     We  doubt  if 
any  strong  objection   on  its   account 
could  have  arisen  against  the  nomade 
shepherds,  as  they  never  kill  cows  for 
food,  and  rarely  even  oxen  ;  and  it  does 
not    appear    that    they   often    offered 
cows  in  sacrifice,  for  in  all  the  Old  Tes- 
tament previously  to  the  exodus  from 
■t^gypt)  we  read  of  only  one  heifer  sac- 
rificed, Gen.  15.  9.    The  Egyptians  did 
not  worship  bulls  or  oxen  ;  the  wor- 
ship of  the  bull  Apis  being  restricted  to 
an  individual  animal :  other  bulls  were 
used  in  sacrifices,  and  are  so  represent- 
ed in  sculptures.    The  priests   them- 
selves ate  beef  and  veal  without  scru- 
ple.    There  was  even  a  caste  of  herds- 
men among  the  Egyptians,  and  herds 


of    black    cattle    are    represented    in 
sculptures    and    paintings,    some    of 
which   are  preserved    in    the    British 
Museum.     The  ox  was  used  as  food, 
and  in  agricultural  labor,  and  in  the 
same  ancient  remains  is  continually 
represented    as    drawing  the    plough. 
Even  Pharaoh  himself  was  a  proprie- 
tor of  cattle  see  ch.  47.  6,  and  wished 
to  have  men  of  ability  to  superintend 
them;    and  he  would  scarcely   have 
offered  this  employment  to  the  brothers 
of  his  chief  minister,  if  the  employ- 
ment of   rearing  cattle  had   in  itself 
been  considered  degrading.     We  con- 
clude,  however,    that  so  far   as  the 
hatred  of  the  Egyptians  to  shepherds 
arose  from  their  religious  prejudices,  it 
was  connected  almost  entirely  with  the 
cow — the  only  pastoral  animal  which 
they  generally  considered  sacred.     Any 
objection   connected   with  sheep    and 
goats  could  only  have  operated  locally, 
since  the  Egyptians  themselves  sacri- 
ficed or  ate  them  in  different  districts. 
We  are  therefore  inclined,  following  out 
a  hint  furnished  by  Heeren,  to  considei 
that  the  aversion  of  the  Egyptians  was 
not  so  exclusively  to  rearers  of  cattle 
as  such,  as  to  the  class  of  pastors  who 
associated   the  rearing  of  cattle  with 
habits    and    pursuits  which    rendered 
them  equally  hated  and  feared  by  a 
settled    and    refined    people    like    the 
Egyptians.     We  would   therefore  un- 
derstand the  text  in  ihe  most  intense 
sense,    and    say   that   '  evej-y  nomade 
shepherd  was   an  abomination  to  the 
Egyptians ;'  for  there  is  no   evidence 
that  this  disgrace  attached  to  those  cul- 
tivators who,  being  proprietors  of  lands, 
made  the  rearing  of  cattle  a  principal 
part  of  their  business.      The  nomade 
tribes,  who   pastured   their  flocks  on 
the  borders  or    within   the    limits    of 
Egypt,  did  not  in  general  belong  to  the 
Egyptian  nation,  but  were  of  Arabian 
or  Lybian  descent;  whence  the  preju- 
dice against   them   as  nomades    was 


B.  C.  1706.] 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 


353 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

'T^HEN  Joseph  ^  came  and  told 
^  Pharaoh,  and  said,  My  father 
and  my  brethren,  and  their  flocks, 
and  their  herds,  and  all  that  they 

a  ch.  46.  31. 


superadded  to  that  against  foreigners  in 
general.  The  turbulent  and  aggres- 
sive disposition  which  usually  forms 
part  of  the  character  of  nomades— and 
their  entire  independence,  or  at  least 
the  imperfect  and  uncertain  control 
which  it  is  possible  to  exercise  over 
their  tribes — are  .circumstances  so  re- 
plete with  annoyance  and  danger  to  a 
carefully  organized  society  like  tbat  of 
the  Egyptians,  as  sufficiently  to  ac- 
count for  the  hatred  and  scorn  which 
the  ruhng  priestly  caste  strove  to  keep 
up  against  them  ;  and  it  was  probably 
in  order  to  discourage  all  intercourse 
that  the  regulation  precluding  Egyp- 
tians from  eating  with  them  was  first 
established.'     Pld.  Bible. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

1.  Then  Joseph  cavie  and  told  Pha- 
raoh, &c.  Joseph,  in  the  height  of  his 
prosperity,  did  not  forget  that  he  had  a 
superior.  Dearly  as  he  loved  his  father 
and  his  brethren,  he  did  not  settle  them 
in  the  possessions  which  he  intended 
for  them  without  Pharaoh's  consent. 
He  probably  might,  by  his  own  author- 
ity, have  placed  them  in  Goshen,  but 
he  wisely  desired  that  the  king  himself 
should  allot  them  their  habitation. 
Servants  ought  not  to  be  forward  in 
exercising  that  power  with  which  they 
are  entrusted,  either  for  their  own  per- 
sonal benefit,  or  for  that  of  their  rela- 
tions. Those  are  most  likely  to  retain 
their  power,  and  enjoy  it  w'ith  the  least 
envy,  who  use  it  with  modesty  and 
moderation.  Joseph  throughout  this 
transaction    showed    himself    wholly 


have,  are  come  out  of  the  land  of 
Canaan;  and  behold,  they  arc 
m  ^  the  land  of  Goshen. 

2  And  he  took  some  of  his 
brethren,  even  five  men,  and  <=  pre- 
sented them  unto  Pharaoh. 

b  ch.  45.  10.  &  46.  28.    c  Acts.  7.  13, 


unlike  multitudes  who  readily  make 
promises  both  to  God  and  man,  but 
either  forget  to  perform  them,  or  take 
their  own  time  for  it.  He  immediately 
performs  what  he  had  promised  to  his 
father  and  brethren.  Happy  as  he 
was  in  their  company,  he  did  not  in- 
dulge himself  in  the  pleasure  of  talking 
or  of  eating  and  drinking  with  them, 
while  they  continued  without  a  settle- 
ment, but  at  once  takes  ihe  proper  steps 
to  procure  for  them  the  desired  place  of 
abode  in  Egypt.  To  this  end  he  men- 
tions that  they  were  already  in  that 
part  of  the  country  with  their  flocks 
and  herds ;  hoping  that  this  might  in- 
duce the  king  to  consent  to  their  re- 
maining there. 

2.  And  he  took  some  of  his  brethren, 
even  five  men,  &c.  Heb.  (Ilip?^  mik- 
tzeh,  a  determinate  part.  The  original 
word,  though  signifying  an  end,  an  ex- 
tremity, is  derived  from  a  root  frequent- 
ly used  in  the  sense  of  cutting  off, 
making  an  abscission  of  a  certain 
definite  portion  of  any  thing.  In  this 
case,  the  definite  number  of  five  were 
cut  off,  as  it  were,  from  the  whole 
number  of  Joseph's  brethren,  for  the 
purpose  of  being  presented  to  Pharaoh. 
Gr.  'Of  his  brethren  he  took  five  men.' 
He  did  not  single  out  such  of  his 
brethren  as  made  the  finest  appearance, 
or  were  best  qualified  to  shine  in  the 
presence  of  a  king,  but  took  five  of 
those  that  most  readily  occurred  to 
him  without  selection.  Such  appears 
to  be  the  import  of  the  phraseology  in 
the  original.  He  was  an  honest  man 
and  wished  Pharaoh  to  form  no  other 


356 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706. 


3  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  his 
brethren,  ^  What  is  your  occupa- 
tion? And  they  said  unto  Pha- 
raoh, *  Thy  servants  are  shep- 
herds, both  we,  and  also  our 
fathers. 

4  They  said  moreover  unto 
Pharaoh,  fFor  to  sojourn  in  the 
land  are  we  come  :  for  thy  ser- 
vants have  no  pasture  for  their 
flocks,  s  for  the  famine  is  sore  in 
the  land  of  Canaan  :  now  there- 
fore,  we  pray  thee,  let  thy  ser- 

d  ch.  46.  33.  e  ch.  46.  31.  f  ch.  15.  13. 
Deut.26.  5.     g  ch.  43.  1.     Acts  7. 11. 

opinion  concerning  his  brethren  than 
what  they  would  be  able  to  support. 
Joseph  did  not  at  this  time  take  all  his 
brethren  with  him  to  court,  as  it  was 
no  doubt  necessary  that  a  part  of  them 
should  remain  to  take  care  of  their 
father,  and  of  their  little  ones,  and  their 
substance. 

3,  4.  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  his 
brethren,  &c.  The  king's  interroga- 
tion corresponded  precisely  with  what 
Joseph  had  anticipated,  and  their  an- 
swer accorded  with  their  previous  in- 
structions. It  was  an  answer  which 
left  them  no  room  to  hope  for  any 
higher  place  than  to  be  rulers  over  his 
cattle.  Their  brother  was  in  a  very  ex- 
alted station,  but  they  did  not  envy 
him,  or  wish  to  share  in  his  grandeur, 
but  readily  complied  with  his  advice, 
by  tehing  the  king  what  had  been  their 
former  occupation.  They  inform  him, 
moreover,  that  they  had  not  come  to 
take  up  their  perpetual  residence  in 
Egypt.  They  did  not  propose  to  be- 
come naturaUzed  in  his  kingdom, 
but  wished  only  to  be  accounted  as 
strangers  and  sojourners  there,  whose 
necessities  had  drawn  them  thither 
for  a  time,  with  their  flocks  and  herds, 
but  wno  still  had  the  intention  of  event- 
ually returning  again  to  the  land  of 


vants  ^  dwell  in  the  land  of  Go- 
shen. 

5  And  Pharaoh  spake  unto  Jo- 
seph, saying,  Thy  father  and  thy 
brethren  are  come  unto  thee: 

6  »  The  land  of  Egyp'^  is  be- 
fore thee ;  in  the  best  of  the 
land  make  thy  father  and  breth- 
ren to  dwell;  "^in  the  land  of 
Goshen  let  them  dw^ell ;  and  if 
thou  knowest  any  men  of  activi- 
ty among  them,  then  make  them 
rulers  over  my  cattle. 

h  ch.  46.  34.    i  ch.  20. 15.    k  ver.  4. 


their  inheritance.  They  had  left  it  for 
a  season  ;  they  could  not  dwell  in  it 
without  losing  all  their  cattle,  for 
which  they  could  with  difficulty  find 
subsistence  for  the  two  former  years. 
In  five  years  more  a  great  part  of  the 
cattle  of  Canaan  was  likely  to  perish; 
yet  they  would  not  on  any  account  re- 
nounce their  final  interest  in  that 
good  land  of  promise.  This  land 
might  not  always  secure  its  inhabi- 
tants against  famine.  It  might  be 
more  grievously  afflicted  than  other 
lands,  but  it  was  the  land  which  the 
God  of  their  fathers  had  spied  out  for 
them  and  given  them  for  an  everlast- 
ing inheritance ;  and  there  were  their 
hearts. IT  Thy  servants  are  shep- 
herds. Heb.  '^H!Z  nS-'^  Toeh  tzon,  a 
feeder  of  sheep  ;  either  the  collect,  sing. 
for  the  plural,  or  to  be  understood  dis- 
tributively,  'every  one  of  thy  servants 
is  a  feeder  of  sheep.' 

5,  6.  And  Pharaoh  spake  unto  Jo- 
seph, saying,  &c.  The  men  had  now 
presented  to  Pharaoh  their  humble  pe- 
tition. They  were  but  shepherds,  and 
the  offspring  of  shepherds,  a  set  of 
men  whom  Pharaoh  was  taught  by 
his  education  to  abhor.  But  they  were 
Joseph's  brethren,  who  was  not 
ashamed  to  acknowledge  his  relation 


B.  C.  1706.J 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 


357 


7  And  Joseph  brought  in  Ja- 
cob his  father,  and  set  him  before 


to  them.  He  could  not  despise  men 
so  nearly  related  to  the  saviour  of  his 
country.  A  truly  royal  liberaUty  there- 
fore breathes  through  his  reply  to  their 
request,  which  he  makes  in  his  address 
to  Joseph.  All  that  they  had  sought 
was  a  hberty  to  sojourn  in  the  land  of 
Goshen.  The  king  ordered  Joseph 
to  assign  them  a  dwelling-place  in  the 
best  part  of  that  province.  If  one 
district  in  the  land  of  Egypt  were 
better  than  another,  there  let  the  house 
of  Joseph's  father  be  placed.  A  truly 
grateful  man  will  take  pleasure  to 
oblige,  not  only  those  who  have  done 
him  eminent  services,  but  also  those 
who  are  related  to  them  by  blood,  or 

connected  by  friendship. IT  If  thou 

knowest  any  men  of  activity,  &c.  Heb. 
i'^n  "^IL'-J^  anshe  hayil,  men  of  ability, 
or  prowess ;  implying  both  strength 
of  body  and  competent  gifts  of  mind  ; 
men  of  active  habits,  and  of  prudence, 
diligence,  capacity,  &c.  See  Note  on 
Gen.  24.  29.  The  purport  of  Phara- 
oh's reply  to  Joseph  was  this: — 'As 
to  promoting  your  brethren,  it  does  not 
seem  to  suit  their  calling  or  their  incli- 
nations, to  be  raised  in  the  m.anner 
which  I  might  have  purposed  in  their 
behalf.  I  will  therefore  leave  it  to  you 
to  make  them  happy  in  their  own  way. 
If  there  be  one  or  more  of  them  better 
qualified  for  business  than  the  rest,  let 
them  be  appointed  chief  of  my  herds- 
men.'  IT  Rulers     over     my    cattle. 

Heb.  n;p?3  "^I^T  sare  mikneh.  '  Cat- 
tle' here  is  used  in  the  compre- 
hensive sense  assigned  to  '  flocks,' 
Gen.  29.  3,  including  their  keepers. 
The  office  in  question  is  undoubtedly 
that  which  in  1  Sam.  21.  7,  is  assigned 
to  Doeg,  and  expressed  by  the  phrase 
'chiefest  of  the  herdmen.'  The  origi- 
nal word  fpr  'rulers'  is  properly  pre- 


Pharaoh  :  and  Jacob  blessed  Pha- 
raoh. 


fects,  presidents,  princes,  importing  g^oz?- 
ernors  of  men,  and  not  of  brute  beasts. 
Accordingly  it  is  well  rendered  by 
the  Arab.  '  Make  them  princes  or  rulers 
over  those  who  are  set  over  my  herds.' 
See  Note  on  Gen.  37.  2. 

7.  And  Joseph  brought  in  Jacob  his 
father,  and  set  him  before  Pharaoh. 
Heb.  luT^Jcy^  yaamidehu,  vtade  him 
to  stand,  placed,  stationed  him.  This 
reference  to  the  original  at  once  cor- 
rects the  error  of  Fuller's  remark,  that 
'  when  the  young  men  were  presented, 
they  stood  before  him ;  but  Jacob,  in 
honor  of  his  years,  and  in  compassion 
of  his  infirmities,  is  placed  upon  a 
seat  J  Such  a  posture  would  be  wholly 
inconsistent  with  the  oriental  ideas  of 
etiquette,  unless  in  consequence  of  a 
special  invitation,  and  that  from  the 
sovereign  himself,  and  not  from  a  min 
ister  or  attendant.  Joseph  was  not 
ashamed  of  his  brethren,  or  of  their  oc- 
cupations, still  less  was  he  ashamed  to 
call  himself  the  son  of  Jacob.  To  be 
the  son  of  this  man,  he  accounted  a 
greater  honor  than  to  be  next  to  Pha- 
raoh in  the  throne  of  Egypt,  and 
wished  his  own  children  rather  to  have 
part  with  the  sons  of  Israel,  than  with 
the  posterity  of  Potipherah,  priest  of 
On,  though  doubtless  one  of  the  great- 
est families  of  Egypt.  Here,  as  a  to- 
ken of  respect,  he  introduces  his  ven- 
erable father  to  the  royal  presence, 
when  the  first  object  that  meets  his 
eye  is  Pharaoh  sitting  in  his  kingly 
robes  before  him.  The  sight  of  a 
prince  who  had  shown  such  kindness 
to  him  and  his  family  in  a  time  of  dis- 
tress, calls  forth  the  most  lively  sensa- 
tions of  gratitude  which  he  is  prompt- 
ed to  express  by  a  solemn  blessing. 
As  the  patriarch  was  habitually  under 
the  influence  of  an  eminently  pious 


158 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706. 


8  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Ja- 
cob, How  old  art  thou  ? 

9  And  Jacob  said  unto  Phara- 
oh, 1  The  days  of  the  years  of 
my  pilgrimage  are  an  hundred 
and  thirty  years :  ^"  few  and  evil 

I  Hebr.  11.  9,  13.    Ps.  39.  12.    m  Job  11.  1. 


spirit,  and  accustomed  in  all  circum- 
stances to  lift  up  his  heart  to  God,  it 
cannot  be  doubted  that  on  the  preseut 
occasion  he  blessed  Pharaoh  with  a 
very  devout  frame  of  mind.  There 
was  none  now  living  upon  earth  to 
whom  he  reckoned,  himself  so  much 
indebted,  as  to  the  monarch  who  had 
raised  his  beloved  son  from  a  dungeon 
almost  to  a  throne.  He  saw  the  kind 
providence  of  God  to  himself  in  what 
Pharaoh  had  done  for  Joseph,  and  if 
we  are  to  bless  even  them  that  curse 
us,  how  fervently  ought  we  to  pray 
for  them  who  do  us  good,  that  the 
Lord  may  render  their  benefits  into 
their  own  bosoms  sevenfold.  The 
word  which  we  render  blessed  is  some- 
times used  to  denote  an  ordinary  salu- 
tanon.  But  the  salutations  used  among 
the  pious  Hebrews  were  real  prayers 
addressed  to  God  for  the  welfare  ot  the 
person  saluted.  When  one  said  to  an- 
other, 'Peace  be  to  thee,'  or,  'The 
Lord  be  with  thee,'  he  expressed  his 
desire  in  a  short  prayer  to  God,  for  the 
best  blessings  to  his  friend  or  neigh- 
bor. How  befitting,  how  affecting,  how 
richly  significant,  was  the  present  invo- 
cation, we  shall  see  by  adverting  to  the 
relation  of  the  parties.  The  Apostle, 
Heb.  7.  7,  lays  it  down  as  a  truth, 
'  beyond  contradiction,  that  the  less  is 
blessed  of  the  better,'  or  greater.  In 
one  respect  Pharaoh  was  greater 
than  Jacob ;  but  in  another  Jacob  was 
far  greater  than  he,  and  as  he  well 
knew  It,  he  thought  it  no  presumption 
to  act  on  such  a  principle.    He  was  a 


have  the  days  of  the  years  of  my 
life  been,  and  n  have  not  attained 
unto  the  days  of  the  years  of  the 
life  of  my  fathers  in  the  days  of 
their  pilgrimage. 


n  ch.  25.  7.  &  35. 


son  of  Abraham,  whose  peculiar  honor 
and  prerogative  it  was,  that  he  and  his 
posterity  should  be  blessings  to  man- 
kind ;  '  I  will  bless  thee,  and  thou  shah 
be  a  blessing.'  He  was  also  himself 
a  man  who,  '  as  a  prince,  had  power 
with  God  and  men  and  prevailed.' 
The  blessing  of  such  a  man  was  of  no 
small  account ;  for  God  would  not 
suffer  his  words  to  fall  to  the  ground. 

8.  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Jacob, 
HoiD  old  art  thou?  It  would  seem 
that  Pharaoh  was  not  so  much  struck 
with  the  blessing,  as  with  the  venera- 
ble aspect  of  Jacob,  and  therefore  pro- 
ceeded to  inquire  his  age.  There  were 
probably  at  this  time  older  men  than 
Jacob,  but  few,  if  any,  that  appeared 
to  be  older.  Much  had  he  suffered  in 
the  whole  course  of  his  life  ;  and  much 
had  he  suffered  of  late  years  from  grief 
and  anxiety.  Many  more  years  of  life 
spent  in  ease  and  prosperity  would 
have  made  less  impression  on  his  per- 
son, than  a  few  years  of  such  sorrows 
as  had  taken  possession  of  his  mind 
since  Joseph  was  torn  from  him, — sor- 
rows that  were  redoubled  when  Benja 
min  seemed  to  be  in  danger  of  coming 
like  his  brother,  to  an  untimely  end. 
He  therefore  looked  perhaps  older  than 
he  really  was.  When  we  see  the 
marks  of  old  age,  we  are  desirous  to 
know  the  number  of  years  that  one 
has  lived.  This  is  an  innocent  curiosi- 
ty and  may  not  be  altogether  useless. 
There  are  duties  owing  to  the  aged; 
and  the  older  a  man  is,  we  should  ba 
the  more  careful    to    perform    them. 


B.  C.  1706.] 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 


359 


He  is  nearer  to  that  period  of  existence 
when  he  must  be  removed  beyond  the 
reach  of  our  kind  oflSces,  so  that  if 
we  are  not  careful  at  present  to  perform 
the  duties  we  owe  to  our  aged  friends, 
relatives,  and  neighbors,  we  are  almost 
sure  that  death  will   soon  render  the 
wrong  irreparable.  But  it  is  to  be  regret- 
ted that  a  bad  use  is  often  made  of  our 
knowledge  of  the  great  age  of  others. 
We  think  that  we  may  live  as  long  as 
they  have  lived,  and  thus  are  encour- 
aged to  defer  our  preparation  for  our 
latter  end  to  a  period  of  life  which  we 
may    never    reach ;  or  if  we    should 
reach  it,  we  may  find  ourselves  less 
disposed  to  it  than  we  are  at  present. 
But  after  all  it  is   a  matter  of  small 
importance  to  us  to  know  how  old  are 
our   acquaintances  ;  though  it  may  be 
of  great  use  to  know  and  consider  how 
old  we  are  ourselves.    The  days  that 
aie  past  may  be  lost,  and  worse  than 
lost  to  us,  but  they  are  marked  down 
in  a  book  that  shall  one  day  be  opened. 
What  good  have  we  left  undone  that 
ought    to    have    been    done?     What 
good  things  have  we   so  negligently 
performed,   that  they  might  about  as 
well  have    been  left  undone  7    Have 
we  not  lost  many  of  our  days  1    What 
if  they  are  all  lost  days'?    What  if  all 
that  has   hitherto  been  done  by  us, 
should  be  produced  against  us  in  the 
day  of   trial    to  our    condemnation  7 
What  need  have  we  to  redeem  our 
time !     Although  we  are  yet    young, 
we  know  not  how  few  days  may  be 
left  for  what  has  hitherto  been  neglect- 
ed ;  if  we  are  old,  we  know  that  our 
days  will  not  be  many. 

9.  And  Jacob  said  unto  Pharaoh, 
The  days  of  the  years,  &c.  The  an- 
swer of  the  patriarch  is  very  pathetic 
and  impressive.  We  see  in  it  a  charming 
example  of  spirituality,  and  how  such 
a  slate  of  mind  will  find  a  way  of  in- 
troducing religion,  even  in  reply  to  the 
most  simple  and  common  questions,  i 


How  often  do  we  go  into  the  company 
of   persons   of  distinction,   and  come 
away  without  once  thinking  of  making 
use  of  the  opportunity  to  say  some- 
thing 'which  shalt  minister  grace  to 
the  hearers.'     Nay,  it  would  seem  to 
be  almost   rude  to   attempt  it.      But 
wherefore  7    Because  of  our  want  of 
spiriiual-mindedness.     We  may  admit 
indeed  that  great  prudence  and  discre- 
tion are  needed  to  make  such  allusions 
effective ;   and  we  may  grant,   more- 
over,  that  aged  persons,    like  Jacob, 
may  properly  use  more  freedom  in  this 
respect  than  younger  Christians,  for  it 
is  naturally  felt  that '  days  should  speak, 
and  multitude  of  years   should  teach 
wisdom;'  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  at 
the  same  time,  that,  whatever  be  our 
age,  if  our  spirits  were  more  imbued 
with  a  sense  of  divine  things,  we  should 
think  of  the  most  common  concerns  of 
life  in  a  religious  way  ;  and  so  thinking  of 
them,  it  would  be  natural  to  speak  of 
them.     Jacob  here,  in  answer  to  this 
simple  question,  without  any  force  or 
awkwardness   introduces  several   im- 
portant truths  which  could  hardly  fail 
to  make  an  impression  on  the  mind  of 
Pharaoh.    He  insinuates  to  him  that 
he    and  his  fathers  before  him   were 
strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth; 
that  their  portion  was  not  in  this  world, 
but  in  another ;  that  the  life  of  man, 
though  it  be  extended  to  a  hundred  and 
thirty  years,  was  but  a  few  days  ;  that 
these  few  days  were  mixed  with  evil ; 
all  which,  if  the  king  properly  reflected 
on  it,  would  lead  him  to  set  light  by 
the  earthly  glory  which    surrounded 
him,  and  to  seek  a  crown  which  fadeth 
not  away.    It  is  admirable  to  see  how 
all  these  sentiments  could  be  suggested 
in  so  prudent,  so  modest,  so  natural, 
and  so  inoffensive  a  manner.   In  speak- 
ing as  he  did  of  the  days  of  the  years 
of  his  pilgrimage  Jacob  used  the  lan- 
guage which  he  had  learned  from  his 
fathers.    He  speaks  of  their  pilgrimage 


360 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1706. 


as  well  as  his  own,  and  we  learn  from 
Paul,  that  they  confessed  themselves 
strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth, 
who  were  seeldng  a  better  country.  In 
this  sense,  we  all  ought  to  consider 
ourselves  as  pilgrims,  on  our  journey 
to  another  world,  towards  which  we 
should  travel  as  those  who  look  for  a 
continuing  city,  whose  builder  and  ma- 
ker is  God. IT  Few  and  evil  have  the 

years,  &c.  Few  and  many  are  relative 
terms.  In  our  period  of  the  world,  an 
hundred  and  thirty  years  make  a  life 
of  extraordinary  length.  But  Jacob 
counted  his  years  few,  because  they 
came  far  short  of  the  days  of  many  of 
his  ancestors.  Yet  when  he  was  a 
child  in  his  father's  house,  an  hundred 
and  thirty  years  would  appear  to  him 
a  very  long  space  of  time;  but  now 
when  they  were  gone,  they  appeared 
but  as  a  few  days.  Let  us  attend  to 
the  testimony  of  this  competent  wit- 
ness. Those  years  that  appear'many 
in  prospect,  dwindle  down  to  a  few 
days  when  we  look  back  upon  them. 
Let  us  not  say,  therefore,  that  we  have 
yet  many  days  of  life  before  us,  and 
that  we  will  eat  and  drink  and  be  mer- 
ry. We  know  not  when  our  souls 
shall  be  required  of  us.  But  we  know 
though  we  should  live  an  hundred 
years  twice  told,  and  should  rejoice  in 
them  all,  yet  they  will  appear  when  at 
an  end,  but  as  yesterday  when  it  is 
past !  But  Jacob's  days  were  not  only 
few,  they  were  evil  also.  Certain  it 
is,  that  many  of  the  days  of  his  life 
were  spent  in  grief.  Besides  the  years 
of  bitterness  that  he  spent  in  lamenting 
Joseph's  unhappy  fate,  and  the  other 
deaths  in  his  family,  the  sins  of  his 
children  were  the  cause,  not  of  days, 
but  of  years  of  sorrow.  They  were  so 
heinous,  that  the  bitter  remembrance 
of  them  must  have  kept  possession  of 
his  mind  till  his  dying  day.  But  to 
what  purpose  did  he  speak  of  the  ca- 
lamities of  his  life  in  his  intercourse 


with  Pharaoh?  Not  to  bespeak  the 
pity  of  that  prince,  after  all  the  assur- 
ances of  kindness  that  he  had  received 
from  him.  Far  less  did  Jacob  intend 
to  express  any  dissatisfaction  with  the 
dealings  of  providence  towards  him. 
He  did  not  envy  his  fathers  the  length 
of  their  hves  or  their  comparative  ex- 
emption from  evil.  His  aim  was  un- 
doubtedly rather  to  administer  a  sea- 
sonable hint  to  Pharaoh  of  the  great 
truth,  that  '  man  that  is  born  of  woman 
is  of  few  days  and  full  of  trouble.'  He 
had  seen  it  expedient  often  to  speak  to 
his  sons  of  the  evil  days  that  he  had 
seen,  and  might  very  justly  suppose 
that  a  hint  on  this  subject  would  be 
useful  to  the  king  of  Egypt.  His  situ- 
ation in  life  precluded  the  probability 
that  he  would  ever  receive  many  ad- 
monitions on  this  head  from  other 
sources,  and  as  the  opportunity  was 
afforded  to  Jacob  of  administering  a 
seasonable  hint,  he  wisely  avails  him- 
self of  it.  Yet  the  thought  is  so  obvi- 
ous that  one  would  scarcely  think  that 
it  needed  a  patriarch  to  suggest  it  to  a 
king.  We  certainly  must  be  great 
strangers  to  the  world  and  to  ourselves, 
if  we  have  not  yet  learned  a  lesson  for 
which  we  have  more  than  ten  thousand 
instructions.  But  there  is  one  ccun 
terbalancing  view.  Since  there  is  so 
much  evil  mingled  with  human  life,  we 
ought  rather  to  rejoice  than  to  mourn 
that  our  days  are  few.  If  nothing,  in- 
deed, were  to  be  expected  beyond  the 
grave,  we  would  choose  rather  to  en- 
dure all  the  evils  of  life  a  great  while 
longer,  than  to  lose  our  present  exist- 
ence. But  if  an  eternity  of  joy  in  the 
presence  of  Christ  awaits  us,  why 
should  we  regret  the  brevity  of  our  hfe 
of  sorrows  1 

10.  And  Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh,  &c. 
As  Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh  when  he 
came  into  his  presence,  so  he  again 
blessed  him  when  he  went  out  of  it. 
From  their  mutual  treatment  of  each 


13.  C.  1706. 


CHAPTER  XL VII. 


361 


10  And  Jacob  « blessed  Pha- 
raoh, and  went  out  from  before 
Pharaoh. 

11  U  And  Joseph  placed  his  fa- 
ther and  his  brethren,  and  gave 
them  a  possession  in  the  land  of 
Egypt,  in  the  best  of  the  land,  in 


other,  we  may  learn  that  it  is  a  good 
thing  to  do  good  to  good  men.  They 
will  return  in  prayers  and  blessings,  if 
they  cannot  do  it  otherwise,  the  favors 
done  to  them  in  their  persons  and  fam- 
ilies. The  prayer  of  such  a  wrestler 
with  God  as  Jacob  availeth  much. 
Whether  Pharaoh  ever  saw  him  again, 
or  whether  he  profited  at  all  by  the 
interview,  we  are  not  informed.  If  the 
words  which  he  heard  produced  their 
right  effect,  upon  his  mind,  he  would 
look  back  to  this  meeting,  short  as  it 
was,  as  one  of  the  most  interesting 
events  of  his  life. 

11.  And  Joseph  placed  his  father, 
&c.  Heb.  i'lri""  yosheb,  seated,  caused 
to  dwell.  Had  Joseph  given  them  a 
possession  in  the  best  part  of  the  land, 
without  express  orders  from  Pharaoh, 
it  might  have  given  to  the  Egyptians 
an  occasion  of  evil  speaking  not  only 
against  himself  but  against  his  father's 
house.  But  when  Pharaoh  command- 
ed him  to  place  them  in  the  best  part 
of  the  country,  he  not  only  had  a  right, 
but  counted  it  his  duty  to  give  this  tes- 
timony of  his  affection  to  his  father. 
How  richly  was  Joseph  repaid  for  all 
his  sufferings,  when  he  was  made  a 
father  not  only  to  Pharaoh  and  the 
Egyptians,  but  to  all  his  father's  house ! 

12.  And  Joseph  nourished  his  father 
and  his  brethren,  &c.  Heb.  ^^^S'^ 
yekalkel,  sustained,  fostered.  The  Gr. 
renders  it  by  (.airoiuTOEi  esitometrei,  he 
gave  them  their  measure  of  com,  (or 
portion  of  meat,  taking  '  meat'  in  the 
old  sense  of  '  meal.')    A  kindred  term 

31 


the  land  of  PRameses,  •'  as  Pha- 
raoh had  commanded, 

12  And  Joseph  nourished  his 
father,  and  his  brethren  and  all 
his  father's  household,  with  bread 
according  to  their  families. 


p  Ex.  i.  11.  &  12.  37.    q  ver.  6. 


o-iroj^terpioi,  portion  of  meat,  occurs 
Luke  12.  42,  where  allusion  is  doubtless 
had  to  the  exaltation  and  stewardship  of 
Joseph  here  recorded;  'And  the  lord 
said.  Who  then  is  that  faithful  and  wise 
steward  whom  his  lord  shall  make  ru- 
ler over  his  household  to  give  them  their 
portion  of  meat  in  due  season  V  It  is 
needless  to  inquire  at  whose  expense 
Joseph  afforded  such  large  supplies  to 
his  father's  family.  He  was  first  just, 
and  then  generous.  He  was  entitled 
te  a  large  revenue,  Vv'hich  would  enable 
him  to  practise  liberality  to  a  great  ex- 
tent. It  is  plain,  from  what  we  have 
already  seen,  that  he  used  no  more  free- 
dom than  he  was  expressly  warranted 
to  do  with  the  king's  property  under 
his  management.  In  thus  performing 
this  ofl5ce  of  filial  and  fraternal  care  to- 
wards his  father's  house,  he  made  good 
the  title  ascribed  to  him  in  Jacob's 
blessing.   Gen.  49.   24,   of  '  Shepherd 

and  Stone  of  Israel.' IT  According 

to  their  families.  Heb.  t]L2ri  "^5^) 
lephi  hattaph,  according  to  the  mouth 
of  the  little  ones.  That  is,  either  ac- 
cording to  the  number,  the  census,  of 
their  families,  small  as  well  as  great, 
in  which  sense  the  original  of  the  word 
'mouth'  occurs.  Gen.  50.21.  Ex.  12. 
3  ;  or,  according  to  the  manner  of  lit- 
tle children,  whose  food  is  put  into  their 
mouths  lovingly,  tenderly,  carefully. 
It  denotes  that  Joseph  acted  the  part 
of  a  nursing-father  to  Jacob's  house. 
Probably  both  ideas  are  included  in  the 
phrase.  Thus,  as  the  Psalmist  says  of 
David,  Ps.  78.  72,  'He  fed  them  ac- 


362 


OETJKSr^. 


[B.  C.  1702". 


13  ^  And  there  was  no  bread 
in  all  the  land;  for  the  famine 
-ujas  very  sore^  '"so  that  the  land 
of  Egypt,  and  all  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, fainted  by  reason  of  the 
famine. 

14  "  And  Joseph  gathered  up 
all  the  money  that  was  found 
in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  in  the 
land    of    Canaan,   for   the   corn 

r  ch.  41.  30.    Acts  7.  11.    s  ch.  41  5&. 


cording  to  the  integrity  of  his  heart  j 
and  guided  them  by  the  skilfulness  of 
Ms  hands.' 

13.  And  there  was  no  bread,  &c. 
That  is,  no  food  ;  by  which  is  meant 
there  was  comparatively  none ;  the 
population  were  reduced  to  the  greatest 
straits.  The  narrative  beginning  here 
and  ending  v.  23,  cornea  in  parentheti- 
cally, as  a  kind  of  episode  informing  us 
of  the  state  of  things  in  Egypt,  during 
Ibe  remaining  five  years  of  famine  un- 
der Joseph's  administration.  The  scar- 
city was  so  extreme  that  to  purchase 
the  necessaries  of  life,  the  inhabitants 
were  compelled  to  part  with  nearly  all 
their  possessions.  What  reason  have 
we  to  bless  God,  that  we  have  seldom 
or  never  known  by  experience  the  hor- 
rors of  famine,  or  even  the  anxiety  of 
fear  about  the  indispensable  means  of 

Eving ! IT  TTie  land— fainted.   That 

is,  the  people  of  the  land,  as  the  Chal. 
renders  it.  Arab.  '  The  inhabitants  of 
the  land  were  brought  to  poverty.' 
The  Syr.  however  has,  '  The  land  was 
desolate  or  wasted.^  Gr.  t^eXnTc  failed, 
fainted.  The  meaning  undoubtedly  is 
that  the  inhabitants  both  of  Egypt  and 
Canaan  were  so  completely  prostrated 
by  the  common  calamity,  that  they 
sunk  spiritless  and  iJiert  into  utter  de- 
spondency. They  were  like  a  person 
in  whom  animation  is  suspended. 

14.  Joseph  gathered  up  all  the  mon- 
«y,  &c.    Probably  better  rendered,  'had 


which  they  bought:  and  Joseph 
brought  the  money  into  Pharaoh's 
house. 

15  And  when  money  failed  in 
the  land  of  Egypt,  and  in  the 
land  of  Canaan,  all  the  Egyp- 
tians came  unto  Joseph,  andsaid,^ 
Give  us  bread  :  for  t  why  should 
we  die  in  thy  presence  ?  for  the 
money  faileth. 

t  ver.  1^. 


gathered  up.'  So  in  the  last  clause 
•  had  brought,'  instead  of  '  brought.'  It 
was  after  they  had  parted  with  their 
money  that  they  were  reduced  to  such 
extremities.  Nothing  of  extortion  on 
the  part  of  Jos?ph  is  to  be  inferred 
from  these  words.  The  people  oi 
Egypt  and  Canaan  were  willing  to  give 
all  their  money  for  corn,  and  were  glad 
that  they  had  money  to  give  in  ex- 
change for  what  was  so  necessary  to 
their  comfort,  and  even  to  their  exist- 
ence. Of  what  use  is  money,  but  to- 
procure  the  things  that  we  need  7  Do 
we  grudge  to  pay  for  what  we  cannot 
want  ?  We  have  great  reason  to  thank 
God  if  in  times  of  scarcity  corn  can 
still  be  had  for  money,  and  money  can 
be  had  to  purchase  corn.  When  it  is 
said  that  all  the  money  of  the  country 
was  received  by  Joseph,  the  meaning 
probably  is,  that  the  greater  part  was 
brought  to  him  for  corn.  None  was 
left  in  the  hands  of  the  common  peo- 
ple, and  little  in  the  hands  of  the  most 
affluent.  But  Joseph  did  not  enrich 
himself  with  that  money  which  came 
abundantly  into  his  hands.  He  brought 
it  into  Pharaoh's  house,  reserving  noth- 
ing for  himself  but  the  lawful  and 
known  reward  of  his  labor.  Though 
he  had  ample  opportunities  clandes- 
tinely to  appropriate  the  public  revenue, 
yet  he  knew  that  an  all-seeing  eye  was 
upon  him  and  abhorred  the  thought  of 
sinning    against   God.     What  would 


I.e.  1702.  J 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 


363 


16  And  Joseph  said,  Give 
your  cattle ;  and  I  will  give 
you  for  your  cattle,  if  money 
foil. 

17  And  they  brought  their  cat- 
tle unto  Joseph :  and  Joseph  gave 


/bousanda  of  gold  and  silver  have  avail- 
ed him,  if  he  had  brought  upon  himself 
that  curse  which  cleaves  to  the  work- 
ers of  unrighteousness  7 

15.  And  when  jnoney  failed,  &c. 
The  Egyptians  felt  the  famine  very 
severely,  but  were  not  reduced  to  the 
same  pitiable  distress  with  the  Canaan- 
ites,  who  had  no  Joseph  among  them 
to  buy  up  stores  of  food  against  the 
time  of  pressing  need.  The  Egyptians, 
however,  no  doubt  deserved  to  feel  the 
effects  of  famine,  from  not  having  been 
careful  to  lay  up  provision  for  them- 
selves, when  they  should  have  known 
that  the  famine  was  coming.  As  in 
the  plague  of  hail  predicted  by  Moses, 
those  of  the  Egyptians  who  feared  the 
Lord  secured  their  cattle  and  servants 
against  it,  while  others  lost  both,  so  it 
is  very  probable  that  some  of  the  Egyp- 
tians had  taken  warning  and  laid  up 
corn  for  themselves.  The  far  greater 
part,  however,  no  doubt  either  disre- 
garded the  prediction,  or  trusted  to  Jo- 
seph to  provide  for  their  necessities. 
They  now,  therefore,  reap  the  conse- 
quences of  their  improvidence.  Still 
they  were  not  obliged  to  starve,  though 
their  money  was  gone.  There  was 
bread,  and  to  spare,  in  the  king's  gra- 
naries, and  ihe  disposal  of  it  was  com- 
mitted to  Joseph  ;  and  to  him  they  ap- 
ply, in  their  straits,  with  something  of 
a  tone  of  remonstrance.  '  Why  should 
we  die  in  thy  presence  ?  The  corn  col- 
lected in  the  store-houses  will  be  use- 
less without  eaters,  and  the  king  will 
be  a  king  no  longer  if  his  subjects  all 
die.' 

16,  17.  Joseph  said,  Give  your  cattle. 


them  bread  in  exchange  for 
horses,  and  for  the  flocks,  and  for 
the  cattle  of  the  herds,  and  for 
the  asses;  and  he  fed  them  with 
bread,  for  all  their  cattle,  for  that 
year. 


&c.  But  v/as  not  Joseph  taking  ad- 
vantage of  their  necessities,  in  propo- 
sing to  furnish  bread  to  them  on  such 
hard  conditions?  Was  it  not  enough 
for  them  to  part  with  all  their  money, 
without  being  compelled  to  dispose  of 
their  horses  and  asses,  their  kine  and 
their  sheep?  To  this  question  the  an- 
swer is  easy.  We  are  well  assured 
that  Joseph  was  not  an  extortioner. 
How  could  that  man  be  an  extortioner, 
who  would  rather  expose  himself  to 
the  danger  of  an  ignominious  death, 
than  sin  against  God  by  yielding  to  the 
blandishments  of  an  artful  woman? 
How  could  that  man  be  an  oppressor 
of  the  Egyptians  whom  the  people  ac- 
knowledged with  common  consent  as 
the  preserver  of  their  hves  ?  Nor  should 
it  be  forgotten  that  the  corn  was  not 
Joseph's  but  Pharaoh's;  and  it  is  re- 
quired in  stewards,  that  a  man  be  found 
faithful.  If  we  should  happen,  in  a 
time  of  scarcity,  to  be  entrusted  with 
the  disposal  of  another  man's  corn, 
should  we  give  it  away  gratuitously  to 
those  who  should  come  and  tell  us 
that  their  money  was  all  spent? 
Should  we  not  rather  ask  them  if  they 
had  no  cattle,  or  any  thing  else  as 
good  as  money  ?  Or  if  they  should 
have  nothing  at  all  to  give  in  exchange 
for  the  necessaries  of  life,  should  we 
on  that  account  feel  bound  to  give 
them  what  is  not  our  own  ?  Let  Jo- 
seph be  judged  by  the  same  rule.  The 
truth  is,  it  was  in  all  probability  an  act 
of  kindness  on  the  part  of  Joseph  to 
propose  the  measure  he  did ;  for  as  tho 
people  were  now  destitute  of  suste- 
nance for  their  cattle,  or  the  means  of 


364 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1702. 


13  When  that  year  was  ended, 
they  came  unto  him  the  second 
year,  and  said  unto  him,  We  will 
not  hide  it  from  my  lord,  how  that 
our  money  is  spent ;  my  lord  also 
hath  our  herds  of  cattle  :  there  is 
not  aught  left  in  the  sight  of  my 
lord,  but  our  bodies  and  our  lands : 


procuring  it,  their  herds  and  flocks 
would  otherwise  have  been  in  danger 
of  perishing.  In  this,  as  in  many  pas- 
sages of  the  scriptures,  it  is  to  be  recol- 
lected that  the  inspired  writer  does  not 
relate  all  the  incidents  that  actually 
occurred.  Consequently  we  are  often 
required  to  infer  the  propriety  or  wis- 
dom of  particular  measures  from  the 
general  character  of  the  agents.  No 
man  can  pretend  to  say  what  circum- 
stances, known  or  unknown  to  us, 
came  under  consideration  in  determi- 
ning this  point.  Joseph  knew  them  all, 
and  was  as  well  qualified  as  he  was 
entitled  to  give  his  opinion  in  the  king's 
council.  For  although  he  was  prime 
minister,  we  have  no  reason  to  think 
that  he  would  venture  upon  measures 
of  great  importance,  without  the  opin- 
ion of  other  counsellors  of  the  king. 
He  was  too  wise  a  man  to  think  of 
monopolising  wisdom  to  himself,  or  to 
expose  himself  needlessly  to  envy  or 
reproach.  We  must  not  think  then 
that  Joseph  did  not  consider  the  case 
of  the  poor,  or  that  he  exacted  of  them 
more  than  was  meet.  While  it  was  no 
,<iss  just  to  take  their  cattle  than  their 
mon'ey,  we  have  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve  that  the  policy  was   one  of  the 

most  generous  benevolence. IT  J^ed 

them.  Heb.  GDnj*!  ycnahalem.  led 
them.  It  is  a  metaphorical  expression 
taken  from  the  office  of  a  shepherd 
who  conducts  his  flocks  to  the  fount- 
ains and  pastures  where  they  may  be 
fed  and  refreshed ;  for  in  this  occupa- 
tion, a  leader  is  a  provider.     The  term 


19  Wherefore  shall  we  die  be- 
fore thine  eyes,  both  we  and  our 
land  ?  buy  us  and  our  land  for 
bread,  and  we  and  our  land  will 
be  servants  unto  Pharaoh  :  and 
give  us  seed,  that  we  may  live, 
and  not  die,  that  the  land  be  not 
desolate. 


occurs  Ps.  23.  2,  '  He  makeih  me  to  lie 
down  in  green  pastures  :  he  Icadeth  me 
("^jini"^  yenahaleni)  beside  the  etill 
waters.'  Is.  49.  10,  'They  shall  not 
hunger  nor  thirst;  neither  shall  the 
heat  nor  sun  smite  them  :  for  he  that 
hath  mercy  on  them  shall  lead  them 
(cin^i  yenahalem),  and  by  the  springs 
of  water  shall  he  guide  them.'  The 
Gr.  has  e^edpEipev,  nourished,  and  the 
VDlg.  'sustentavit,'  sustained.  But 
the  feeding  and  sustaining  was  the  e^ect 
of  the  leading  which  is  implied  in  the 
native  force  of  the  term. 

18.  Wheyi  that  year  teas  ended,  &c. 
By  this  is  meant,  not  the  second  year 
from  the  commencement  of  thcfamine, 
but  from  the  failing  of  their  money.  It 
is  only  extreme  necessity  that  will  ex- 
tort confessions  of  poverty  from  those 
who  have  all  their  days  been  blest, 
in  the  main,  with  abundance.  Yet  to 
this  hard  necessity  were  the  Egyptians 
now  reduced,  though  it  would  seem 
from  their  language  that  if  they  could 
have  hidden  the  truth  of  their  condi- 
tion awhile  longer  from  Joseph  they 
would.  But  it  was  useless  to  struggle 
any  longer  with  the  dire  calamity  that 
pressed  them  down,  nor  will  they  suf- 
fer a  feehng  of  pride  or  self-reliance  to 
prevail  with  them  to  conceal  their  dis- 
tress from  one  who  was  able  and  wil- 
ling to  relieve  them.  With  how  much 
greater  confidence  may  we  have  re- 
course to  Jesus  in  all  our  distresses ! 
'He  will  deliver  the  needy  when  he 
crieth,  the  poor  also,  and  him  that  hath 
no  helper  :  He  will  spare  the  poor  and 


B.  C.  1701.] 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 


365 


20  And  Joseph  bought  all  the 
land  of  Egypt  for  Pharaoh  ;  for 
the  Egyptians  sold  every  man  his 
field,  because  the  famine  prevail- 
ed over  them:  so  the  land  became 
Pharaoh's. 


needy,  and  will  save  the  souls  of  the 
needy.' 

19.  Buy  us  and  our  land  for  bread. 
'  Skin  for  skin,  yea,  all  that  a  man  hath 
will  he  give  for  his  life.'  How  precious 
are  the  fruits  of  the  earth  I  We  know 
not  the  value  of  them,  because  we 
have  seldom  or  never  known  want. 
A  man  will  give  not  only  all  that  he 
has,  but  himself  also,  for  the  staff  of 
life.  Such  bargains  indeed  are  not 
known  among  us,  because  it  is  our 
happiness  to  live  in  a  land  of  liberty 
and  a  land  of  plenty;  but  we  may 
justly  ask  ourselves,  if  men  pinched 
with  poverty,  were  so  willing  to  part, 
not  only  with  their  land,  but  with  their 
liberty,  for  that  meat  which  perisheth; 
what  value  should  we  set  on  that  meat 
which  enduretli  unto  everlasting  life! 
With  what  cheerfulness  ought  we  to 
devote  ourselves  to  the  service  of  him 
who  hath  given  his  own  flesh  to  be  the 

food  of  our  souls  ? IT  Give  us  seed 

that  ICC  may  lire  and  not  die.  It  was 
not  therefore  merely  for  sustenance, 
but  also  for  sowing,  that  they  desired 
seed.  Their  idea  perhaps  was  that  of 
a  merely  ie?nporary  alienation  of  them- 
selves and  their  lands;  and  in  this  case, 
they  would  intimate  that  they  needed 
seed  to  sow  the  ground  that  they  might 
thereby  produce  the  means  of  after- 
ward redeeming  themselves  and  their 
property.  As  they  were  now  in  the 
seventh  year  of  the  famine,  they  solicit 
seed  for  the  next  year's  crop.  They 
speak  of  the  'land's  dying,'  as  well  as 
themselves  ;  but  this  can  only  be  un- 
derstood in  the  sense  of  lying  barren 
and  desolate.  The  phrase  is  cquallv 
31* 


21  And  as  for  the  people,  he 
removed  them  to  cities  from  one 
end  of  the  borders  of  Egypt  even 
to  the  other  end  thereof 

22  ^  Only    the    land    of    the 

V  Ezra  7.  24. 


figurative  with  that  which  follows,  in 
which  the  land  is  spoken  of  as  biing  a 
'  servant.' 

20.  Joseph  bought  all  the  land  of 
Egypt,  &c.  Though  it  is  often  said 
that  n;?  injury  can  be  done  to  a  man 
with  his  own  consent,  yet  the  saying 
needs  limitations,  for  there  are  certain- 
ly many  cases  in  which  great  injury 
may  be  done  to  men  with  their  own 
consent.  If  the  Egyptians  had  offered 
themselves  as  slaves  to  Pharaoh  when 
there  was  no  valid  reason  for  it,  Joseph 
could  not  righteously  have  accepted  of 
the  proffer.  But  it  was  surely  better 
for  them  to  sell  themselves  and  their 
land  to  Pharaoh,  thali  to  want  bread. 
We  shall  see  from  a  subsequent  note 
that  Joseph's  conduct  in  this  transac- 
tion can  be  still  more  satisfactorily  vin- 
dicated. 

21.  He  removed  them  to  cities.  The 
meaning  of  this  passage  we  conceive 
to  be  simply  this;  that  as  the  nume- 
rous cities  and  villages  throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  the  land  were  convert- 
ed into  granaries  and  depots  of  corn 
from  which  the  people  were  to  be  sub- 
sisted, Pharaoh  ordered  the  people  to 
be  removed  from  the  country  and  gath- 
ered into  these  cities  for  the  conve- 
nience of  distributing  to  them  their 
portion  of  meat.  This  arrangement 
went  into  effect  'from  one  end  of  the 
borders  of  Egypt  even  to  the  other  end 
thereof.'  This  was  all  the  translation 
that  took  place.  When  the  famine 
ceased  they  were  sent  back  with  seed 
tc  sow  their  former  fields.  The  phrase 
without  impropriety  might  be  rendered 
'  had  removed.'    If  this  be  correct,  their 


366 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1701 


priests  bought  he  not ;  for  the 
priests  had  a  portion  assigiied 
them  of  Pharaoh,  and  did  eai 
their  portion  which  Pharaoh  gave 


petition  for  seed  was  in  fact  a  petition 
that  the  regulation  fixing  them  in  cities 
might  be  abolished.  This  would  per- 
haps have  been  a  dangerous  policy,  had 
not  Joseph  been  confident  that  his 
measures  were  such  as  would  not  only 
bear  the  strictest  scrutiny,  but  could 
not  excite  discontent  among  the  mul- 
titude. The  want  of  bread,  especially 
when  the  measures  of  government 
have  been  supposed  to  be  the  cause  of 
it,  strongly  tends  to  excite  nations  to 
sedition.  But  Joseph  had  no  fear  of 
disturbances  arising  from  this  source. 
He  cared  not  how  many  of  the  people 
were  assembled  in  one  place.  Though 
when  they  met  together  from  difft-rent 
points  of  the  country,  their  ordinary 
subject  of  discourse  would  be  the  dis- 
tress which  had  compelled  them  to  sell 
their  lands,  the  miseries  of  the  famine, 
and  the  methods  taken  by  government 
to  relieve  them  ;  yet  Joseph  had  no 
apprehensions  that  the  tendency  of 
such  discourse  would  be  prejudicial 
either  to  himself  or  to  the  king.  Let 
us  all  endeavor  so  to  act  on  every  oc- 
casion, that  we  may  have  no  reason  to 
fear  the  scourge  of  the  tongue.  If  our 
conduct  be  truly  worthy  of  commen- 
dation, we  may  hope  either  that  the 
voice  of  reproach  will  not  be  heard  or 
that  it  will  soon  be  put  to  silence, 

22.  Only  the  land  of  the  priests 
bought  he  not.  Joseph  has  been 
charged  in  this  affair  with  showing  an 
undue  and  blameable  partiality  for  this 
clnss  of  persons,  and  thus  favoring  an 
odious  system  of  priestcraft.  But  let 
it  be  observed  that  the  sacred  writer 
here  speaks  not  of  Joseph,  but  of  Pha- 
raoh. Joseph  was  not  the  one  who 
assigned  to  the  priests  their  revenue; 


them;    wherefore   they   sold    not 
their  lands. 

23  Then  Joseph  said  unto  the 
people,   Behold,    I    have   bought 


and  how  is  he  to  be  blamed  for  allow- 
ing them  to  retain  that  portion  which 
Pharaoh  had  allotted,  and  of  which  it 
does  not  appear  that  he  could  justly 
have  deprived  them  1  The  reason  why 
the  generosity  of  Pharaoh  to  the  priests 
is  here  mentioned,  is  to  account  for  Jo- 
seph's not  buying  their  lands,  when  he 
bought  the  lands  of  the  other  Egyp- 
tians. It  is  strange  if  good  men  must 
be  censured  for  what  they  do  not  do,  as 
well  as  for  what  they  do.  The  Egyp- 
tian priests,  according  to  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  kingdom,  were  obliged  to 
provide  all  sacrifices,  and  to  bear  all 
the  charges  of  the  national  religion, 
which  in  those  days  was  not  a  little 
expensive.  Add  to  this,  that  the  priests 
of  Egypt  were  the  whole  body  of  the 
nobility  of  the  land ;  that  they  were 
the  king's  counsellors  and  assistants  in 
all  the  affairs  that  concerned  the  pub- 
lic; were  joint  agents  with  him  in  some 
things,  and  in  others,  his  directors  and 
instructers.  They  were  moreover  the 
professors  and  cultivators  of  astrono- 
my, geometry,  and  other  useful  sci- 
ences; they  were  the  keepers  of  the 
public  registers,  memoirs,  and  chron- 
icles of  the  kingdom ;  and  in  a  word, 
under  the  king  they  were  the  supreme 
magistrates,  and  filled  all  the  prime 
oflBces  of  honor  and  trust.  Consider- 
ing them  in  all  these  characters,  we 
cannot  but  admit  that  Pharaoh  might 
justly  suppose  that  their  allowance  was 
not  disproportioned  to  their  station, 
and  consequently  that  they  might 
properly  be  exempted  from  the  burdens 
imposed  upon  the  mass  of  the  people. 
See  the  Noto  in  the  Pictorial  Bible  on 
this  passage. 

23.  Josej^h  said  unto  the  people,  6cc. 


S.  €.  1701.] 


CHAPTER  XLVri. 


367 


¥ 


ou  this   day  and  your  land  for 
haraoh:    lo,   here   is   seed    for 
you,  and  ye  shall  sow  the  land. 

24  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
in  the  increase,  that  ye  shall  give 
-the  fifth  part  unto  Pharaoh,  and 
four  parts  shall  be  your  own,  for 
seed  of  the  field,  and  for  your 
food,  and  for  them  of  yourhouse- 
.holds,  and  for  food  for  your  little 
ones. 


These  v/ords,  though  plainly  recogni- 
sing the  fact  of  their  servitude,  must 
have  had  a  pleasant  sound  in  the  ears 
of  the  Egyptians.  Six  years  had 
lapsed  in  v/hich  it  had  been  useless  to 
sow.  The  tillers  of  the  earth  and  the 
earth  itself  had  long  languished  under 
the  effects  of  their  suspended  labor. 
But  now  they  are  told  that  this  period 
j.9  drawing  to  an  end  and  that  the  work 
of  agriculture  is  to  be  resumed.  The 
people  having  been  long  sustained  with- 
out the  ordinary  labors  of  the  seed- 
time and  harvest,  must  now  again 
labor  or  perish.  When  men  are  able 
to  work,  and  can  do  it  profitably,  they 
ought  to  starve,  if  their  hands  refuse 
to  labor. 

24 — 26.  Ye  shall  give  the  fifth  fart 
unto  Pharaoh.  Joseph  had  bought  all 
the  land  except  that  of  the  priests,  and 
the  people  had  voluntarily  become 
Pharaoh's  servants.  He  might  there- 
fore have  retained  the  whole  in  strict 
justice ;  and  his  reserving  only  a  fifth 
part  of  the  increase  for  the  king,  and 
remitting  the  rest  to  be  their  ov/n,  was 
an  act  of  liberality  and  of  good  policy. 
Though  Egypt  was  always  a  despotic 
country,  yet  as  far  as  appears  this  fifth 
pan  was  all  the  tax  that  the  people 
were  required  to  pay  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  a  fifth  of  the  produce  is 
much  less  than  the  amount  of  all  the 
taxes  in  many  countrie.s  that  boast  of 


25  And  th€y  said,  Thou  hast 
saved  our  lives :  *  let  us  find 
grace  in  the  sight  of  my  lord, 
and  we  will  be  Pharaoh's  ser- 
vants. 

26  And  Joseph  made  it  a  law 
over  the  land  of  Egypt  unto 
this  day,  that  Pharaoh  should 
have  the  fifth  part  j  y  except  the 
land  of  the  priests  only,  ichich 
became  not  Pharaoh's. 

X  ch.  33. 15.    y  ver.  22, 


their  liberty.  The  people  also  had  vol- 
untarily sold  themselves  for  Pharaoh's 
servants  or  bondmen ;  but  this  part  of 
the  bargain  must  have  been,  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  at  least,  remitted,  for  Jo- 
seph says,  V.  24,  'four  parts  shall  be 
your  own,'  which  is  not  consistent 
with  a  state  of  absolute  slavery.  And 
when  they  still  say,  v.  25,  '  we  will  be 
Pharaoh's  servants,'  they  meant  that 
they  would  own  him  for  their  lord,  that 
they  would  occupy  the  lands  as  his 
tenants  and  tributaries,  on  the  condi- 
tion that  they  should  give  a  fifth  part 
of  the  produce  as  a  yearly  tax— a  con- 
dition with  which,  as  it  would  seem, 
they  were  perfectly  satisfied;  so  that 
there  is  not  the  smallest  reason  for 
accusing  Joseph  of  injustice  or  cruelty 

in  this  transaction. ^  Joseph  mads 

it  a  laic.  The  law  v/as  no  doubt  made 
by  the  king,  with  the  advice  of  his 
counsellors ;  but  the  honor  of  it  is 
given  to  Joseph  because  he  was  its 
chief  and  first  adviser.  Men  of  great 
influence  have  it  in  their  power  to  do 
much  good  by  other  hands  than  their 
own.  And  the  good  they  do  by  others, 
as  well  as  by  themselves,  if  done  from 
proper  motives,  will  redound  to  their 
praise  and  honor  and  glory  in  the  day 
of  Christ's  appearing. 

27.  And  Israel  dwelt,  &c.  The  sa- 
cred writer  here  again  resumes  the 
thread  of  the  history  of  Israel    It  is 


368 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


27  1[  And  Israel  ^  dwelt  in  the 
land  of  Egypt,  in  the  country  of 
Goshen ;  and  they  had  posses- 
sions therein  ;  and  "^  grew,  and 
multiplied  exceedingly. 

z  ver.  11.    ach.  46.  3. 

not  of  great  importance  to  determine 
whether  by  the  name  'Israel'  in  this 
place  we  are  to  understand  Jacob  him- 
self, or  his  family,  now  beginning  to 
multiply  into  the  great  nation  after- 
ward known  for  many  ages    by  the 
glorious  name  of  their  progenitor.    It 
is,   however,   most   natural  to  under- 
stand the  name  in  this  connexion,  of 
the  whole  family,  as  the  plural  num- 
ber is  used  concerning  Israel  in  the 
last  clause  of  the  verse.    Jacob's  seed 
could  not  yet  possess  the  land  promised 
to  their  father.    When  they  came  into 
Egypt,  they  were  only  three  score  and 
ten  men;  but  the  good  man  not  only 
knew  by  the  promise  that  their  number 
would  increase  till  they  became  a  great 
nation,  but  his  eyes   saw   the  promise 
going  into  its  accomplishment.     They 
grew  and  multiplied  exceedingly  before 
as  well  as  after  his  death.    The  fulfil- 
ment of  God's  precious  promise  in  the 
numbers  of  his  descendants,  was  more 
pleasant  to  him  than  the  joy  of  seeing 
a  numerous  family  around  him.    He 
saw  the  glory  of  the  mercy  and  truth 
of  God,  which  hath  hitherto  followed 
him  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and  he  be- 
Heved  that  they  would  shower  down 
blessings  on  his  seed  through  all  gen- 
erations.    In  the  mean  time  it  was  a 
comfort  to  him  that  his  family  had  a 
separate  settlement,  and  was  not  scat- 
tered among  the  worshippers  of  false 
gods.    He  might  perhaps  have  an  oc- 
casional misgiving  as  to  the  influence  of 
the  bad  example  of  the  Egyptians  upon 
his  seed  when  he  was  taken  away,  but 
a  prevaiung  confidence  in  the  promises 
would  prevent  its  permanently  afiect- 
ing  his  peace. 


28  And  Jacob  lived  in  the  land 
of  Egypt  seyenteen  years :  so  the 
whole  age  of  Jacob  was  an  hun- 
dred forty  and  seven  years. 


28.  Jacob  lived  in  the  land  of  Egypt 
seventeen  years.  It  is  highly  probable 
that  when  Jacob  came  into  Egypt  he 
thought  himself  near  to  the  end  of  his 
life,  yet  his  term  was  lengthened  out 
by  the  space  of  seventeen  years.  Ma- 
ny have  lived  longer  in  the  world  than 
they  expected ;  but  many  more  have 
died  sooner.  Job  said,  '  mine  eye  shall 
no  more  see  good,'  yet  he  lived  an  hun- 
dred and  forty  years  longer,  and  spent 
them  all  in  prosperity.  The  man  in 
the  parable,  on  the  other  hand,  who 
said  he  had  stored  up  goods  for  many 
years,  lived  not  to  enjoy  them  a  day  ' 
longer.  It  is  highly  probable  that  Ja- 
cob's coming  to  Egypt  was  the  means 
of  prolonging  his  life.  He  was  worn 
out  with  grief  in  Canaan,  but  in  Egypt 
he  saw  Joseph,  and,  what  v;as  still  bet- 
ter, he  saw  the  loving-kindness  of  the 
Lord  in  the  life,  and  prosperity,  and 
piety  of  Joseph,  and  all  this  had  a 
kindly  physical  efiect  upon  his  aged 
frame.  A  cheerful  heart  does  good 
like  a  medicine,  and  it  may  be  pre- 
sumed that  the  last  seventeen  years  ol 
the  patriarch's  life  were  his  happiest 

years. IF  The  whole   age  of  Jacob 

icas  an  hundred  and  forty  and  seven 
years.  Heb.  '  The  days  of  the  years 
of  his  life.'  Jacob  informed  Pharaoh 
that  he  had  not  attained  to  the  days  ol 
the  years  of  his  fathers.  Isaac  lived  to 
the  age  of  an  hundred  and  eighty ; 
Abraham  to  the  age  of  an  hundred  a.nd 
seventy-five.  Jacob's  life  was  shorter 
than  theirs,  but  he  lived  as  long  as  he 
wished  in  the  land  of  his  pilgrimage. 
The  vicinity  of  his  beloved  son  was  a 
support  to  his  declining  years,  yet  it 
would  give  him  little  pain  to  leave  Jo- 


B.  C.  1689.1 


29  And  the  time  ^  drew  nigh 
that  Israel  must  die:  and  he  call- 
ed his  son  Joseph,  and  said  unto 
him,  If  now  I  have  found  grace 
in  thy  sight,  ^  put,  I  pray  thee, 
thine  hand  under  my  thigh,  and 
"^  deal  kindly  and  truly  with  me  ; 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 


369 


b  Deut.  31.  14.    1  Kings  2.  1. 
d  ch.  24.  49. 


c  ch.  24.  2. 


seph,  that  he  might  go  to  Abraham  and 
Isaac,  and,  what  was  far  better,  to  God 
himself  the  fountain  of  felicity, 

29,  30.  And  the  time  dreic  nigh,  etc. 
*  Israel  must  die.'  The  man  who  had 
power  over  the  angel  and  prevailed, 
must  die.  Abraham  was  dead,  Isaac 
was  dead,  and  he  was  not  to  be  more 
privileged  than  his  fathers.  Still  less 
can  ice  look  for  any  exemption  on  this 
score.  Our  death  is  every  day  making 
a  nearer  approach  to  us.  To-day  we 
are  twenty-four  hours  nearer  to  our 
latter  end  than  yesterday,  and  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  days  nearer  to 
it  than  we  were  a  year  ago.  At  all 
times  we  are  inexcuseable  if  we  en- 
deavor not  to  be  found  ready  ;  but  those 
are  more  than  doubly  inexcuseable 
who  are  warned  by  the  growing  infir- 
mities of  age  that  death  is  approach- 
ing, if  they  neglect  to  prepare  for  the 

solemn  event. IT  He  called  his  son 

Joseph,  &c.  Israel  was  not  like  too 
many  of  us,  who  putaway  the  thoughts 
of  death,  when  the  decay  of  our  bodies 
warns  us  of  our  approaching  end. 
When  the  days  were  drawing  near  that 
he  must  die,  he  sent  for  his  son  Joseph 
to  inform  him  of  his  wishes  concern- 
ing the  disposal  of  that  body  which 
was  to  be  left  behind  him  on  earth. 
His  injunctions  on  this  head  he  pre- 
faces with  the  somewhat  remarkable 
expression,  'If  now  I  have  found  grace 
in  thy  sight.'  Was  this  the  language 
of  a  father  lo  a  son  1  As  children  are 
not  to  lay  up  for  the  parents,  but  the 


•=  bury   me    not,    I   pray    thee,  in 
Egypt : 

30  But  <■  I  will  lie  with  my 
fathers,  and  thou  shalt  carry  me 
out  of  Egypt,  and  ebury  me  in 
their  burying-place.  And  he  said, 
I  will  do  as  thou  hast  said. 


e  ch.  50.  2o.     f  2  Sam.  19.  37.    g  ch.  49.  29 
&  50.  5,  13. 


parents  for  the  children,  so  should  not 
children  rather  entreat  the  favors  of 
their  parents,  than  parents  of  their 
children?  Yet  parents  on  some  occa- 
sions may  find  it  proper  rather  to  en- 
treat than  to  command  their  children. 
Jacob  did  not  forget  that  Joseph  was 
in  high  office  under  Pharaoh  and  that 
he  too  was  a  husband  and  a  father. 
Consequently  he  fell  that  he  had  no 
right  to  demand  any  thing  from  him 
that  he  could  not  perform  consistently 

with  the  duties  of  these  relations. IF 

Put  thine  hand  under  my  thigh.     See 

Note  on  Gen.  24.  2. ^  Bury  me  not 

in  Egypt,  &c.  Why  was  the  good 
patriarch  so  averse  to  a  sepulchre  in 
Egypt?  W^hy  did  he  so  earnestly  wish 
to  lie  in  death  with  his  fathers?  He 
certainly  knew  that  dead  bodies  cannot 
enjoy  the  pleasure  of  fellowship  with 
those  whom  they  once  most  dearly 
loved.  He  knew  that  the  way  to 
heaven,  at  the  resurrection,  was  equal- 
ly near  from  Egypt  as  from  Canaan ; 
nor  is  it  likely  that  he  thought,  with 
some  of  his  modern  descendants,  of 
Canaan  as  the  common  rendezvous  of 
the  just,  at  the  time  when  their  happi- 
ness was  to  be  completed.  But  it  is 
still  natural  to  desire  to  be  joined  in 
burial  with  those  friends  who  were 
dear  to  us.  Although  we  know  that 
we  can  have  no  converse  with  them  in 
that  house  of  silence,  yet  it  gives  us 
some  pleasure,  while  we  yet  live,  to 
think  that  our  dust  shall  mingle  with 
the  dust  of  those  whom  we  love.    Ja? 


370 


GENESIS. 


Lt^.  C.  1689 


31  And  he  said,  Swear  unto 
me :    and   he    sware    unto    him. 


cob  doubtless  had  all  the  sensibilities 
of  a  man  on  this  score,  but  still  it  sure- 
ly was  not  this  which  constituted  his 
chief  inducement  to  wish  that  he  might 
be  buried  in  Hebron.  Had  he  been 
buried  in  Egypt,  he  might  have  hoped 
to  have  his  dust  united  with  that  of 
persons  no  less  beloved  by  him  than 
his  father,  and  no  less  worthy  of  his 
love.  But  the  Apostle  acquaints  us 
with  the  secret  of  his  injunction  when 
he  tells  us,  Heb.  11.  22,  that  'by  faith 
Jacob  gave  commandment  concerning 
his  bones.'  He  believed  the  promise, 
that  the  land  of  Canaan  should  be  giv- 
en to  him  in  the  persons  of  his  seed. 
By  having  his  dead  body  conveyed  to 
that  land,  he  published  to  his  seed,  and 
to  the  world,  that  he  believed  and  em- 
braced the  promise ;  that  he  was  well 
satisfied,  both  with  the  country  and 
with  the  security  given  him  for  the  pos- 
session of  it,  although  he  was  but  a 
strangerand  sojourner  in  it  during  his 
own  life,  and  was  laid  under  a  neces- 
sity of  leaving  it  before  the  end  of  his 
life.  In  this  emphatic  declaration  of 
his  faith,  he  had  in  view  also  the  bene- 
fit of  survivors.  He  hoped  that  when 
they  heard  of  his  anxiety  to  have  his 
body  carried  to  Canaan,  they  would 
all  be  excited  to  consider  that  land  as 
their  country,  and  to  set  a  high  value 
on  the   promise  which  secured  it  to 

them  as  their  perpetual  heritage. IT 

And  he  said,  1  will  do  as  thou  hast 
said.  The  true  spirit  of  filial  deference 
will  not  only  prompt  children  to  obey 
their  parents  in  the  Lord,  but  to  give 
them  all  reasonable  satisfaction  of  their 
intentions  to  comply  with  their  wishes, 
especially  in  those  things  on  which  their 
hearts  are  set.  Joseph  might  indeed 
have  done  what  his  father  now  request- 


And  ^  Israel  bowed  himself  upon 
the  bed's  head. 

h  ch.  48.  2.     1  Kings  1  47.    Heb.  11.  21. 


ed,  yet  if  he  had  declined  'promising  to 
do  it,  Jacob  must  have  died  without  the 
pleasure  of  hoping  that  he  should  sleep 
in  the  same  burying-place  with  his 
fathers. 

31.  And  he  said,  Sicear  unto  me,  &c. 
Why  did  Jacob  require  an  oath  from 
Joseph  7  Did  he  not  think  his  son's 
word  as  good  as  any  oath  that  could 
be  sworn  7  Certainly  Jacob's  demand 
of  an  oath  was  not  for  the  confirma- 
tion of  his  own  belief  of  Joseph's  word, 
but  rather  to  give  Joseph  a  powerful 
argument  with  Pharaoh  to  obtain  leave 
for  burying  his  father  in  Canaan.  It 
might  have  been  hoped  that  Pharaoh 
would  not  have  refused  any  favor  to 
Joseph  that  he  might  think  proper  to 
ask.  Yet  it  is  easy  to  conceive  that 
he  might  have  feared  the  loss  of  such 
an  excellent  servant,  in  case  he  should 
be  seized  with  a  desire  of  ending  his 
days  where  he  had  spent  the  sweetest 
time  of  life,  and  under  this  apprehen- 
sion might  have  hesitated  in  granting 
him  leave  to  revisit  the  scenes  of  his 
early  years.  To  have  his  father's  dy- 
ing request,  therefore,  fortified  by  an 
oath  would  constitute  a  strong  plea  for 
procuring  Pharaoh's  consent.  Joseph 
accordingly  sware,  because  he  wished 
to  give  his  father  all  the  satisfaction  he 
desired,  or  could  desire,  about  a  matter 
in  which  he  appeared  so  deeply  inter- 
ested.  IF  Israel  bowed  himself  upon 

the  bed's  head.  Heb.  iriiT.U'i  yishtahu, 
worshipped,  the  term  usually  employed 
to  signify  worship  or  reverence,  by 
bowing  down  toward  the  earth,  or  even 
to  the  earth.  In  some  cases  it  seems 
to  denote  an  act  of  worship  without 
the  inclination  of  the  body,  as  1  Kings 
1.  47,  where  it  is  said  of  David,  in  ex- 
treme old  age,  and  confined  to  his  bed, 


B.  C.  1689.J 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 


371 


*  And  the  king  bowed  himself  upon  the 
bed;'  i.  e.  worshipped  God  while  in  a  re- 
cumbent posture  on  his  bed.  This  in- 
terpretation might  not  unnaturally  be 
given  to  the  words  in  the  passage  be- 
fore us,  were  it  not  that  the  Gr.  version 
has  rendered  it,  '  bowed  himself  upon 
the  top  of  his  staff,'  {pa(i6ov,  rabdon,) 
and  that  this  rendering  has  been  adopt- 
ed and  apparently  sanctioned  by  the 
Apostle,  Heb.  11.  21,  «  By  faith  Jacob, 
when  he  was  a  dying,  blessed  both  the 
sons  of  Joseph  ;  and  worshipped,  (lean- 
ing) upon  the  top  of  his  staff.'  The 
reason  of  this  diversity  of  rendering  is 
that  the  same  Heb.  word,  according  as 
it  is  pointed  in  one  or  the  other  of  two 
methods,  signifies  either  bed  or  staff; 
nt3?3  mittah  implying  the  former,  and 
nt3?3  matteh  the  latter.  The  only  ques- 
tion therefore  is,  whether  the  present 
vowel-pointing  of  the  Heb.  or  the  Sept. 
mode  of  reading  the  Heb.  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred. Upon  this  point  Prcf.  Stuart, 
in  his  Commentary  on  the  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews,  vol.  ii.  p.  269,  remarks : 
'  I  have  no  hesitation  in  preferring  the 
latter  punctuation ;  for  what  is  the  head 
of  a  bed  in  the  Oriental  country,  where 
the  bed  itself  is  nothing  more  than  a 
piece  of  soft  carpeting  thrown  down 
upon  the  floor  1  And  what  can  be  the 
meaning  of  Jacob's  bowing  himself 
upon  the  head  of  his  bed  7  For  (1.) 
There  is  no  evidence  that  Jacob  was 
upon  the  bed  when  Joseph  paid  him 
the  visit  here  recorded.  It  was  after 
this  that  Jacob  was  taken  sick,  Gen. 
48.  1,  and  sat  up  on  his  bed  when  Jo- 
seph came  to  visit  him.  Gen.  48.  2.  (2.) 
An  infirm  person,  lying  upon  a  bed,  if 
he  assumed  a  position  such  as  to  how 
himself,  would  sit  upon  the  middle  of 
the  bed  and  not  upon  the  head  of  it. 
(3.)  In  all  the  Scriptures,  the  head  of 
a  bed  is  not  once  mentioned ;  and  for 
a  good  reason,  as  the  oriental  bed  had 
strictly  speaking  no  head.  For  these 
reasons  I  must  regard  Jacob  as  lean-  J 


ing  upon  the  the  top  of  his  staff  fox  sup- 
port, when  he  conversed  with  his  con 
Joseph;  than  which  nothing  can  be 
more  natural  for  a  person  of  his  very 
advanced  years.  In  this  position  he 
was  when  Joseph  sware  to  him  that 
he  would  comply  with  the  request 
which  he  had  made,  in  respect  to  his 
burial.  This  was  so  grateful  to  his 
feelings,  that  he  spontaneously  offered 
up  his  thanks  to  God  for  such  a  favor, 
q.  d.  he  worshipped  upon  the  top  of  his 
staff;  i.  e,  leaning  upon  the  top  of  his 
staff,  he  offered  homage  or  thanks  to 
God ;  just  as  David  *  worshipped  upon 
his  bed ;'  i.  e.  did  homage,  or  paid  rev- 
erence to  God,  while  on  his  bed.'  The 
dying  patriarch  was  revived  by  the  du- 
tiful behavior  of  his  dear  son,  and  his 
soul  was  filled  with  gratitude  to  that 
God  whose  mercy  he  saw  sweetening 
the  last  days  of  his  hfe.  Could  he  but 
be  prompted  to  acts  of  praise  and  ado- 
ration 1  He  was  now  indeed  too  feeble 
to  perform  his  devotions  in  the  man- 
ner to  which  he  had  been  accustomed, 
and  which  would  have  been  most 
agreeable  to  him.  He  could  not  go  to 
an  altar  built  for  sacrifices  of  praise ; 
but  he  exerted  all  the  vigor  left  him, 
with  the  help  of  his  staffj  on  which  he 
leaned,  and  performed  his  devotions  in 
such  a  posture  as  showed  his  reverence 
and  joy.  In  the  faith  of  the  promise  he 
worshipped  God,  and  gave  glory  to 
him  for  giving  him  the  promise;  for 
the  many  assurances  he  had  received 
of  the  truth  of  that  promise;  for  all 
the  joy  and  comfort  derived  from  it  in 
the  course  of  his  pilgrimage ;  and  for 
the  happy  prospects  before  him.  He 
blessed  God  that  the  land  of  Canaan 
was  to  be  the  everlasting  possession  of 
his  seed;  that  both  himself  and  his 
fathers  had  been  enabled  through  life 
to  exhibit  a  lively  pattern  of  faith  in 
the  promise ;  and  that  he  was  now  to 
be  joined  with  his  blessed  progenitors, 
not  merely  in  burial,  but  in  possession 


372 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  16S9. 


CHAPTER  XLVIIT. 

AND  it  came  to  pass  after  these 
things,  that  one  told  Joseph, 
Behold,  thy  father  is  sick :  and 
he  took  with  him  his  two  sons, 
Manasseh  and  Ephraim. 

2  And  o?2e  told  Jacob,  and  said, 
Behold,  thy  son  Joseph   cometh 


of  the  better  country,   the  heavenly 
Canaan. 


unto  thee  :  and  Israel  strengthen- 
ed himself,  and  sat  upon  the  bed. 
3  And  Jacob  said  unto  Joseph, 
God  Almighty  appeared  unto  me 
at  ^Luz  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
and  blessed  me, 

a  ch.  28.  13,  19.  &  35.  6,9,  &c. 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

1.  It  came  to  pass  after  these  things, 
that  one  told  Joseph,  &,c.  Heb.  ^'nvt^'^l 
vayomer,  it  was  told;  an  instance  of 
the  impersonal  idiom,  precisely  equiva- 
lent to  the  on  dit  of  the  French,  and 
the  mansagt  of  the  Germans,  of  which 
a  full  exemplification  is  given  in  the 
Note  on  Gen.  16.  14.  Although  Jacob 
had  sent  for  his  son  Joseph  under  an 
impression  that  he  had  not  long  to  live 
yet  it  seems  that  he  was  still  sustained 
sometime  longer  under  the  decays  of 
nature,  till  now  at  length  we  are  in- 
formed that  he  is  seized  with  sickness 
which  in  all  probability  issued  in  his 
death.  Joseph  hearing  of  his  sickness, 
delayed  not  to  visit  him.  Children 
ought  at  all  times  to  honor  their  parents ; 
but  sickness  or  the  approaches  of  death 
call  upon  them  for  more  than  ordinary 
testimonies  of  affection  and  sympathy. 
Although  Joseph's  love  to  his  father, 
was  suflBcient  to"  draw  him  to  his  bed- 
side, yet  at  this  time  he  no  doubt  had 
also  in  view  his  own  spiritual  advantage 
and  that  of  his  two  sons  whom  he 
took  with  him.  He  knew  that  from 
his  father's  lips  they  would  hear  words 
full  of  grace,  and  adapted  to  make  an 
indelible  impression  upon  their  hearts. 
He  had  probably  moreover  a  strong 
inward  persuasion  that  the  time  was 
now  come  for  himself  and  his  sons  to 
receive  the  parting  patriarchal  benedic- 
tion. 


2.  Behold  thy  so7i  Joseph  cometh  unto 
thee,  &c.  The  news  of  Joseph's  com- 
ing revived  the  spirit  of  his  aged  father. 
We  all  know  that  the  mind  has  a  pow- 
erful influence  on  the  body,  and  that 
strong  passions  sometimes  communi- 
cate to  it  an  extraordinary  degree  of 
strength.  Jacob  felt  his  strength  re- 
turn to  him  when  he  heard  Joseph's 
namC;  and  exerted  all  his  vigor  to  re- 
ceive him  with  proper  marks  of  grati- 
tude and  affection. 

3.  And  Jacob  said  unto  Joseph, 
&.C.  ThQ.  grand  drift  of  Jacob's  ad- 
dress to  Joseph  was  to  establish  his 
faith  m  God's  word,  and  to  guard  him 
against  the  temptations  of  Egypt. 
With  this  view  he  begins  with  an  ac- 
count of  the  remarkable  manifestation 
of  God's  favor  to  him  at  Luz  or  Bethel. 
This  was  an  event  which  to  the  last 
day  of  his  life  he  could  not  forget. 
He  had  doubtless  spoken  of  it  to  Jo- 
seph long  before  this  time,  but  the 
recollection  afforded  him  so  much  plea- 
sure, that  he  now  reverts  to  it  again, 
as  if  he  wished  Joseph  never  to  forget 
it.  He  was  exalted  to  great  honor  and 
power  in  Egypt,  and  he  might  need 
a  preservative  against  the  seductions 
of  his  present  station.  He  might  be 
tempted  to  think  it  better  to  enjoy  the 
dignities  of  Egypt,  than  to  suffer  re- 
proach with  the  servants  of  God.  Ja- 
cob therefore  calls  back  his  thoughts 
to  the  vision  of  Bethel,  and  recounts 
the  glorious  promises  there  made  to 
him  and  his  seed,  as  an  offset  to  tha 
power  of  these  temptations.    Joseph 


B.  C.  1689.1 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 


373 


4  And  said  unto  me,  Behold, 
I  will  make  thee  fruitful,  and 
multiply  thee,  and  I  will  make  of 
thee  a  multitude  of  people  ;  and 
will  give  this  land  to  thy  seed 
after  thee,  ^  for  an  everlasting 
possession, 

b  ch.  17.  8. 


was  high  in  favor  with  an  earthly 
king,  but  what  was  the  favor  of  Pha- 
raoh to  the  grace  of  God !  It  was  a 
great  distinction  to  be  the  lord  of 
Egypt,  but  it  was  incomparably  greater 
to  be  a  favored  servant  of  the  Most 
High,  and  to  be  assured  of  those  bles- 
sings which  should  proceed  from  his 
special  love.  As  God  had  appeared  to 
Jacob  at  Bethel  by  the  name  of  '  God 
Almighty,'  it  was  natural  that  he 
should  love  to  recal  this  name,  and  to 
dwell  upon  it  as  conveying  a  pledge  of 
the  fulfilment  of  all  the  divine  prom- 
ises, whatever  apparent  obstacle  might 
stand  in  the  way. 

4.  And  he  said  unto  me,  &c.  Upon 
comparing  these  words  of  Jacob  with 
the  account  of  what  God  said  to  him 
at  Luz  on  the  two  occasions  mention- 
ed Gen.  28.  13—15,  and  35.  12,  though 
we  find  a  promise  given  him  of  a  very 
numerous  seed,  and  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan for  an  inheritance,  yet  nothing  is 
said  of  the  perpetuity  of  this  inherit- 
ance. Yet  we  have  no  reason  to  think 
that  Jacob  added  any  unwarrantable 
comments  of  his  own  to  the  faithful 
and  true  sayings  of  God.  He  knew 
how  to  compare  spiritual  things  with 
spiritual.  By  the  words  which  were 
spoken  to  him,  he  was  assured  that 
the  blessing  of  Abraham  was  to  come 
upon  him,  and  upon  his  posterity:  and 
he  knew  that  by  the  covenant  made 
with  Abraham,  the  land  of  Canaan 
was  secured  for  ever  to  his  seed.  The 
term  'for  ever,'  it  is  true,  is  to  be  un- 
32 


5  11"  And  now,  thy  "  two  sons, 
Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  which 
were  born  unto  thee  in  the  land 
of  Egypt,  before  I  came  iinto 
thee  into  Egypt,  are  mine  :  as 
Reuben  and  Simeon,  they  shall 
be  mine. 

c  ch.  41.  .50.  &  46.  20.     Josh.  13.  7.  &  1 1.  4. 


derstood  sometimes  in  a  hmited  sense. 
The  earthly  Canaan  was  secured  by 
promise  to  the  seed  of  Abraham,  till 
the  time  came  when  God  should  cre- 
ate, as  it  were,  a  now  world,  by  intro- 
ducing a  new  dispensation  of  grace 
among  them.  Jacob  understood  the 
promise  to  mean  that  for  a  long  series 
of  ages  his  seed  should  possess  the 
land  under  the  divine  protection. 
Some  of  his  descendants  have  given 
more  latitude  to  the  expression,  and 
understand  the  promise  of  an  ever- 
lasting inheritance  in  Canaan  to  signi- 
fy, that  they  should  dwell  in  it  as  long 
as  the  earth  endures.  Consequently 
they,  and  those  who  hold  the  same 
opinion,  believe  that  though  the  Jews 
have  now  lived  in  exile  for  seventeen 
hundred  years  yet  the  day  is  coming 
when  they  shall  be  re-instated  in  their 
ancient  possessions  and  enjoy  them 
undisturbed  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
As  to  this  expectation  see  Note  on 
Gen.  17.  S. 

5.  And  noxD  thy  two  sons  are  mine. 
That  is,  I  adopt  them  and  consider 
them  as  my  own  immediate  offspring ; 
I  will  have  them  reckoned,  not  as 
grandsons,  but  as  sons,  each  of  them 
constituting  a  distinct  tribe,  and  rank- 
ing as  co-heirs  with  the  rest  of  thy 
brethren.  The  grounds  of  this  pro- 
ceeding are  explained,  1  Chron.  5.  1,  2, 
'  Now  the  sons  of  Reuben,  the  first- 
born of  Israel,  (for  he  was  the  first- 
born ;  but  forasmuch  as  he  defiled  his 
father's  bed,  his  birthright  was  given 


374 


GENESIS. 


\B.  C.  1639. 


6  And  ihine  issue,  which  thou  |  the    name    of   their   brethren    in 
begettest    after    them,   shall    he    their  inheritance, 
thine,  aiid  shall  be  called  after 


unto  the  sons  of  Joseph,  the  sons  of 
Israel :  and  the  genealogy  is  not  to  be 
reckoned  after  the  birthright.     For  Ju- 
dah  prevailed  above  his  brethren,  and 
of  him  came  the  chief  ruler,  but  the 
birthright  was  Joseph's  :)'  &c.     Thus 
Joseph,  who  otherwise  would  have  ob- 
tained but  a  single  share  of  the  inher- 
itance,   obtained    the    double    portion 
which   would  have  fallen   to  Reuben 
had  he  not  forfeited  his  birthright.     Jo- 
seph, accordingly,  in   the  subsequent 
history,  is  reckoned  as  two  tribes  in- 
stead of  one;  Josh.  14.  4;  Num.  1.32, 
34,  Rev.  7.  6,  8.     It  might  have  seem- 
ed hard  to  Reuben,  had  not  his  repent- 
ance for  his  sin  been  sincere,  that  al- 
though   he    had    been    Joseph's  only 
friend  in  his  distress,  his  birthright  was 
to  be  transferred  to  Joseph.     Yet  this 
was  somewhat  counterbalanced  by  the 
manner  of  expression  with  which  his 
father  assigned  the  double  portion  to 
Joseph;— 'Thy    two    sons    shall    be 
mine ;  as  Reuben   and   Simeon,   they 
shall  be  mine.'     Reuben   and  Simeon 
had  been  offenders,  but  still  they  were 
to  have  a  portion  in  Israel,  and  were 
to  be  fed  with  the  heritage  of  Jacob. 
The  kindness  shown  to  the  two  young 
men  would  be  a  powerful  attraction  to 
their  hearts,  and  a  means  of  persuad- 
ing them  that  it  was  more  for  their  in- 
terest to  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  peo- 
ple of  the  God  of  their  father,  than 
with    the  family  of  Potipherah,    the 
priest  of  On.     They  might  have  hoped 
to  rise  to  great  distinction  in  Egypt,  if 
they  were  willing  to  conform  to  the 
manners  of  that  country.     But   they 
were  taught  by  their  venerable  grand- 
sire,  that  a  part  in  the  inheritance  of 
the  seed  of  Abraham  was  incompara- 
bly to  be  preferred  to  a  kingdom  in  any 


part  of  the  world.  United  with  them 
they  might  suffer  loss,  reproach,  and 
affliction,  but  they  would  have  an 
abundant  compensation  for  all  that 
they  might  lose  or  be  called  to  endure. 

6.  TTiinc  issue  which  thou  begettest 
after  them,  &c.  It  does  not  appear 
that  Joseph  ever  begat  any  more  sons, 
but  Jacob  was  careful  to  settle  his  af- 
fairs with  sufiicient  precaution,  and  to 
cut  off  as  much  as  possible  all  occasion 
of  dispute  from  his  children,  when 
himself  should  be  laid  in  the  dust. 
Many  fatal  contentions  might  have 
been  completely  obviated,  if  parents 
had  always  been  equally  careful  to 
provide  against  every  danger  of  con- 
tention amongst  their  offspring.  Jacob 
spake  under  the  direction  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,  but  the  Spirit  was  given  him 
only  by  measure.  It  was  not  given 
him  to  know  whether  Joseph  should 
have  any  more  sons  of  his  own  body 
than  Manasseh  and  Ephraim ;  but  it 
was  made  known  to  him,  that  Joseph 
should  have  a  very  numerous  seed  by 
these  two  sons.  This  sufficed  him; 
and  he  left  directions,  that  if  Joseph 
should  have  any  more  immediate  sons, 
they  should  take  their  stations  in  Israel 
under  the  banners  of  JManasseh  and 

Ephraim. IT    Shall    be  called  after 

the  name  of  their  brethren.     The  mean- 
ing is,  that  in  the  division  and  distri- 
bution of    the    promised    land,   they 
should  be  incorporated  into  the  body, 
and  comprehended  under  the  name,  of 
one  or  other  of  the  two  brethren  abov 
mentioned,  and  should  not,  like  then! 
constitute    distinct    tribes    by    them 
selves.     It  was  not  usual,     indeed,  fo 
children  to  be  called  by  the  name  ol 
their  brethren ;  but  in  the  present  in 
stance,  as  Ephraim  and  Mannsseh  had 


B.  C.  16S9. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 


375 


7  And  as  for  me,  when  I  came 
from  Padan,  ^  Rachel  died  by  me 
in  the  land  of  Canaan,  in  the 
wav,  when  yet  there  was  but  a 
little  way  to  come  unto  Ephrath: 
and  I  buried  her  there  in  the  way 
of  Ephrath,  the  same  is  Beth- 
lehem. 

8  And  Israel  beheld  Joseph's 
sons,  and  said,  Who  are  these  ? 

9  And   Joseph    said    unto    his 

d  ch.  35  9,  16,  19. 


been  adopted  in  the  place  of  Joseph,  it 
was  ordered  that  in  case  Joseph  should 
have  additional  issue,  they  should  be 
reputed  as  the  seed  of  the  two  brethren 
who  represented  his  person. 

7.  As  for  me,  xohen  1  came  from  Pa- 
dan,  &c.  By  what  train  of  thought 
may  we  suppose  that  Jacob  was  led  at 
this  time  to  speak  of  Rachel  and  her 
burial?  Probably  the  sight  of  these 
dear  children  of  Rachel  brought  their 
beloved  mother  to  his  mind,  and  he 
mentions  her  that  he  might  add  an- 
other motive  of  attachment  to  Canaan, 
the  land  where  her  dust  reposed. 
What  could  more  endear  the  land  of 
promise  to  Joseph  and  his  descend- 
ants, than  the  recollection  that  their 
mother  Rachel,  as  well  as  their  father, 
was  buried  in  it?  But  in  addition  to 
this  he  probably  intended  to  hint  at  the 
reason  of  translating  the  birthright 
blessing  from  Reuben  to  Joseph;  for 
Reuben's  incest  with  Bilhah  happened 
at  the  place,  and  near  the  time,  of 
Rachel's  death,  before  Jacob  had  ceased 
to  mourn  for  her.  This  was  well 
known  to  the  family,  so  that  he  needed 
not  explicitly  to  say  that  this  was  the 
reason  of  the  step,  as  he  would  easily 
draw  the  inference  himself.  Perhaps 
too,  he  would  hereby  express  a  hope 
that  the  issue  which  he  might  have 
expected  from  Rachel,  but  for  her 
untimely  death,  would  now  be  made 


father,  ^  They  are  my  sons, 
whom  God  hath  given  me  in 
this  j)lace.  And  he  said.  Bring 
them,  I  pray  thee,  unto  me,  and 
f  I  w^ill  bless  them. 

10  (Now  g  the  eyes  of  Israel 
were  dim  for  age,  so  'that  he  could 
not  see:)  and  he  brought  them 
near  unto  him  ;  and  '■  he  kissed 
them,  and  embraced  them. 

ech.  33.  5.     fch.  27.  4.    gch.27.  1.     hcl-.. 
27.27. 


up  in  these  two  sons  of  Joseph.  It 
is  obvious  that  Jacob's  address 
was  admirably  calculated  to  produce 
its  designed  effect — to  induce  Jo- 
seph and  his  family  to  sit  loose  to 
Egypt. 

8,  9.  And  Israel  beheld  Joseph's  sons, 
&c.  What  is  said  in  the  immediate 
connexion  of  Jacob's  defective  eye- 
sight, requires  us  to  understand  '  be- 
holfi'  here  in  the  sense  explained  in 
the  Note  on  Gen.  42.  1,  to  which 
the  reader  is  referred.  The  lot  of 
Isaac  and  of  Jacob  was  alike  in 
this,  that  they  are  so  dim-sighted 
when  they  were  old,  that  they  could 
not  distinguish  the  well-known  faces 
of  their  own  children.  But  it  was 
their  happiness  that  when  they  could 
not  discern  visible  objects,  they  beheld 
the  things  which  were  not  seen.  The 
presence  of  his  grandsons  fills  Jacob's 
heart  with  tenderness  toward  them, 
for  their  father's  sake,  and  for  the  sake 
of  the  hopes  of  which  they  were  heirs ; 
and  though  he  had  before  adopted 
them,  yet  he  wished  to  give  them  the 
blessing,  not  only  of  a  father,  but  of  a 
patriarch.  We  cannot  bestow  such 
blessings  on  our  children  as  did  Isaac 
and  Jacob  on  theirs.  But  nature  dis- 
poses us  to  love  them,  and  grace  teach- 
es us  to  show  our  love  in  earnest  prayer 
for  their  welfare.  Let  young  children 
behave  in  such  a  manner  as  to  entitle 


376 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


11  And  Israel  said  unto  Jo- 
seph, » I  had  not  thought  to  see 
thy  face  :  and  lo,  God  hath  shew- 
ed me  also  thy  seed. 

i  ch.  45.  26. 


them  to  the  blessings  of  their  parents. 
There  is  a  promise  of  long  life  and 
prosperity  to  the  children  that  honor 
their  parents.  This  promise  encoura- 
ges parents  to  plead  for  the  divme  favor 
to  dutiful  children. 

10.  Now  the  eyes  of  Israel  icere  dim, 
&c.  Heb.  *1~33  kabedu,  uere  heavy. 
We  have  already  seen  a  proof  that  the 
eyes  of  Israel  were  dim.  But  we  shall 
soon  see  a  proof  that  he  saw  what 
none  else  could  see.  He  saw  future 
things  in  the  light  of  God.  The  eyes 
of  his  mind  were  enlightened  to  behold 
the  gracious  works  of  his  God,  in  ful- 
filling his  promises  to  himself,  and  to 
his  father.  This  is  a  consolation  under 
the  loss  of  sight  granted  to  few,  but  all 
believers,  by  the  aid  of  that  revelation 
which  God  has  imparted,  can  behold 
those  future  things  in  which  they  are 

most  deeply  interested. IT  He  brought 

them  near  unto  him,  &c.  Joseph 
brought  near  his  two  sons  with  great 
pleasure  to  Jacob.  It  is  likely  that 
when  he  brought  them  with  him,  he  in- 
tended to  ask  a  blessing  for  them,  and 
now  he  brings  them  forward  to  receive 
a  richer  blessing  than  he  expected. 
How  happy  were  these  two  young 
men!  They  might  have  been  Egyp- 
tian princes  ;  but  they  accounted  it  a 
far  greater  happiness  to  be  sons  of  Ja- 
cob, and  children  of  the  covenant  made 
with  Abraham.  The  embraces  and 
kisses  of  the  good  old  patriarch  were 
far  superior  in  value  to  all  the  honors 
which  the  King  of  Egypt  could  confer. 
Happy  too  was  the  dying  patriarch. 
He  was  not  only  assured  of  heaven  to 
himself,  but  assured  likewise  that  Jo- 
seph, and  that  Joseph's  seed,  should 


12  And  Joseph  brought  them 
out  from  between  his  knees,  and 
he  bowed  himself  with  his  face 
to  the  earth. 


be  blessed  on  earth.  If  his  former 
days  were  few  and  evil,  his  last  days 
were  crowned  with  good.  God  can 
make  those  days  which  are  commonly 
accounted  the  evil  days  of  life,  the 
best  of  all  our  days. 

11.  I  had  not  thought  to  see  thy  face, 
&c.  The  pleasures  and  the  bitterness 
of  life,  in  their  succession,  greatly  en- 
hance one  another.  Sorrow  succeed- 
ing joy  is  doubled,  and  so  are  joys  suc- 
ceeded by  sorrows.  When  Jacob  was 
blessed  with  the  embraces  of  the  sons 
of  Joseph,  he  thought  of  the  time  when 
Joseph  himself  was  not;  'I  had  not 
thought  to  see  thy  face,  and  lo !  God 
hath  showed  me  thy  sons.'  What 
would  he  not  once  have  given  to  see 
the  face  of  Joseph,  without  any  sons 
to  perpetuate  his  name?  And  now 
God  had  given  him  a  sight,  not  only  of 
his  son,  but  of  his  son's  sons  !  Joseph 
was  now  doubled  to  him  in  these  chil- 
dren that  were  to  be  the  fathers  of  a 
numerous  race.  It  is  no  wonder  there- 
fore that  we  hear  him  blessing  God  for 
showing  him  such  unexpected  tokens 
of  his  favor  before  he  left  the  world. 
The  good  man  is  preparing  joys  for 
those  hours,  in  which  they  who  have 
their  portion  in  this  life  must  bid  an 
eternal  adieu  to  all  pleasure.  When 
the  patriarch  says,  '  God  hath  caused 
me  to  see  thy  seed,'  he  seems  almost 
to  have  forgotten  that  he  had  lost  his 
sight.  He  spoke  as  if  he  had  been 
able  not  only  to  embrace  his  sons,  but 
to  feast  his  eyes  with  their  blooming 
countenances.  The  sense  of  his  infir- 
mities and  griefs  was  lost  in  the  fulness 
of  his  joys. 

12.  Joseph  brought  them  out  from 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XL VIII. 


377 


13  And  Joseph  took  them  both, 
Ephraim  in  his  right  hand  toward 
Israel's  left  hand,  and  Manasseh 
in  his  left  hand  toward  Israel's 
right  hand,  and  brought //ie?rt  near 
unto  him. 

14  And  Israel  stretched  out  his 
right  hand,  and  laid  it  upon 
Ephraini's    head,    who    icas  the 


between,  hie  knees.  That  is,  Jacob's 
knees,  who  had  brought  them  near  to 
embrace  them.  Joseph  wished  to  sta- 
tion his  sons  in  such  a  manner  that 
his  father's  right  hand,  esteemed  a 
token  of  greater  honor,  and  therefore 
conveying  the  main  blessing,  might 
rest    on    the  head  of  Manasseh,  the 

eldest. IT  Bmred  himself.     Not  only 

in  token  of  his  respect  to  his  ftuher,  but 
out  of  reverence  to  the  divine  blessing 
about  to  be  pronounced.  The  Gr.  ren- 
ders it  Kp'jaE><vvri'ray  they  howed,  i.  e.  all 
three,  which  is  highly  proba!)le. 

13.  And  Joseph  ivok  them  both,  &c. 
Joseph  observed  the  ordinary  rules  of 
etiquette  in  presenting  his  eldest  son 
to  Jacob's  right  hand.  The  sons  of 
Jacob  no  doubt  sat  by  him  according 
to  their  birthright,  when  they  ate  with 
him.  It  was  natural  for  Joseph  to 
think  that  his  own  eldest  son  should 
stand  at  Jacob's  right  hand  to  receive 
the  blessing.  He  knew  indeed  that 
Jacob  himself  had  obtained  the  birth- 
right from  Esau,  and  he  knew  that  the 
same  prerogative  had  been  transferred 
from  Reuben  to  himself;  but  Manas- 
seh had  done  nothing  to  forfeit  the  pri- 
mogeniture. Joseph  therefore  behaved 
with  entire  propriety  when  he  placed 
him  at  Jacob's  right  hand,  which  was 
ever  accounted  the  most  honoiable  po- 
sition. God  might  give  the  chief  bles- 
sing to  whom  he  pleased.  But  Joseph 
pays  a  proper  regard  to  the  rights  of 
nature,  till  he  is  assured  that  they  were 
set  aside  by  God. 
33* 


younger,  and  his  left  hand  upon 
Manasseh's  head,  "^guiding  his 
hands  wittingly ;  for  Manasseh 
was  the  lirst-born. 

15  1[  And  1  he  blessed  Joseph, 
and  said,  God,  '^  before  whom  my 
fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac  did 
walk,  the  God  which  fed  me  all 
ray  life  long  unto  this  day, 

tver.  19.   IHeb.  11.21.  mch.  17. 1.  &24.40. 

14.  And  Israel  stretched  out  his  right 
hand,  (fee.  The  imposition  of  hands 
was  designed  for  different  purposes  on 
different  occasions.  When  Jacob  laid 
his  hands  upon  the  heads  of  Joseph's 
sons,  he  marked  them  out  as  the  per- 
sons whom  lie  solemnly  blessed  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  He  taught  them  in 
£0  doing  that  the  God  who  spake  by 
the  significant  actions,  as  well  as  the 
mouth,  of  their  venerable  father,  would 
crown  them  with  loving-kindnesses  and 
tender  mercies,  with  the  blessing  which 
was  to  come  upon  the  head  of  Joseph, 
and  upon  the  crown  of  the  head  of 
him  who  was  separated  from  his  breth- 
ren. If  he  had  not  acted  by  the  direc- 
tion of  the  divine  spirit,  he  would  no 
doubt  have  complied  with  the  wishes 
of  Joseph,  by  giving  the  preference  to 
his  first-born,  as  he  may  be  supposed 
to  have  loved  Manasseh  as  dearly  as 
Ephraim.  But  he  moved  his  hands, 
and  spake  v/ith  his  tongue,  as  he  was 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  a  man 
and  a  father,  he  would  have  been  of 
the  same  mind  with  Joseph ;  but  as  a 
prophet  he  must  give  the  richest  bles- 
sing to  him  who  was  to  partake  niost 

richly  of  the  blessings  of  heaven. IT 

Guiding  his  hands  xoittingly.  Heb. 
I'll"'  riii  '^■:2''0  sikkeleihyadauv,made 
his  hands  uise.  The  appearance  was 
as  if  his  hands  knew  what  they  were 
about ;  they  seemed  to  move  them- 
selves intelligently;  they  performed  the 
office  of  the  eye. 

15,  16.  And  he  blessed  Joseph^  &c. 


378 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


16  The  angel  "  which  redeem- 
ed me  from  all  evil,  bless  the 
lads  ',  and  let  °  my  name  be  named 

n  ch.  23.  15.  &  31.  I ',  13,  2i.     Vs.  34.  22. 
&  121.  7.    o  Amos  9.  12  Acts.  15.  17. 


That  is,  he  blessed  Joseph  in  blessing 
his  sons ;  very  much  as  Ham  was 
cursed  in  the  curse  of  Canaan.  The 
phraseology  recognises  a  peculiar  iden-  " 
tity  between  father  and  son,  such  as 
we  have  before  had  occasion  to  advert 
to.  This  could  be  no  ground  of  regret 
or  disaffection  on  the  part  of  Joseph. 
A  truly  good  and  pious  parent  will  feel 
as  thankful  to  God  for  blessings  be- 
stowed upon  his  children,  as  for  his 
own  personal  blessings  In  invoking 
the  blessing  it  will  be  observed  that  he 
speaks  of  God  as  the  God  'before 
whom  his  fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac 
walked;'  that  is,  walked  in  a  uniform 
course  of  holy  obedience.  They  en- 
deavored to  approve  themselves  to 
him,  and  depended  on  him  as  their 
shield  and  salvation.  Their  devout  de- 
portment did  not  indeed  of  itself  pro- 
cure the  blessing  to  their  posterity,  yet 
the  faith  which  they  exercised  must 
and  did  evince  itself  in  holiness  of  life; 
and  the  words  of  Jacob  no  doubt  con- 
tain an  implicit  admonition  to  his  sons 
to  follow  the  example  of  those  pious 
patriarchs,  if  they  desired  to  be  blessed 
with  faithful  Abraham.  Jacob  might 
properly  have  added  his  own  name  to 
the  names  of  Abraham  and  Isaac.  Bat 
perhaps  he  did  not  deem  it  necessary, 
as  his  own  mode  of  life  had  been 
well  know^n  to  Joseph  and  his  sons. 
Or,  what  is  still  more  probable,  he  may 
have  thought,  on  account  of  his  mis- 
carriages, that  his  name  was  not  wor- 
thy to  be  ranked  with  the  names  of 
those  holy  patriarchs  who  were  to  be 
held  in  everlasting  remembrance.  But 
if  so,  he  stood  alone  in  his  opinion. 
No  man  ever  thought  him  inferior  to 


on  them,  and  the  name  of  my 
fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac :  and 
let  them  grow  into  a  multitude 
in  the  midst  of  the  earth. 


Isaac,  or  greatly  inferior  to  Abraham. 

IT  The  God  ichich  fed  me  all  my 

life  long.  Heb.  I'^nji  n5~in  haroeh 
othi,  ichich  acted  the  shepherd  towaj-d 
me.  His  meaning  is,  that  the  Lord  had 
been  his  shepherd,  and  had  kept  and 
led  him,  as  well  as  supplied  all  his 
wants.  And  he  acknowledges  that 
this  kind  care  had  been  exercised  tow- 
ard him  not  only  during  the  latter 
portion  of  his  life,  but  all  his  life  long. 
The  Lord  fed  him  when  he  was  in  his 
father's  house.  The  Lord  fed  him 
when  he  procured  his  food  by  toil  at 
Laban's  house.  The  Lord  fed  him  even 
when  in  Egypt  his  beloved  son  supplied 
all  his  wants.  In  whatever  way  we 
obtain  the  necessaries  and  comforts  of 
life,  God  is  the  giver  of  them ;  and  we 
ought  at  all  times  to  be  penetrated  with 
a  sense  of  that  goodness  which  follows 
us  all  the  days  of  our  lives,  which  has 
preserved  us  from  so  many  evils  and 
loaded  us  with  so  many  benefits.  Sec- 
ond causes  should  not  be  suffered  to 
veil  from  our  view  the  primary  source 

of  all  our  blessings. IT  The   angel 

ichich  redeemed  me  from  all  evil.  The 
angel  which  redeemed  and  delivered 
Jacob  from  all  evil,  was  not  a  created 
angel.  He  is  clearly  identified  with 
the  'God'  who  is  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  verse.  The  God  who  fed 
him,  and  the  Angel  who  redeemed  him, 
are  but  one  undivided  object  of  his 
prayers,  when  he  seeks  the  best  bles- 
sings upon  the  young  men  whom  he 
so  dearly  loved.  As  to  the  real  char- 
acter of  this  glorious  personage,  else- 
where called  '  the  Angel  of  the  cove- 
nant,' see  Note  on  Gen.  16.  7.  The 
title  is  no  doubt  here  given  him  with 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 


379 


special  reference  to  his  interposition  in 
delivering  him  from  ihe  wrath  of  Esau, 
on  his  return  from  Mesopotamia,  Gen. 
32  and  33.  But  it  is  not  perhaps  put- 
ting undue  stress  upon  Jacob's  words 
to  understand  them  as  implying  that 
Jacob  was  redeemed  by  this  Angel  from 
far  worse  evils  than  men  ever  had  it  in 
their  power  to  inflict.  He  was  redeem- 
ed from  all  his  iniquities  and  from  their 
penal  consequences.  The  Angel- Jeho- 
vah of  the  Old  Testament  is  the  Sa- 
vior-Christ of  the  New,  and  who  but 
he  has  been  in  every  age  the  Redeemer 

of  lost   men  1 IT  Let  my  name  be 

named  on  t/iem,  &c.  Heb.  N"lp"^ 
^J21I2  Dn3  yikkare  bahem  shemi,  let 
my  name  be  called  upon  them.  That 
is,  let  them  not  only  be  called  'Israel,' 
and  thus  become  entitled  to  all  the 
blessings  connected  with  that  favored 
name,  but  lot  them  also  esteem  very 
highly  the  privilege  of  being  counted 
in  the  covenant  line  of  Abraham  and 
Isaac,  the  venerable  fathers  of  a  cho- 
sen seed.  He  would  not  have  them 
take  the  name  of  the  mother's  family, 
though  to  the  Egyptians  it  appeared  a 
far  greater  name  than  Abraham's  or 
Jacob's.  Calling  one  by  the  name  of 
another  was  generally  a  sign  of  adop- 
tion, and  this  was  very  pertinent  in 
respect  to  the  name  of  Jacob  himself, 
but  not  so  much  so  in  respect  to  those 
of  Abraham  and  Isaac,  for  the  sons  of 
Joseph  needed  no  adopuon  to  make 
them  children  of  these  heads  of  their 
race.  For  the  most  part  by  a  name's 
being  called  upon  any  one,  is  to  be  un- 
derstood his  being  enrolled  and  incor- 
porated in  the  stock,  community,  so- 
ciety, or  polity  which  is  considered  as 
in  some  way  originating  from  or  gov- 
erned by  the  person  whose  name  it  is 
made  to  bear.  Thus  God's  people  are 
said  to  have  his  name  called  on  them, 
Deut.  23.  11,  'And  all  the  people  of  the 
earth  shall  see  that  thou  art  called  by 
the  name  of  the  Lord.'     Heb.  'That 


the  name  of  the  Lord  is  called  upon 
thee.'  Thus  too  of  a  wife,  Is.  4.  1,  '  In 
that  day  seven  women  shall  take  hold 
of  one  man  saying,  We  will  eat  our 
own  bread,  and  wear  our  own  apparel ; 
only  let  us  be  called  by  thy  name,  to 
take  away  our  reproach.'  Comp.  2 
Chron.  7.  14.  Ja.  14.  9.,  in  both  which 
cases  the  Heb.  phraseology  is  the 
same.  Compare  also  Is.  4.  1.  Dan.  9. 
19.  1  Kings  8.  43.  Jer.  7.  10,  11.  The 
patriarch's  words  no  doubt  have  ref- 
erence rather  to  the  high  appreciation 
and  the  real  enjoyment  of  the  priri- 
leges  and  distinctions  connected  with 
their  pedigree,  than  to  the  mere  nom- 
inal title  by  which  they  should  ordinar- 
ily be  known.  He  expresses  his  desire 
that  they  may  be  in  deed  and  in  truth 
what  they  were  by  lineal  descent.  Al- 
though he  did  not  glory  in  the  flesh, 
yet  he  justly  esteemed  his  God,  and 
the  covenant  of  his  God,  the  glory  of 
his  family ;  a  glory  which  it  would 
have  been  both  foolish  and  impious  in 
the  higliest  degree  to  exchange  for  any 
thing  in  earth  or  heaven.  Such  honor 
have  all  the  saints.  They  are  not  all 
Israel  that  are  of  Israel,  but  believing 
Gentiles  are  a  part  of  the  Israel  ot 
God.  The  name  of  Christ  himself  is 
named  upon  them.  Let  us  all  endeav- 
or to  be  an  honor  and  a  praise  to  that 
worthy  name  by  which  we  are  called. 

-IT  Let  them  grow  into  a  multitude. 

Heb.  i:i~I"i  yidgu,  let  them  multiply 
Ukejish.  According  to  the  purport  oi 
this  prophetic  blessing,  the  issue  of 
Joseph,  by  his  two  sons,  amounted  in 
the  time  of  Moses,  to  85,200;  a  num- 
ber surpassing  that  of  any  of  the  rest 
of  the  tribes. 

17,  18.  When  Joseph  saw,  &c. — it 
displeased  him.  The  ways  of  God  are 
often  so  strange  that  his  own  people 
may  be  displeased  with  them.  When 
the  Lord  smote  Uzza,  it  is  said  that 
David  was  'displeased'  because  the 
Lord  had  made  a  breach  upon  them. 


380 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


17  And  when  Joseph  saw  that 
his  father  p  laid  his  riglit  hand 
upon  the  head  of  Ephraim,  it 
displeased  him :  and  he  held  up 
his  father's  hand,  to  remove  it 
from  Ephraim's  head  unto  Ma- 
nasseh's  head. 

18  And  Joseph  said  unto  his 
father,  Not  so,  my  father:  for  this 

p  ver.  14. 


It  is  proper  however  that  we  should 
satisfy  ourselves  as  to  their  real  mo- 
tives before  we  bring  the  fact  against 
them  as  a  heavy  charge.  Such  feel- 
ings sometimes  arise  from  misappre- 
hensions of  the  intent  of  the  divine 
proceedings.  Had  Joseph  thought  that 
his  father  guided  his  hands  wittingly 
by  divine  direction,  when  he  gave 
Ephraim  the  preference,  he  undoubted- 
ly would  have  found  no  fault  with  it, 
but  would  have  adored  that  sovereign- 
ty which  gave  the  preference  to  the 
youngest,  while  it  conferred  rich  bles- 
sings on  both.  He  did  not  know  that 
his  father's  hands,  as  well  as  his 
tongue,  were  guided  by  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  and  if  he  mistook  the  elder  for 
the  younger,  Joseph  ascribed  it  to  ac- 
cident or  to  a  blameless  infirmity.  Jo- 
seph had  in  fact  no  intention  to  find 
fault,  but  to  set  him  right.  His  dis- 
pleasure was  not  a  sullen  rude  dissatis- 
faction at  his  father's  conduct.  Joseph 
was  incapable  of  such  an  unnatural 
deportment  toward  such  a  father.  Nor 
can  we  certainly  infer  from  the  incident 
that  like  Isaac  he  loved  the  first-born 
better  than  the  youngest.  But  as  the 
Heb.  expresses  it,  '  it  was  evil  in  his 
eyes,'  i.  e.  not  conformable  to  his  views 
of  propriety,  that  an  honor,  which  he 
w'ould  naturally  expect,  should  be  with- 
held from  the  eldest,  and  bestowed  on 
the  youngest,  who  did  not  expect  it, 
and  who  would  not  have  been  hurt  in 


is   the   first-born  ;  put  thy   right 
hand  upon  his  head. 

19  And  his  father  refused,  and 
.aid,  "i  I  know  it,  my  son,  I  know 
it :  he  also  shall  become  a  peo- 
ple, and  he  also  shall  be  great : 
hut  truly  ""  his  younger  brother 
shall  be  greater  than  he,  and  his 
seed  shall  become  a  multitude  of 
nations. 

q  ver.  14.     r  Numb.  1.  33,  35.  &  2.  19.  21 
Deut.  33.  17.    Rev.  7.  6,  8. 


his  feelings  by  the  want  of  it.  But  it 
is  remarkable  in  how  many  instances 
in  the  sacred  history  the  precedency 
accrued  to  the  youngest  instead  of  the 
eldest.  Thus  Abel  was  preferred  to 
Cain,  Shem  before  Japheth,  Abraham 
before  Haran,  Isaac  before  Ishmael, 
Jacob  before  Esau,  Judah  and  Joseph 
before  Reuben,  Ephraim  before  Manas- 
seh,  Moses  before  Aaron,  and  David 
before  his  brethren.  God  will  bestow 
his  blessings  according  to  his  own 
will.  We  ought  to  have  our  hearts 
filled  with  thanksgivings,  if  he  gives 
us  an  inheritance  among  his  chosen, 
although  he  gives  to  others  a  larger 
share  in  that  inheritance.  If  the  first 
are  made  last,  and  the  last  first,  what 
have  we  to  say?  '  Even  so,  Father, 
for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight.' 

19.  And  his  father  refused,  and  said, 
&c.  Notwithstanding  Joseph  was 
displeased  with  Jacob,  and  Jacob  re- 
fused to  comply  with  Joseph's  wishes, 
yet  there  was  no  interruption  of  the 
kindest  feelings  on  eitber  side.  We 
may  sometimes  refuse  to  grant  requests 
to  those  we  love  simply  because  we 
love  them;  as  on  the  other  hand  we 
may  sometimes  grant  them  for  the  di- 
rectly opposite  reason.  Yet  when  we 
refuse  to  comply  with  the  requests  ol 
our  children  and  friends,  \\e  ought  to 
do  it  jn  a  friendly  manner.  Jacob  did 
not  hurt  the  feelings  of  Joseph  by  re- 
fusing to  remove  his  hand  from  the 


B.  C.  1689.J 

20  And  he  blessed  them  that 
day,  saying,  •  In  thee  shall  Israel 

s  Ruth  4.  11.  12. 

head  of  Ephraim  to  Manasseh.  'I 
know  it  my  son,  I  know  it.  The  po- 
sition of  my  hands  is  not  accidental 
and  unmeaning,  but  intentional  and 
significant.  You  have  no  reason  to  be 
jealous  for  the  honor  of  your  first-born. 
He  is  dear  to  me ;  he  is  a  favorite 
of  heaven  ;  he  shall  be  great,  though 
his  youngest  brother  shall  indeed  be 
greater ;  but  the  greatness  of  Manas- 
seh will  not  be  lessened  in  reality,  or  in 
the  estimation  of  the  wise,  by  the  su- 
perior greatness  of  Ephraim.'  One  rea- 
son why  the  Most  High  does  not  fol- 
low the  rules  which  men  would  pre- 
scribe to  him  in  the  distribution  of  his 
favors  undoubtedly  is,  that  we  may 
learn  not  to  glory  in  the  flesh,  but  in 
the  Lord.  Were  he  to  dispense  his 
bounties  according  to  such  rules  as 
might  appear  reasonable  to  us,  high 
thoughts  of  human  worth  would  be 
apt  to  be  cherished,  and  losing  our  im- 
pressions of  divine  sovereignty,  we 
should  be  tempted  to  'sacrifice  to  our 
own  net,  and  burn  incense  to  our  own 

drag.' IT    He   also  shall  become    a 

people,  and  he  also  shall  be  great.  Gr. 
vipu)dri(y£Tai  shall  be  extolled.  So  strong- 
ly does  the  spirit  within  us  lust  to  envy, 
that  we  need  often  to  be  reminded  that 
whatever  be  our  lot  we  have,  on  the 
score  of  mercy,  all  that  we  can  claim 
and  a  great  deal  more.  Though  others 
perhaps  no  better  than  we,  may  enjoy 
many  comforts  and  honors  of  which 
we  are  destitute,  yet  we  on  the  other 
hand  may  abound  in  blessings  which 
others,  better  than  ourselves,  may  lack. 
Ephraim  was  to  be  greater  than  Ma- 
nasseh ;  but  had  Manasseh  any  rea- 
son to  be  disquieted  7  He  too  was  to 
be  great,  though  not  so  great  as  his 
brother.    Jacob  taught  him  to  consid- 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

bless 


381 


,  saying,  God  make  thee  as 
Ephraim  and  as  Manasseh  :  and 
he  set  Ephraim  before  Manasseh. 


er  what  was  promised  to  himself,  that 
he  might  not  envy  his  brother,  but 
thank  that  God  who  had  dealt  won- 

drously  with    them    both. IF    His 

seed  shall  become  a  multitude  of  na- 
tions. Heb.  Q^ill^n  i*b?2  melo  hag- 
goyivi,  a  fulness  of  nations.  Thus,  Is. 
31.  4,  '  When  a  multitude  of  shepherds 
is  called  forth.'  Heb.  'A  fulness  of 
shepherds.'  In  allusion,  probably,  to 
this  form  of  expression,  the  Apostle 
say.s,  Rom.  11.25,  'Until  the  fulness 
of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in.'  We  must 
take  the  word  'nation'  in  a  peculiar 
sense  in  this  passage.  It  does  not  im- 
ply a  separate  people,  for  they  still  re- 
mained a  component  part  of  the  race 
of  Israel ;  but  the  idea  conveyed  by 
the  word  is,  that  they  were  to  become 
a  very  numerous  and  powerful  part 
of  the  nation.  Accordingly  we  find 
that  at  the  first  numbering  of  Israel  in 
the  wilderness  'the  children  of  Ephraim 
exceeded  those  of  Manasseh  by  up- 
wards of  eight  thousand  ;  and  in  later 
times  it  is  clear  that  Ephraim  was  the 
chief  of  the  ten  tribes  that  separated 
themselves  from  the  children  of  Judah. 
We  have  no  account  of  the  compara- 
tive numbers  of  the  tribes;  but  we 
know  that  Ephraim  was  frequently  the 
royal  tribe  and  that  it  gave  a  name  to 
the  whole  kingdom.  When  Manasseh 
and  Ephraim  were  thus  assured  that 
their  seed  would  be  very  numerous, 
they  would  at  least  be  apt  to  feel 
that  it  would  be  of  immense  advantage 
to  them  to  keep  their  place  among  the 
sons  of  Jacob.  What  pleasure  could 
they  have  enjoyed  in  the  prospect  of 
thousands  and  millions  of  Egyptian 
idolaters  deriving  from  them  their  ori- 
gin? But  it  must  have  given  them 
great  satisfaction  to  leave  an  inherit- 


382 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


21  And   Israel    said   unto  Jo- 
seph, Behold,   I   die;  but   t  God 

t  ch.  46.  4..&5G.  24. 


ance  among  God's  chosen  to  a  multi- 
tude of  nations. 

20.  He  blessed  them  that  day,  saying, 
&c.     Jacob  not  only  assured  Joseph 
that   he  should  be  the  father  of  two 
tribes  in  Israel,  but  assured   him  like- 
wise that  neither  of  them   should  be 
smaller  than  the  other  tribes.     They 
were  to  hold  such  a  rank  in  Israel,  that 
when   one  man   blessed    another,    he 
should  desire  no  better  a  model  of  bless- 
edness than  Ephraim  and  Manasseh. 
The  descendants  of  Israel  in  wishing 
happiness  to  others,  shall  use  this  say- 
ing derived  from  thee,  namely,  '  God 
make  thee,'  &c.    This  form  of  bles- 
sing, it  seems,  is  still  in  use  among  the 
Jews  to  this  day.     We  have  a  speci- 
men of  such  a  form  of  blessing  in  the 
book  of  Ruth,   ch.   4.   4,    'The  Lord 
make  the  woman  that  is  come  to  thine 
house  like  Rachel,  and  like  Leah,  which 
two  did  build  the  house  of  Jacob ;  and 
let  thine  house  be   like  the  house  of 
Pharez,  which  Tamar  bare  unto  Judah, 
of  the  seed  which  the  Lord  shall  give 
thee  of  the  woman.'    Manasseh  had 
no  reason  to  repine,  but  much  reason 
to  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of   a  seed 
which  should  make  his  name  famous 
in  Israel  as  a  pattern  of  benediction. 
Yet  Jacob  again  intimates  that  Ephraim 
wars  to  be  greater  than  Manasseh.     As 
Jacob   laid  his  right  hand  upon   the 
head  of  the  younger,  contrary  to  Jo- 
seph's declared  intention,  so  he  names 
Ephraim  before  Manasseh.     But  why 
does  the   venerable  patriarch  give  so 
man'y  indications  of  the  superior  glory 
of  the  younger  son  ?    Was  he  not  afraid 
of  awakening  the  jealousy  of  the  elder  ? 
Did  he  not  remember  what  he  had  suf- 
fered for  giving  such  a  manifest  superi- 
ority in  his  affection  to  Joseph  1    All 


shall  be  with  you,  and  bring  you 
again  unto  the  land  of  your  fa- 
thers. 


that  we  can  say  is,  that  it  seemed  good 
to  God  not  only  to  give  the  superiority 
in  his  providence  to  Ephraim,  but  to 
signify  his  purpose  beforehand  to  the 
heads  of  these  tribes;  and  we  may 
learn,  from  the  frequent  repetition  of 
this  instance  of  divine  sovereignty,  that 
it  is  the  will  of  God  to  have  his  sover- 
eignty known  and  acknowledged   by 

his  people. IT  And  he  set  Ephraim 

before  Manasseh.  That  is,  by  the  fact 
of  pronouncing  the  above  blessing  up- 
on Ephraim,  he  virtually  assigned  to 
him  the  pre-eminence. 

21.  Israel  said  unto  Joseph,  Behold, 
I  die,  &c.  The  good  patriarch  had 
suffered  many  sore  calamities  in  the 
course  of  his  life.  He  had  been  tossed 
with  many  tempests,  but  was  now 
comforted  by  the  sight  of  a  peacefd 
haven.  He  could  speak  of  his  death 
without  fear  or  sorrow.  The  joys  ol 
death  far  overbalance  its  sorrows  to 
those  who,  like  the  ancient  patriarchs, 
are  seeking  the  better  country.  Jacob 
by  thus  speaking  of  his  death  prepares 
Joseph  for  that  stroke  of  affliction 
which  he  might  perhaps  soon  expect. 
We  have  heard  of  his  transports  when 
his  father  came  down  to  live  with  him 
in  Egypt.  Seventeen  years  had  now 
passed  delightfully  away  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  father.  But  now  the  day  ap- 
proaches when  Israel  must  no  more  be 
seen  by  his  affectionate  son.  It  was 
needless  to  conceal  from  him  what  he 
would  ere  long  see  with  his  own  eyes; 
but  his  father  teaches  him  how  to  en- 
dure the  shock. «r  1  die  ;  but  God 

shall  be  with  you,  &c.  Joseph's  heav- 
enly father  could  not  die.  His  earthly 
father  was  about  to  leave  him  ;  but  the 
God  of  his  father,  who  was  his  own 
God,  would  never  leave  him.    If  the 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 


383 


22  Moreover  "  I  have  given  lo 
thee  one  portion  above  thy  breth- 
ren, which  1  took  out  of  the  hand 

V  Josh.  24.  32.     1  Chron.  5.  2.    John  4.  5. 


Lord  be  with  us,  he  will  abundantly 
compensate  the  want  of  all  earthly 
friends.  Jacob  however  had  not  re- 
gard to  Joseph  alone  in  these  words. 
He  was  aware  that  they  would  lose  in 
him  not  only  a  father,  but  a  ruler,  a 
guide,  an  instructer,  an  intercessor  with 
God  on  their  behalf  '  But  God  shall 
be  with  you,'  says  the  patriarch,  'he 
will  be  with  thee  and  with  thy  breth- 
ren. He  will  preserve  and  bless  you,  and 
in  his  own  time  will  bring  you  agaiu 
into  the  land  of  your  fathers.'  He 
probably  knew  that  it  was  determined 
by  God  that  his  seed  should  live  a  long 
time  in  Egypt  and  there  be  brought 
low  by  affliction,  before  they  obtained 
their  settlement  in  Canaan.  But  al- 
though they  were  to  be  afflicted,  yet 
the  Lord  was  to  be  their  protecter.  As 
to  the  manner  of  their  deliverance  Ja- 
cob was  not  instructed  to  give  them 
any  information.  Neither  Jacob  nor 
his  sons  knew  any  more  on  this  head 
than  Abraham  was  enabled  to  inform 
them,  viz.  that  God  would  judge  the 
land  where  they  were  oppressed,  and 
would  bring  them  out  with  great  sub- 
stance. Their  business  at  this  time 
was  to  believe  and  embrace  the  prom- 
ise, to  account  themselves  strangers 
when  they  were  at  a  distance  from  the 
land  of  promise,  and  leave  the  manner 
of  us  accomplishment  to  God.  '  Hath 
he  said  and  shall  he  make  it  good  V — 
We  have  no  account  of  the  reasons 
why  Jacob  did  not  prepare  to  return  to 
the  land  of  his  fathers,  after  the  days  of 
famine  were  at  an  end.  Perhaps  he 
thought  that  it  might  appear  an  un- 
grateful requital  to  Pharaoh  for  all  his 
favors,  to  speak  of  returning  to  the 
land  of  Canaan  as  soon  as  the  famine 


""  of  the  Arnorite  with  my  sword 
and  with  my  bow. 

X  ch.  15.  16.  &  34.  ^.    Josh.  17.  14,  Ac. 


was  over;  or  the  distresses  of  Canaan, 
after  plenty  was  restored  to  Egypt, 
might  render  it  inconvenient  for  Jacob's 
family  to  take  up  their  residence  in  it; 
or  the  remembrance  of  the  odium  rais- 
ed against  him  for  the  slaughter  of  the 
Shechemites,  or  other  circumstances 
unknown  to  us,  might  render  it  more 
eligible  to  continue  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
than  to  return  to  the  land  of  his  fathers. 
But  whatever  were  the  reasons  which 
governed  his  conduct  in  this  respect, 
he  still  retained  his  attachment  to  the 
good  land  which  God  had  promised, 
and  was  deeply  anxious  to  have  this 
attachment  perpetuated  in  the  hearts 
of  his  seed. 

22.  Moreover  1  have  given  to  tfiee, 
&.C.  That  is,  I  have  declaratively  or 
prophetically  given ;  I  hereby  an- 
nounce to  thee  that  thou  shalt  come 
into  the  possession  of  it.  In  like  man- 
ner the  divine  assurance  so  often  made 
to  the  patriarchs,  'I  have  given  thee 
this  land,'  is  to  be  interpreted,  '  I  will 

give  it  thee.' ^  0?ie  portion.     Heb. 

~ni^  t32"J  shekcm  chod,  one  shoulder. 
The  Heb.  term  is  the  same  with  the 
name  of  the  city  of  '  Shechem,'  and 
was  perhaps  designed  to  hint  at  some- 
thing peculiar  in  the  site  of  the  city,  as 
for  instance  an  elevated  or  protuberant 
piece  of  ground,  on  which  or  near 
which  it  was  situated.  It  is  supposed, 
moreover,  by  some  critics  that  there  is 
a  designed  paranomasia,  a  play  upon 
words,  as  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
place  referred  to  is  in  the  district  of 
'  Shechem'  mentioned.  Gen.  33.  18,  on 
which  see  Note.  Others  again  contend 
that  it  is  spoken  prophetically,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  well-known  idiom 
by  which  a  person  is  said  to  do  thai 


384 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  168n 


which  he  only  predicts.  He  might  in- 
deed have  spoken  of  this  conquest  in 
the  prophetical  style,  as  if  it  had  al- 
ready heen  effected,  to  express  his  full 
persuasion  that  the  land  would  be  sub- 
dued by  his  posterity.  Yet  this  sense 
seems  on  the  whole,  too  remote  from 
the  more  obvious  meaning  of  the  words. 
The  more  probable  construction  is  that 
which  takes  the  words  as  asserting  an 
historical  fact.  We  know  that  Jacob 
bought  a  portion  of  ground  of  the  men 
of  Shechem,  Gen.  33.  18—20.  When 
he  left  that  place  it  is  not  unlikely  that 
the  Amorites  mvaded  and  took  posses- 
sion of  it ;  and  that  Jacob,  by  divine 
direction,  had  subsequently  driven  them 
out  with  an  armed  force  of  children 
and  servants,  and  perhaps  of  allies. 
These  incidents,  it  is  true,  are  not  re- 
corded by  the  sacred  writer,  but  they 
may  have  occurred  without  having 
been  mentioned  in  their  proper  place. 
According  to  the  Greek  version  of  the 
Sept.  Shechem  was  the  place  which 
Jacob  gave  to  Joseph.  It  is  certain 
that  the  place  was  at  least  near  She- 
chem, for  we  read  John  4.  5.  that  when 
Jesus  was  passing  through  Samaria 
he  came  to  a  city  called  Sychar,  '  near 
to  the  parcel  of  ground  that  Jacob  gave 
to  his  son  Joseph.'  It  appears  also 
from  Josh.  16.  1.  &  20.  7,  that  it  came 
eventually  into  the  hands  of  Joseph's 
sons,  the  Ephraimites.  It  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  Jacob  thought  of  retain- 
ing this  place  in  undisturbed  posses- 
sion, for  his  son  Joseph,  either  as  his 
purchase  or  as  his  conquest.  It  was 
certain  that  it  would  be  occupied  by  the 
Canaanites,  who  would  reckon  them- 
selves entitled  to  keep  possession  of  it 
as  long  as  they  were  able.  It  was  to 
be  reconquered,  as  well  as  other  parts 
of  the  country,  before  the  children  of 
Joseph  could  obtain  possession  of  the 
legacy.  Nor  could  it  be  valuable  for 
its  extent  to  a  man  who  was  lord  of 
Egypt.     Yet    on   another  account  it 


would  be  of  high  value  in  Joseph  s 
eyes.  It  was  the  gift  of  his  father,  8 
gift  of  special  love,  a  gift  bestowed  bj 
him  on  his  death-bed,  at  the  time  when 
he  wished  to  leave  the  last  token  of  his 
affection  to  his  favorite  son.  As  sucL 
it  would  be  highly  valued  by  Joseph 
and  his  posterity,  and  v/ould  constitutf 
another  strong  bond  of  attachment  tc 
the  promised  land.  And  when  in  af 
ter  ages  the  tribes  came  to  take  posses 
sion  of  their  several  inheritances  thr 
families  of  Ephralm  and  Manasseh 
would  have  a  more  powerful  stmiului 
to  a  vigorous  effort  in  driving  out  iho, 
people  of  Canaan,  who  then  held  a  ter 
ritory  which  had  been  expressly  sccu 
red  to  them  by  the  last  will  and  testa 
ment  of  their  venerated  sire.  Mor^ 
than  two  hundred  years  passed  awaj 
before  the  children  of  Israel  obtainec 
possession  of  this  portion  of  grounc 
which  Jacob  left  them.  Yet  at  las* 
they  obtained  it  and  were  happy  in  it,. 
as  a  testimony  of  the  special  love  o 
their  father. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

No  characters  of  the  ancient  period.^ 
of  the  world  appear  more  venerable  to 
us  than  those  of  the  three  great  patri- 
archs of  the  chosen  nation.  W^e  are 
highly  instructed  and  edified  by  then 
history ;  and  had  they  left  any  writings 
behind  them,  they  would  have  been 
read  with  the  greatest  avidity.  But 
God  was  not  pleased  to  honor  them 
with  a  name  in  the  list  of  the  holy  wri- 
ters. We  have  reason  however  to  be 
thankful  that  so  many  of  their  words 
are  recorded  in  the  inspired  volume. 
The  present  chapter  consists  chiefly  of 
the  words  of  Jacob,  although  Moses 
was  the  writer  of  them.  It  might  be 
called  the  book  of  the  prophecies  of  Ja- 
cob ;  and  it  contains  as  large  a  portion 
of  the  oracles  of  God  as  the  book  of 
the  prophecies  of  Obadiah,  or  the  Epis- 
tle of  Jude.    In  the  105th  Psalm  Abra- 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


385 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 
A  ND    Jacob   called    unto    his 
-^  sons,  and  said,  Gather  your- 
selves together,  that  I  may  ^  tell 

a  Deut.  33.  L    Amos  3.  7. 


:iam,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  are  called 
prophets;'  and  we  know  that  the 
word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Jacob  at 
different  periods  in  the  course  of  his 
life.  But  his  dying  words  are  the  most 
memorable  of  his  prophecies.  Under 
the  full  conviction  of  their  solemn  im- 
port and  the  earnest  hope  that  his  last 
sayings  would  make  a  happy  impres- 
sion on  their  minds,  all  his  sons  were 
summoned  together  to  hear  him.  Liv- 
ing and  dying,  it  was  his  anxious  wish 
to  be  useful  to  them ;  and  in  his  death, 
as  well  as  in  his  life,  he  sets  us  an  ex- 
ample which  we  should  endeavor  to 
imitate.  God  grant  that  when  our 
time  comes  that  we  must  die,  we  may 
be  enabled  to  say  something  to  sur- 
viving friends  that  will  be  remembered 
by  them  with  advantage.  We  are  not 
of  course  to  expect  the  prophetic  affla- 
tus on  our  death-bed.  But  if  we  die 
in  faith,  we  may  leave  an  useful  testi- 
mony behind  us  of  the  pleasantness 
and  peace  of  the  ways  of  religion.  The 
peculiar  character  and  great  impor- 
tance of  the  contents  of  this  chapter, 
together  with  the  intrinsic  difficulties 
of  the  interpretation,  no  doubt  warrant 
a  more  minute  and  critical  investiga- 
tion into  the  meaning  of  terms  than 
will  be  found  to  mark  most  of  our  pre- 
ceding annotations.  To  such  an  at- 
tempt it  is  important  to  premise  the 
following  remarks:  (L)  That  these 
blessings  or  announcements  have  re- 
spect mainly  to  the  posterity,  and  not  to 
the  persons,  of  the  twelve  sons  of  Ja- 
cob. (2.)  That,  consequently,  the 
materials  of  a  just  interpretation  are  to 
be  sought  for  in  the  subsequent  history 
0^  these  tribes.  It  is  only  from  the 
33 


you  that  which  shall  befal  you 
^  in  the  last  days. 


b  Deut.  4.  30.    Numb.  24.  14.    Isai.  2.  2. 
&  39.  6.    Jer.  23.  20.    Dan.  2.  28,  29.    Acts 

2.  17.    Hebr.  1.  2.  ' 


documents  furnished  in  the  sacred 
record,  that  the  leading  character- 
istic traits,  and  the  most  important 
events  related  of  each  tribe,  can  be  de- 
termined, and  the  appropriateness  of 
the  predictions  clearly  made  out.  (3.) 
That  the  fulfilment  of  these  blessings  is 
to  be  traced  not  in  any  one  event,  or  in 
any  single  period  of  time,  but  in  a  con- 
tinuous and  progressive  series  of  ac- 
compUshments,  reaching  down  to  the 
latest  era  of  the  Jewish  pohty.  (4.) 
That  the  peculiar  phraseology  in  which 
the  blessings  are  couched,  has,  in  most 
cases,  a  verbal  allusion  to  the  names 
bestowed  upon  the  twelve  phylarchs, 
or  princes  of  tribes,  at  their  birth— a 
circumstance  not  indeed  obvious  to 
the  Eng.  reader,  but  palpable  to  one 
who  consults  the  original. 

1 .  Jacob  called  unto  his  sons.  That 
is,  by  despatching  messengers  for  that 
purpose  to  the  different  parts  of  Go- 
shen in  which  his  sons  resided.  The 
words  contained  in  this  and  the  ensu- 
ing verse  constitute  the  message  which 
was  to  be  delivered  to  them.  The 
style  of  the  summons  was  such  as  to 
acquaint    them    with    the    object   for 

which  they  were  to  be  convened. 

^\  That  2  may  tell  you  that  which  shall 
befal  you  in  the  last  days.  Heb. 
Q"'73'^rT  tl'^inj!^-  baaharith  hayamim, 
in  the  sequency  or  posteriority  of  days  ; 
or  as  Faber  significantly,  but  some- 
what uncouthly  renders  it,  in  the  aft&r- 
hood  of  days.  Gr.  eKca-x^a-wv  rj^cpuv 
in  the  last  days.  Chal.  'In  the  end  of 
days.'  Arab.  '  After  these  days.'  The 
phrase  does  undoubtedly  in  some  in- 
stances, in  the  prophetic  writings,  im- 
ply the  time  subsequent  to  the  appear- 


385 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  16S9; 


2  Gather  yourselves  together, 
and    hear,    ye    sons   of    Jacob  j 


ance  of  Christ  in  the  flesh,  or  what  is 
famiharly  termed  the  gospel  dispensa- 
tion ;  but  in  the  present  connexion  we 
Ere  probably  to  take  it  as  simply  equiv- 
alent to  hereafter,  afterward,  in  fu- 
ture; denoting  not  a  precise  or  limited 
period,  but  an  indefinite  tract  of  subse- 
quent time,  even  the  whole  extended 
interval  between  the  deliverance  from 
Egypt  and  the  coming  of  the  Shiloh  in 
the  person  of  the  Saviour.  Thus  that 
which  m  Acts  2.  17,  is  rendered,  'It 
shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,'  is 
in  Joel  2.  28,  '  It  shall  ccme  to  pass 
afterward.'  Farther  instances  of  the 
Hsage  of  the  original,  which  is  gener- 
ally rendered  '  in  the  latter  time,'  may 
be  seen,  Num.  24.  14.  Deut.  4.  30. 
Dan.  2.  28.  « I  will  tell  you  what  shall 
befal  you  in  the  latter  days.'  They 
were  all  to  be  in  their  graves  before  the 
last  days,  and  yet  the  things  foretold 
were  to  befal  them.  This  is  on  the 
ground  of  the  intimate  relation  or  con- 
structive identity  of  fathers  and  chil- 
dren so  often  recognised  in  Scripture. 
They  could  not  but  reckon  themselves 
deeply  interested  in  the  fortunes  of 
their  children  at  the  distance  of  many 
generations,  and  were  bound  to  give 
thanks  to  God  for  all  the  good  and 
great  things  which  he  had  promised  to 
do  for  the  latest  of  their  posterity. 
We  cannot  know  what  will  happen 
in  the  last  days  to  our  posterity,  or 
whether  we  shall  have  a  posterity  on 
the  earth  at  the  distance  of  an  hundred 
years  or  of  one  year.  But  if  we  can 
commit  our  own  souls  and  bodies  with 
confidence  to  God,  we  may  look  for 
good  things  in  every  generation  to  the 
church  of  Christ,  in  which  we  hope 
our  own  seed  will  be  included,  if  a  seed 
is  left  to  us  on  the  earth.    If  such 


and   <^  hearken    unto  Israel   youF 
father. 


c  Ps.  34.  IJ 


hopes  enable  us  to  look  forward  with 
cheerfulness  to  future  times,  it  will  be 
oar  hearts'  desire  and  our  earnest  en- 
deavour to  communicate  the  knowl- 
edge and  the  love  of  pure  and  unde- 
filed  religion  to  the  children  whom 
God  is  pleased  to  give  us.  We  shall- 
thus  resemble  Jacob  as  fathers,  if  not 
as  prophets. 

2.  Gather  yoursehes  together,  and 
hear,  &.c.  If  all  parents  are  entitled 
to  respect  from  their  children,  such  a 
man  as  Jacob,  who  received  from  God 
the  glorious  name  of  Ishael  for  him- 
self and  his  seed,  might  expect  a  very 
high  degree  of  reverence  from  the  men 
who  had  the  honor  to  call  themselves 
his  children.  Sueh  a  father  deserved 
at  all  times  to  be  heard  with  attention 
by  his  sons,  but  most  of  all  at  this 
time.  He  was  going  from  them  to 
God.  He  spake  by  divine  inspiration 
of  things  most  deeply  interesting  to 
them.  He  was  about  to  leave  them 
his  dying  benedictions;  and  how  un- 
grateful as  well  as  stupid  must  they 
have  been,  if  they  had  not  given  the 
most  diligent  heed  to  the  things  that 
proceeded  from  his  lips  ?  True,  he  was 
about  to  utter  propiietic  oracles  in 
which  there  was  much  that  was  dark 
and  hard  to  be  understood,  much  that 
they  probably  were  entirely  at  a  loss  at 
present  to  understand.  But  they  no 
doubt  learnt  enough  from  them  to  es- 
tablish greatly  their  faith  and  hope  in 
their  father's  God,  and  to  assist  them 
in  preparing  their  children  after  them 
to  meet  those  happy  or  disastrous 
events  of  which  they  had  a  dim  but 
assured  foresight.  So  let  us  regard  the 
prophecies  of  Scripture  with  profound 
reverence.  Let  us  beware  of  thinking 
those  parts  of  the  sacred  volume  use- 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


387 


3    ^   Reuben,   ihou   art   ^ 
first-boriij   my   might,    ^  and 


my 
the 


d  ch.  29.  32.    e  Deut.  21.  17.    Ps.  78.  51. 


less  of  which  we  cannot  fully  compre- 
hend the  meaning.  The  prophecies 
concerning  the  Messiah  and  the  first 
advent  were  but  imperfectlj'  under- 
stood by  the  ancient  church.  Yet 
many  thousands  in  Israel  were  saved 
by  the  faith  of  them.  Surely  the  sons 
of  Jacob  could  not  be  under  more  sa- 
cred obligations  to  listen  to  the  predic- 
tions of  their  father  though  dignified 
with  the  name  of  Israel,  than  we  are 
to  attend  to  the  revelation  made  to  us 
by  the  Lamb  in  the  midst  of  the 
throne,  who  hath  prevailed  to  open  the 
sealed  book  and  to  loose  the  seven 
seals  thereof. 

3.  Reuben,  thou  art  my  Jirst-born, 
iny  viight,  &c.  Heb.  ^n!D  kohi.  The 
original  term  n3  boah  implies  that  de- 
gree of  bodily  vigor  which  results 
from  the  full  proportion  and  the  healthy 
state  of  the  Jluids  of  the  system,  or 
an  abundance  of  moisture,  in  opposi- 
tion to  a  dry,  withered,  and  conse- 
quently languid  state  of  the  animal 
economy.  This  sense  of  the  word  is 
illustrated  by  the  Psalmist's  use  of  it, 
Ps.  22.  15,  '  My  strength  (inz)  is  dried 
up  as  a  potsherd,  and  my  tongue 
cleaveth  to  my  jaws.'  It  is  employed 
to  express  the  highest  state  of  corpo- 
real vigor  in  the  case  also  of  Caleb, 
Josh.  14.  11,  'As  yet  I  am  strong  this 
day  as  I  was  in  the  day  that  Moses 
sent  me;  as  my  strength,  ("Tl^)  was 
then,  even  so  is  my  strength  (TI3) 
now.'  It  is  here  used,  by  a  common 
figure  of  speech,  for  the  first  effect  of 
his  physical  strength,  or  the  child  be- 
gotten in  the  flower  and  prime  of  his 
manhood.  A  similar  usage  occurs  in 
Job  31.  39,  where  the  'fruits'  of  the 
earth  are  made  to  stand  by  metonymy 
for  the  vegetative  principle  from  which  ; 


beginning  of  my  strength,  the 
excellency  of  dignity,  and  the 
excellency  of  power: 


they  spring;  'If  I  have  eaten  the 
fruits  (ni)  thereof  without  money.' 
By  the  Gr.,  Choi.,  and  most  of  the 
ancient  versions  it  is  rendered  'strength.' 

IT  The  beginning  of  my  strength. 

Heb.  i^Tii  iTPaS^I  reshith  oni,  equiv- 
alent to  the  first  fruits  of  my  potency, 
an  expression  very  nearly  synonymous 
with  the  preceding,  and  rightly  render- 
ed by  the  Gr.  ap-^^rj  tskvcjv  jaov  the  be- 
ginning of  my  children — the  begin- 
ning not  only  in  the  order  of  nativity, 
but  in  the  grade  of  eminence.  A  sim- 
ilar denomination  is  given  to  the  first- 
born, Deut.  21.  17,  '  Giving  him  a 
double  portion  of  all  that  he  hath ;  for 
he  is  the  beginning  of  his  strength, 
(i:&5  nTi4"l)  the  right  of  the  first- 
born is  his.'  Ps.  105.  36,  'He  smote 
all  the  first-born  in  their  land,  the  chief 
of  all  their  strength,^    (I'it     tT^iDSiS). 

IT   77(6   excellency  of  dignity  and 

poicer.  Heb.  ^l^^•J  "ifT^  yether  scaithy 
the  abounding  excellency  of  eminence; 
in  allusion  to  the  honor  of  the  priest- 
hood, involved  in  the  birthright,  as  'the 
excellency  of  power'  has  respect  to  the 
right  of  dominion,  another  branch  of 
the  same  distinction.  The  Heb.  word 
nii'13  seaith  translated  dignity,  proper- 
ly implies  elevation,  and  is  the  term 
employed  in  reference  to  Cain,  Gen.  4. 
7,  '  And  if  thou  doest  well  shalt  thou 
noi  he  accepted!'  (rS^'L')  or  rather,  'If 
thou  doest  well,  is  there  not  elevation?' 
i.  e.  shalt  thou  not  be  entitled  to  all  the 
prerogatives  of  the  birthright?  The 
pertinency  of  the  ancient  Targums  to 
this  point  is  very  striking.  Chal. 
'Thou  wert  to  have  received  three  por- 
tions, the  birthright,  (i.  e.  the  double 
portion,)  the  priesthood,  and  the  king- 
dom; but  because,'  &c.  Jerus.  Targ. 
•And  for  the  ein  of  my  son  Reuben, 


388 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1680 


4    Unstable   as    water,    ^  thoii 
shalt   not   excel ;    because    thou 

fl  Chron.  5.  1. 


the  birthright  is  given  to  Joseph,  the 
kingdom  to  Judah,  and  the  priesthood 
to  the  tribe  of  Levi.'  This  interpreta- 
tion is  so  fully  confirmed  by  1  Chron. 
5.  1,  2,  that  we  cannot  doubt  of  its  cor- 
rectness.  IF   Excellency    of    poicer. 

Heb.  tv>  "itll  ydher  oz,  the  abound- 
ing excellency  of  strength  or  'puissance. 
The  original  is  derived  from  a  root  sxg- 
Tiify'mg  strong,  Jjrm,  hard,  valid;  and 
is  repeatedly  applied  to  kings  and  king- 
doms, as  characteristic  of  that  prevail- 
ing strength  by  which  dominion  is 
usually  obtained  and  upheld.  Thus, 
Ps.  99.  4,  'The  king's  strength  also 
loveth  judgment.'  Ps.  110.  2,  'The 
Lord  shall  send  the  rod  of  thy  strength 
out  of  Zion :  rule  thou  in  the  midst  of 
thine  enemies.'  Is.  30.  2,  '  That  walk 
to  go  down  into  Egypt  to  strengthen 
themselves  in  the  strength  of  Pha- 
raoh.' The  terms  'dignity'  and  'power' 
therefore  are  rightly  interpreted,  the 
one  of  the  sacerdotal,  the  other  of  the 
regal  prerogative,  included  in  the  birth- 
right. Arab.  '  Excelling  in  nobility 
and  excelling  in  magnificence.'  Reu- 
ben's exclusion  from  this  honor  was 
in  punishment  for  his  grievous  offence 
against  his  father;  and  he  was  express- 
ly informed  by  his  father's  dying  words, 
what  glory  his  posterity  might  have 
enjoyed,  if  his  transgression  had  not 
robbed  them  of  the  privileges  which 
would  otherwise  have  fallen  to  their 
lot.  Reuben  was  probably  pardoned 
by  God.  But  for  his  own  humiliation, 
and  for  a  warning  to  other  men,  it  was 
expedient  to  give  him  this  solemn  re- 
buke ;  and  to  put  him  in  mind  of  what 
he  had  forfeited,  not  to  himself  only, 
but  to  his  posterity. 

4.   Unstable  as  xcater.      Hcb.    tUS 


s  wentest  up  to  thy  father's  bed; 
then  defiledst  thou  it:  he  went 
up  to  my  couch. 

g  ch.  35.  22.     1  Chron.  5,  1.    Deut.  27.  20. 


t-'^ZS  pahaz  kammayim.  Gr.  E^v0pi- 
aag  o's  ijo  p  thou  hast  been  insolently 
injurious  as  water,  i.  e.  as  water  that 
overflows  its  banks.  Chal.  'But  be- 
cause thou  hast  followed  thine  own 
will  as  water  poured  out.'  Sam.  and 
Syr.  'Thou  hast  been  violent  and  flow- 
ed down  like  water.'  The  allusion  is 
to  Reuben's  incestuous  connexion  with 
Bilhah,  his  father's  concubine;  Gen. 
35.  22.  The  original  word  fnS  pahaz 
in  its  primitive  sense  signifies  a  precip- 
itate motion,  as  of  a  stream  breaking 
through  impediments,  or  running  down 
a  declivity.  Its  derivates  have  the  im- 
port of  rash,  light,  dissolute,  licentious. 
Thus,  Judg.  9.  4,  'Abimelcch  hired  vain 
and  light  persons;''  Heb.  f^Tnt)  vo- 
hazim.  Zeph.  3.  4,  '  Her  prophets  are 
light  and  treacherous  persons ;'  Heb. 
Q'^TmS  pohazim.  It  is  a  term  well 
adapted  to  express  both  the  unbridled 
lawlessness  of  Reuben's  conduct  in  the 
indulgence  of  his  passions,  and  the  ef- 
fect of  it  in  suddenly  and  irretrievably 
casting  him  down  from  his  birthright. 
The  force  of  a  great  current  of  water, 
when  the  barriers  that  restrained  it  are 
removed,  is  irresistible.  Such  is  the 
force  of  conniption  in  men  destitute  of 
religious  principle.  Yet  nothing  is 
weaker  than  water  in  small  quantities. 
It  has  no  principle  of  coherence  or  sta- 
bility. Such  is  the  weakness  of  men 
who  walk  after  their  own  lusts.  They 
have  no  power  to  resist  the  most  per- 
nicious temptations,  or  the  most  inor- 
dinate and  detestable  impulses  of  their 
own  corrupt  minds.  Whether  the  in- 
stability or  the  impetuosity  of  water  is 
principally  intended  by  the  term,  it  is 
perhaps  impossible,  and  not  very  neces- 
sary, to  determine.'    Perhaps  both  ideas 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


are  included.  Reuben's  wickedness 
was  a  plain  evidence  of  his  own  la- 
mentable weakness,  and  of  the  dread- 
ful power  of  corruption  within  him. 
He  had  as  Uttle  power  to  restrain  his 
lusts  as  water  has  to  preserve  itself 
from  falling  to  the  ground,  when  it  is 
poured  from  the  vessel  that  contains 
it.  He  rushed  on  to  the  commission 
of  a  crime  which  was  to  load  him  with 
guilt  and  infamy,  with  the  irresistible 
impetus  of  a  mighty  river  when  it 
comes  up  over  all  its  channels,  and 
goes  up  over  all  its  banks,  Is.  8.  7.  To 
gratify  a  momentary  inclination  he 
violated  all  the  laws  of  honor,  of  nat- 
ural affection,  of  God,  and  of  man. 
He  might  have  seen,  if  his  eyes  had 
not  been  blinded  by  the  deceitfulness 
of  sin,  that  by  going  up  to  his  father's 
couch  he  would  purchase  a  moment's 
pleasure  at  the  expense  of  everlasting 
disgrace  to  himself,  of  enduring  an- 
guish to  a  venerable  father,  of  a  griev- 
ous stain  to  his  posterity,  and  of  the 
vengeance  of  heaven  upon  his  immor- 
tal soul,  if  sovereign  mercy  should  not 

be    pleased    to    interpose. IT   Thou 

shall  not  excel.  Chal.  '  Thou  shalt  not 
have  profit  nor  receive  the  excellent 
portion.'  Sam.  'Think  not  thyself  ex- 
cellent.' Syr.  '  Thou  shall  not  stand.' 
All  these  various  renderings  concur  in 
expressing  the  main  idea,  viz.  that 
Reuben  had  cut  himself  off  from  all 
prospect  of  holding  that  pre-eminence 
in  Israel  to  which  he  would  otherwise 
have  been  entitled.  Accordingly  we 
learn  from  the  sacred  narrative  that 
this  tribe,  which  was  few  in  number, 
and  reproached  for  their  pusillanimity 
by  Deborah,  never  distinguished  them- 
selves by  any  noble  exploits.  None 
of  the  ancient  heroes  whose  names  are 
yet  famous  belonged  to  this  tribe. 
Neither  the  priesthood  nor  the  royalty 
was  given  to  the  tribe  of  the  first-born 
of  Jacob.  Though  there  were  kings 
of  the  different  tribes,  yet  none,  as  far 
33* 


as  we  know,  of  the  tribe  of  Reuben. 
There  were  doubtless  many  of  the 
sons  of  Reuben  who  found  favor  with 
God,  1  Chron.  4.  5,  but  none  of  them 
obtained  such  glory  in  this  world  as 
many    of   the    other  tribes  obtained. 

IT  Because  thou  wentest  up  to  thy 

father's  bed.  He  ought,  above  all  his 
brethren,  to  have  been  a  defence  to  his 
father  against  any  invader  of  his  honor 
or  his  property.  But  there  was  not 
one  of  the  thirteen  children  of  Jacob 
that  inflicted  more  painful  wounds  on 
their  father's  heart.  The  injury  done 
to  Joseph  was  not  so  irreparable.  The 
murder  of  the  Shechemites  was  in- 
deed not  less  but  more  criminal,  and 
yet  it  was  not  such  a  direct  outrage 
against  the  man  whom  of  all  others 
on  earth  he  was  bound  to  reverence. 
It  was  a  violent  assault  upon  the  ten- 
derest  point  of  his  honor.  It  was  an 
outrageous  attempt  to  tear  away  from 
him  a  part  of  his  own  flesh,  and  make 
it  the  fuel  of  everlasting  burning.  He 
corrupted  Bilhah,  whom  Jacob  was 
bound  to  love  as  a  part  of  himself,  and 
involved  her  in  such  wickedness  as 
that  which  brought  down  fire  and 
brimstone  on  Sodom  and  Gomorrah. 
Could  Reuben  then  expect  the  first 
place  of  honor  in  his  father's  family? 
He  had  reason  to  wonder  that  he  was 
not  turned  out  of  it  with  disgrace,  and 
set  up,  like  the  sinners  of  Sodom,  a 
monument  of  wrath  to  all  generations. 
Still  it  should  be  remembered  that  Ja- 
cob spoke  the  language  of  indignation 
concerning  the  shameful  conduct  of 
Reuben,  not  because  he  hated,  but 
rather  because  he  loved  this  unnatural 
son.  He  acted  toward  him  the  part  of 
a  faithful  friend,  as  well  as  a  wise  fa- 
ther, when  with  his  dying  breath  he 
endeavored  to  pierce  his  heart  with  a 
just  sense  of  the  enormity  of  his  guilt, 
He  was  certainly  struck  with  bitter  re- 
morse long  before  this  time.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  he  had  exercised  repent- 


390 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


5  yi  ^  Simeon  and  Levi  are  |  assembly',  "  mine  honour,  be  not 
i  brethren;  ^instruments  of  cruel-  thou  united  :  for  ^  in  their  anger 
ty  are  in  their  liabitations.  they  slew  a  man,   and  in   their 

6  O  my  soul,  i  come  not  thou  self-will  they  digged  down  a 
into  their   secret ;    ■"  unto    their    wall. 


h  ch.  29.  33,  34.    i  Pro  v.  IS.  9.    k  ch.  34. 
25.  1  Prov.  1.  15,  16.  m  Ps.26.  9.  Eph.  5.  11. 


Ps.  16.  9.  &  30.  12.  &  57.  S.     o  ch.  34.  26. 


anee  unto  life.  But  afler  such  a  trans- 
gression it  became  him  all  the  days  of 
his  hfe  to  remember  with  shame,  how 
he  had  disgraced  himself,  how  he  had 
lacerated  the  heart  of  his  father,  and 
especially  how  presumptuously  he  had 
sinned  against  God.  The  mourning  of 
the  true  penitent  is  not  at  an  end  when 
he  has  obtained  a  good  hope  through 
grace  that  iniquity   shall  not  be  his 

ruin. IT  He  went  up  to  my  couch. 

Heb.  fl'^y  alak.  If  the  verb  '  went 
up'  legitimately  refers  to  Reuben,  Jacob 
must  be  conceived  as  abruptly  turning 
from  him,  under  the  influence  of  strong 
mdignation,  and  addressing  himself  to 
his  other  sons.  The  Gr.  however 
changes  the  person  and  renders  it,  'On 
which  f/(ou  wen  test  up.'  So  also  the 
Chal.  '  "When  thou  wentest  up  to  my 
couch.'  Ainsworth,  Venema,  and 
others,  support  a  different  construc- 
tion. They  consider  the  proper  sub- 
ject of  '  went  up'  to  be  '  excellency'  in 
the  preceding  verse,  and  would  render 
the  passage  thus  ;  'Thou  shalt  not  ex- 
cel, because  thou  wentest  up  to  my  bed ; 
then  thou  defiledst  my  couch ;  it  (thine 
excellency)  has  vanished  away.'  This 
sense  of  the  Heb.  verb  to  ascend,  to  go 
up,  is  confirmed  it  is  said  by  the  follow- 
ing instances  of  its  occurrence,  Ex.  16. 
14.  '  When  the  dew  that  lay  was  gone 
up;'  i.  6.  had  vanished.  Jer.  43.  15, 
'Moab  is  spoiled  and  gone  up ;'  i.  e.  has 
entirely  disappeared.  The  whole  may 
be  paraphrased  thus:  'Thou,  Reuben, 
art  my  first-born,  the  son  begotten  in 
the  prime  and  vigor  of  my  days,  and 
inheriting  by  birth  all  the  privileges  of 


primogeniture.  But  to  thy  shame  and 
my  own  grief,  this  favored  distinction 
thou  hast  forfeited.  Thine  ungoverned 
passions  have  hurried  thee  down,  Ida 
a  rushing  torrent,  from  the  height  o 
thine  hereditary  honors,  and  now  notb 
ing  awaits  thee  but  comparative  degra 
dation  among  thy  brethren.  Thinl 
not  to  excel ;  for  from  the  time  of  thy 
foul  invasion  of  the  sanctity  of  a  fa- 
ther's bed  all  thy  fair  prospects  of  pre- 
eminence vanished  into  air,  hke  the 
dew  and  the  vapors  of  the  morning.' 

5.  Simeon  and  Levi  are  brethren. 
Reuben  was  not  the  only  great  offend- 
er in  Jacob's  family  ;  his  two  next  sons 
were  guilty  of  a  crime  still  worse,  if 
possible,  than  Reuben's.  If  it  did  not 
wound  their  father  in  a  part  so  tender,  it 
gave  him  not  less  pain,  and  exposed 
him  to  greater  mischief  If  a  merciful 
providence  had  not  wonderfully  pre- 
served him  he  and  all  his  family  must 
have  been  destroyed,  in  consequence  of 
the  revenge  of  the  enraged  Canaanites. 
'  Simeon  and  Levi  are  brethren  ;'  i.  e. 
not  only  by  nature,  but  by  character, 
and  disposition  ;  possessed  of  a  con- 
genial spirit.  jNIoses  and  Aaron  were 
brethren,  but  m  a  very  different  sense. 
They  were  brethren  not  only  in  the  flesh, 
but  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  noblest  vir- 
tues. Simeon  and  Levi  were  brethren 
in  wickedness.  This  was  evinced 
by  their  being  associated  in  the  ne- 
farious murder  of  the  Shechemites ; 
and  it  is  the  uniform  tradition  of  the 
Jews  that  Simeon  and  Levi  were  the 
principal  movers  of  the  wicked  con- 
spiracy against  Joseph.     From  their 


e.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


393 


standing  next  to  Reuben  in  the  order  of 
■seniority  these  tv/o  would  have  been 
the  fairest  candidates  to  have  had  the 
■entire  honors  lost  by  Reuben  conferred 
upon  thern,  but  in  consequence  of  their 
malconduct  they  are  wholly  passed  by, 
and  Judah  and  Joseph  sheeted  as  the 
objects  of  the  honorary  distinction. 
For  this  reason  ihey  are  the  only  ones 
of  the  number  besides  Reuben  who  are 
addressed  in  the  second  person ;  all 
the  rest  being  spoken  of  in  the  third. 
Seldom  hare  tv,'o  children  of  the  wick- 
■ed  one  perpetrated  actions  more  horri- 
ble than  did  these  tv/o  sons  of  Jacob  ; 
and  their  relation  to  Jacob  was  a  very 
^eat  aggravation  of  their  wickedness. 
They  were  trained  up  in  the  knowledge 
•of  God;  they  were  circumcised  in  the 
flesh  of  their  foreskin .;  yet  they  were 
brothers  in  fraud  and  violence,  in 
treachery  and  murder.  Let  all  associ- 
ates in  sin  consider  the  detestation 
which  Jacob,  and  which  the  Spirit  of 
God,  expresses  against  confederacies 
in  evil.  Let  them  take  no  comfort 
from  the  thought  that  each  of  them  is 
no  worse  than  his  companions-  What 
will  it  avail  one  in  the  world  of  woe  to 
know  that  he  has  associates  in  tor- 
ment?  ^    Instruments   cf    cruelty 

are  in  their  habitations.  Heb.  ^i^D 
CrT^rii;:^  Ccn  beU  kamas  mtktro- 
thehem,  rendered  in  the  margin,  '  their 
swords  are  v/eapons  of  violence;'  the 
reason  of  which  is  that  the  Heb.  n^-!^ 
mekarah  has  apparently  so  close  an 
aflBnity  with  the  Gr.  jxa-)(^aifa  machara, 
£Word,  that  the  translators  supposed 
the  latter  to  have  been  derived  from  the 
former,  and  therefore  afforded  a  clue 
to  the  proper  rendering.  But  in  no 
other  instance  has  it  the  remotest  rela- 
tion to  such  a  sense,  nor  is  there  any 
thing  in  fact  besides  the  outward  form 
of  the  words  which  could  lead  to  the 
supposition  of  a  kindred  import  be- 
tween them.  Neither  is  there  author- 
'ty  for  rendering  it  'habitation,'  as  is 


done  in  the  Eng.  version.  The  weight 
of  evidence  in  respect  to  the  origin  of 
the  word  is  in  favor  of  its  derivation 
from  "CJa  makar,  to  sell,  a  term  which 
easily  yields  the  sense  of  bartering, 
bargaining,  compact.  Thus  the  Gr. 
translates  it,  'They  finished  the  ini- 
quity of  their  chosen  counsel'  Sam. 
*  They  consummated  the  wickedness  of 
their  conventions;'  (i.  e,  compacts.) 
Jer.  Targ.  '  Their  counsel.'  The  cor- 
rect rendering  of  the  sentence  probably 
is,  'Instruments  of  violence  are  their 
bargainings,  or  covenants ;''  i.  e.  they 
abuse  their  compacts  to  the  injury  of 
others  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render 
them  the  means  or  instruments  of  the 
most  outrageous  violence.  In  this  case 
the  allusion  we  conceive  is  both  to  then- 
treacherous  compact  with  the  She- 
chemites,  and  to  the  cruel  covenant  by 
which  Joseph  was  sold  to  the  Midian- 
ites.  Gen.  37.  27,  '  Come  let  us  sell  him. 
(1j'"-'^3  nimkerenu)  to  the  Midian- 
ites.'  As  Reuben  was  not  present  at 
this  transaction,  we  may  suppose  that 
Simeon  and  Levi  acted  the  principal 
part  in  the  plot,  though  first  suggested 
by  Judah,  Gen.  37.  23—29. 

6.  O  my  soul,  come  not  thou  into 
their  secret.  Heb.  fci^ri  bi^  DTDS 
besodam  al  tabo^  into  their  secret  thou 
shalt  not  come.  That  is,  into  their  se- 
cret assembly,  their  conclave,  their 
place  of  private  deliberation.  Thus, 
Ps.  64.  2,  '  Hide  me  from  the  secret 
counsel  of  the  wicked ;'  Heb.  'From 
the  secret  of  the  wicked.'  Ps.  89.  7, 
'  God  is  greatly  to  be  feared  in  the  as- 
sembly of  the  saints;'  Heb.  'In  the 
secret  of  the  saints.'  Jer.  15.  17,  'I  sat 
not  in  the  assembly  of  the  mockers ;' 
Heb.  'In  the  secret  of  the  mockers.' 
Gr.  'Into  their  counsel  let  not  my  soul 
come.'  Chal.  'My  soul  was  not  in 
their  secret.'  Targ.  Jon.  'In  their 
:  counsel  my  soul  had  not  complacen- 
j  cy.'  Arab.  '  Into  their  conspiracy  my 
I  soul  did  not  enter.'    The  Sam.,  Syr., 


392 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689, 


and  Jerus.  Targ.  also  render  it  in  the 
past.  The  future  form  of  expression 
in  the  original  undoubtedly  warrants 
our  established  mode  of  rendering,  and 
yet  it  is  a  natural  enquiry  why  the  -past 
tense  is  not  employed ;  why  Jacob 
does  not  say  '  came  not  in'  instead  of 
'  shall  not  come  in?'  The  drift  of  the 
words  is  undoubtedly  to  disclaim  all 
participation  in  the  bloody  deed  to 
which  he  alludes.  But  while  he  would 
tlius  unequivocally  disown  all  concert 
and  connexion  with  his  perfidious  sons 
in  that  transaction,  view^ed  as  a  past 
fact,  he  adopts  a  phraseology  implying 
that  he  had  the  same  views  of  it  now 
as  he  had  then.  Time  had  not  in  the 
least  changed  his  feelings  in  regard  to 
it.  His  soul  revolted  with  the  same 
holy  abhorrence  of  the  act  now  as  it 
did  then.  It  was  a  conduct  which  he 
could  neither  now  nor  ever  regard  but 
with  shuddering  and  indignation.  It 
was  therefore  equivalent  to  saying, 
'  Let  me  never  be  considered  as  asso- 
ciating myself  with  the  plotters  of  such 
nefarious  wickedness.  Let  not  my 
name  suffer  by  my  paternal  relation  to 
such  ruthless  assassins.  Let  it  never 
for  a  moment  be  supposed  that  I  could 
sanction  such  a  fiendish  confederacy 
as  theirs.'  He  thus  felicitates  himseh" 
that  he  can  leave  the  world  guiltless  of 
all  connivance  at  the  horrid  crimes  of 
these  two  sons.  Parents  may  be 
taught  by  this  to  beware  of  bringing 
the  guilt  and  dishonor  of  their  chil- 
dren's sins  upon  themselves  by  justify- 
ing or  extenuating  them.  Shall  sin 
cease  to  be  sin  because  our  children 
nave  committed  it  7  Though  our  chil- 
dren are  dear  to  us,  yet  the  law  of  God 
ought  to  be  dearer.  If  v/e  love  them 
let  us  endeavor  to  make  them  sensible 
of  the  evil  of  their  conduct.  When 
parents  discover  a  becoming  detesta- 
tion of  the  offences  of  their  children, 
they  redeem  at  least  their  own  credit. 
Why  should  any  man  expose  himself 


to  be  charged  with  a  share  in  that  guilt 

which  he  detests  ? -TI  Unto  their  as- 

sc7nbbj,  mine  honor,  be  not  thou  united. 
Heb.  '^~12'D  kehodi,  my  glory.  This 
may  be  of  equivalent  import  with  the 
former  expression,  '  my  soul;'  but  it  is 
mere  probably  used  to  signify  '  tongue,' 
which  is  sometimes  called  'glory.' 
Thus,  Ps.  16.  9,  '  Therefore  mine  heart 
is  glad,  and  my  glory  rejoiceth  ;'  ex- 
plained by  the  Apostle,  Acts  2.  26, 
'  Therefore  did  mine  heart  rejoice,  and 
my  tongue  was  glad.'  Gr.  '  And  in 
their  contentions  let  not  my  inward 
parts  contend.'  Chal.  'In  their  con- 
gregations let  not  my  glory  be  conven- 
ed.' Syr.  '  In  their  assembly  I  have 
not  fallen  from  my  glory.'  Targ.  Jon. 
'  And  when  they  were  assembled  against 
Shechem  to  destroy  it,  my  soul  did 
not  unite  itself  Simeon  and  Levi  no 
doubt  held  several  secret  consultations 
between  themselves,  or  with  other  per- 
sons whom  they  took  into  a  partner- 
ship in  their  guilt,  for  they  could  not 
perpetrate  their  daring  enterprise  with- 
out the  aid  of  many  other  hands  than 
their  own.  It  is  not  to  be  questioned 
that  some,  perhaps  the  greater  part  of 
their  brethren,  were  drawn  into  the 
horrid  conspiracy.  These  v/ere  indeed 
less  guilty  than  the  contrivers  of  the 
wickedness,  but  they  were  far  from  be- 
ing guiltless.  Let  us  beware  of  ima- 
gining that  we  are  free  from  the  blame 
of  a  bad  action  because  we  were  tempt- 
ed by  other  men  to  do  that  which  we 
should  not  otherwise  have  done.  Per- 
haps Adam  might  not  have  eaten  of 
the  forbidden  fruit,  if  Eve  had  not 
tempted  him ;  and  Eve  might  have  re- 
tained her  innocence,  if  she  had  not 
been  seduced  by  the  serpent.  Yet  nei- 
ther Adam  nor   Eve  was  suffered   to 

remain  in  Paradise. IT  In  their  anger 

they sleio a  man.  Heb.  *i;j"ii^  ish,  aman^ 
or  perhaps  more  properly  the  man,  one 
who  was  in  a  high  sense  and  emphafi- 
cally  a7nan;as  theHeb.  Q'^J^  is/iisnot 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


393 


unfrequently  used  to  signify  an  honor- 
able vian'mcomradisunction  fromQTi^ 
adam,  a  common  or  inferior  mail.  In 
this  sense  the  term  is  here  usually  under- 
stood by  commentators  to  have  refer- 
ence to  Hamor  or  Shechem,  slain  by 
Simeon  and  Levi.  Others  understand 
it  as  a  collective  singular  for  the  plural, 
implying  a  great  number  of  men  slain 
on  the  occasion  referred  to.  Without 
absolutely  excluding  the  above  sense, 
we  are  rather  inclined  to  interpret  it  of 
Joseph,  called  emphatically  a  man  or 
'he  man  from  his  pre-eminent  worth. 
That  the  word  is  sometimes  employed 
in  this  emphafical  sense  is  clear  from 
repeated  instances  of  scriptural  usage. 
Thus,  Jer.  5.  1,  'Run  ye  to  and  fro 
through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  and 
see  now,  and  know,  and  seek  in  the 
broad  placts  thereof,  if  ye  can  find  a 
man  ('::'^5*),  if  there  be  any  that  exe- 
cuteth  judgment,  that  seeketh  the  truth.' 
i.  e.  a  real  man,  one  truly  entitled  to 
the  appellation.  Comp.  Ezek.  22.  30. 
And  thus  the  Psalmist  in  express  ref- 
erence to  Joseph,  Ps.  105.  17,  '  He  sent 
a  man  (lU'^it)  before  them,  even  Jo- 
seph, was  sold  for  a  servant.'  Indeed 
it  is  somewhat  remarkable  how  fre- 
quently in  the  foregoing  history  this 
term  is  applied  by  way  of  emphasis  to 
Joseph.  Thus,  ch.  42.  30,  '  Tfie  man, 
who  is  the  lord  of  the  land,  spake 
roughly  to  us,'  &c.,  v.  33,  'And  the 
man,  the  lord  of  the  country,  said  unto 
us,'  &c.,  ch.  43.  3,  'And  Judah  spake 
unto  him,  saying,  The  man  did  sol- 
emnly protest  unto  us,'  &c.,  v.  7,  'And 
they  said,  TTie  man  asked  us  straitly 
of  our  state,'  &c.  This  'man'  his  two 
brethren  intentionally  slew  ;  their  con- 
duct toward  him  was  prompted  by 
murderous  motives ;  and  they  are 
therefore  charged  with  the  deed.  This 
is  more  especially  attributed  to  Snneon 
and  Levi  for  the  reason,  we  believe, 
that  they  were  the  prime  instigators  of 
the  bloody  project  v/hich  as  we  have 


before  remarked,  Gen.  37.  20,  is  the  gen- 
erally admitted  tradition  of  the  Jews. 

IT   In    their   self-will   they   digged 

down  a  wall.  The  original  term  for 
'self-will'  ("jiv-i  ratzon)  signifies  rather 
pleasure,  delight,  a  strong  comylacency 
in  or  propensity  toward  an  object,  and 
is  designed  we  think  to  express  rather 
the  willingness  and  desire  whijch  would 
have  prompted  such  an  action,  than 
the  obstinacy  with  which  they  actually 
accomplished  it.  This  will  appear 
more  clearly  in  the  sequel.  The  mar- 
ginal reading,  it  will  be  observed,  is, 
'  In  their  self-will  they  houghed  oxen.' 
Understood  in  reference  to  the  affair  of 
the  Shechcmites,  this  of  course  will  be 
interpreted  of  the  carnage  and  desola- 
tion which  marked  that  fearful  scene. 
They  not  only  murdered  the  inhab- 
itants, but  with  savage  fury  butchered 
or  disabled  the  cattle.  The  Heb. 
phrase  is  "iiD  Tlp2>  ikkeru  shor,  where 
"iia  shor,  ox  is  written  with  precisely 
the  same  letters  as  ^"m  shur,  wall,  all 
the  difference  being  in  the  vowel-points. 
As  the  word  here  is  shor,  ox,  and  not 
shur,  wall,  it  ought  doubtless  so  to  be 
rendered,  as  indeed  it  is  by  several  oi 
the  ancient  versions.  Thus  the  Gr. 
'In  their  lusting  they  cut  the  ham- 
strings of  the  bull.'  Sam.  'In  their 
pleasure  they  houghed  the  ox.'  As  the 
whole  structure  of  this  address  of  Ja- 
cob to  his  sons  is  poetical  we  are  in- 
clined to  consider  the  'ox'  as  a  sym- 
bolical term  for  Joseph.  In  this  inter- 
pretation we  are  countenanced  by  the 
language  of  Moses  in  the  parallel  ben- 
ediction, Deut.  33.  17.  Speaking  ot 
Joseph  ;  '  His  glory  is  hke  the  firstling 
of  his  bullock;  and  his  horns  are  like 
the  horns  of  unicorns.'  Thus  also  the 
Jerus.  Targ.  'In  their  wilfulness  they 
sold  Joseph  their  brother,  who  is  liken- 
ed to  an  ox.'  In  the  elevated  and  fig- 
urative style  of  prophecy,  for  reasons 
soon  to  be  given,  Joseph  might  be 
styled  an  'ox,'  and  his  brethren  may 


394 


GENESiS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


7  Cursed  he  their  anger,  for  it 
was  fierce :  and  their  v\^rath,  for 


be  said  to  have  done  what  in  them  lay 
to  '  hough  the  ox,'  when  they  sold  him 
into  Egypt,  and  thus  endeavored  to 
frustrate  the  fulfilment  of  his  dreams. 
This  was  their  '  self-will,'  i.  e.  their 
zoilliiigness,  their  desire,  that  which 
they  would  have  been  pleased  to  do.  In 
accordance  with  this  interpretation,  it 
has  been  maintained  by  several  learned 
commentators  that  the  Egyptian  god 
Apis  or  Serapis,  who  was  worshipped 
under  the  form  of  an  'ox,'  was  no 
other  than  Joseph,  the  son  of  Jacob, 
whose  eminent  services  to  that  nation 
led  them  at  length  to  preserve  and 
honor  his  memory  by  enrolling  him 
among  their  deities.  That  the  'ox' 
would  be  a  suitable  hieroglyphic  for 
such  a  benefactor  will  be  evident  if  we 
bear  in  mind  the  fact  of  his  interpreta- 
tion of  Pharaoh's  dreams  of  the  fat 
and  lean  kine,  and  consider  the  ser- 
viceableness  of  this  animal  in  plough- 
ing the  field  for  the  production  of  corn, 
and  in  treading  it  out  preparatory  to 
its  being  ground  and  converted  into 
bread.  All  these  circumstances  would 
render  the  'ox'  a  very  apt  emblem  of 
one  who  like  Joseph  had  sustained  the 
office  of  provider  of  food.  And  we 
see  not  why  the  spirit  of  prophecy, 
which  deals  in  the  most  figurative 
terms,  might  not  have  given  this  sym- 
bolical denomination  to  Joseph  in  allu- 
sion to  this  very  fact.  It  is  also  wor- 
thy of  notice  that  the  Egyptian  Apis 
was  anciently  represented  bearing  a 
bushel  on  his  head,  indicating,  in  all 
probabihty,  the  circumstance  of  Jo- 
seph's having  distributed  the  corn  by 
measure  to  the  necessities  of  the  peo- 
ple. Finally,  as  a  confirmation  of  this 
view  of  the  subject,  it  may  be  observed 
that  'bulls,'  in  Scripture,  are  interpret- 


it  was  cruel:  pI  will  divide  them 
in  Jacob,  and  scatter  them  in  Israel. 

p  Josli.  19.  I.  &  21.  5,  6,  7.    1  Ghron.  4.  24, 39. 


cd  in  several  instances  by  some  of  the 
ablest  critics  as  a  figurative  expression 
for  nobles,  potentates,  great  men.  Thus, 
Ps.  22.  12,  'Many  bulls  have  compass- 
ed me;  strong  bulls  of  Bashan  have 
beset  me  round.'  Ps.  68.  30,  '  Rebuke 
the  company  of  spearmen  and  the 
multitude  of  bidls,  with  the  calves  of 
the  people ;'  i.  e.  leaders  and  followers. 
7.  Cursed  be  their  anger,  for  it  uas 
fierce ;  and  their  xcrathfor  it  was  cruel. 
That  is,  detestable  be  their  anger  and 
wrath.  Let  it  be  an  abhorrence  to  all 
flesh.  There  is  a  kind  of  anger  which 
deserves  not  to  be  cursed,  but  to  be 
blessed.  Such  was  the  anger  of  Moses 
when  he  came  down  from  the  mount, 
and  seeing  the  idolatries  of  the  camp 
of  Israel,  broke  the  tables  of  the  law 
which  he  held  in  his  hands.  Such  was 
the  anger  of  Phineas  when  he  pierced 
the  bodies  of  Zimri  and  Cozbi  with  his 
javehn,  in  his  zeal  for  the  Lord.  But 
the  anger  of  Simeon  and  Levi  was 
entitled  neither  to  commendation  nor 
apology.  On  the  contrary,  what  re- 
bukes and  execrations  were  merited  by 
their  fierce  rage  which  involved  them 
in  the  guilt  of  such  an  atrocious  mas- 
sacre !  Had  they  gone  down  to  the 
pit,  would  they  have  deserved  more 
pity  than  Dathan  and  Abiram  ?  Yet 
they  were  spared,  and  had  reason  to 
be  thankful  that  their  father,  as  the 
organ  of  the  Spirit,  cursed  only  their 
anger,  and  not  their  persons.  He  en- 
tertained no  hatred  against  them,  he 
laved  their  souls,  and  therefore  declared 
their  anger  to  be  execrable,  that  they 
might  think  of  it  with  remorse,  and 
implore  that  mercy  which  could  alone 
free  them  from  the  guilt  they  had  in- 
curred. The  severe  reprehensions  tha 
humble  us  are  far  better  than  the  ap- 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


8  If  ^  Judah,thou  art  he  whom 
thy  brethren  shall  praise  ;  >"  thine 

q  ch.  29.  35.    Deut.  33.  7.    r  Ps.  13,  4a 


plause  that  foments  our  pride  and 
self-complacency.  Sharp  rebuke  is 
necessary  for  those  who  have  greatly 

offended. IT  1  will  divide  thein  in 

Jacob,  and  scatter  them  in  Israel.  That 
is,  I  predict  or  announce  that  they 
shall  be  divided.  Thus  Ezek.  43.  2, 
*  When  I  came  to  destroy  ihe  city,'  i.  e. 
to  foretel  its  destruction.  See  Note  on 
Gen.  19.  13.  The  words  are  properly 
the  words  of  God  spoken  by  the  mouth 
of  Jacob.  He  assigned  the  posterity 
of  Simeon  and  Levi  their  dwelling  in 
Israel,  but  to  testify  his  abhorrence  of 
their  iniquity,  their  descendants  were 
to  be  divided  or  scattered  through  the 
land.  The  other  tribes  were  to  have 
their  inheritance  in  a  chosen  tract  suf- 
ficient to  contain  their  whole  number, 
that  they  might  live  commodiously  to- 
gether, and  be  ready  to  give  mutual  as- 
sistance to  their  brethren  when  it 
should  be  necessary.  But  the  tribes 
of  Simeon  and  Levi  were  to  be  dis- 
persed into  different  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, and  their  friends  and  brethren 
might  live  at  such  a  distance  as  to  be 
unable  to  unite  for  their  general  ben- 
efit. The  tribe  of  Simeon,  as  we 
learn  from  Josh,  19,  v/as  in  great  meas- 
ure merged  in  that  of  Judah ;  •  And 
their  inheritance  was  within  the  inher- 
itance of  the  children  of  Judah ;'  while 
that  of  Levi  had  their  cities  assigned 
them  in  the  midst  of  the  other  tribes, 
all  over  the  land  of  Canaan,  Josh.  21. 
2,  3,  &c.  The  dispersion  of  Levi,  how- 
ever, in  consequence  of  their  commend- 
able zeal  on  a  particular  occasion,  Ex. 
32.  26—29,  was  converted  to  a  blessing 
by  their  having  had  the  honor  of  the 
priesthood  conferred  upon  them,  in 
consequence   of  which   they  became 


hand  shall  be  in  the  neck  of  thine 
enemies;  » thy  father's  children 
shall  bow  down  before  thee. 

s  ch.  27.  29.     1  Chron.  5.  2. 


teachers  of  the  law,  in  the  schools  and 
synagogues  of  Israel.  Deut.  33.  10, 
'They  shall  teach  Jacob  thy  judg- 
ments and  Israel  thy  law;  they  shall 
put  incense  before  thee,  and  whole 
burnt  sacrifice  upon  thine  altar.'  The 
Jerus.  Targ.  thus  paraphrases  the  pas- 
sage ;  '  I  will  therefore  divide  the  tribe 
of  Simeon,  that  they  may  become 
scribes  and  teachers  of  the  lav/  in  the 
synagogues  of  Jacob,  but  the  tribe  of 
Levi  will  I  distribute  that  they  may 
preside  in  the  assemblies  among  the 
sons  of  Israel.' 

8.  Judah,  ihoii  art  he  whom  thy 
brethren  shall  praise.'  Heb.  rmn"^ 
"^^nii  y\^^^  nrst  yehudah  attak 
yoduka  aheka.  Of  all  the  sons  of  Ja- 
cob who  now  received  a  blessing  only 
Judah  and  Joseph  are  expressed  in  the 
second  person ;  the  rest  are  all  spoken 
of  in  the  third.  This  is  because  the 
principal  prerogatives  were  to  redound 
to  them.  The  phraseology  of  the 
original  is  so  constructed  as  to  involve 
a  paranomasia,  or  what  would  be  term- 
ed in  English  a  play  upon  words,  in 
respect  to  the  name  of  Judah,  which 
signifies  praise  or  confession.  It  is  as 
if  he  had  said,  '  Judah,  praised  is  thy 
name,  and  praised  shalt  thou  be.'  A 
more  exact  rendering  is,  '  Thou  art  he 
whom  thy  brethren  shall  confess;'  i.  e. 
shall  acknowledge  as  superior;  shall 
recognise  and  honor  as  possessing  the 
regal  part  of  the  birthright.  Jerus. 
Targ.  'Judah,  to  theo  shall  all  thy 
brethren  confess,  and  by  thy  name 
shall  all  the  Jews  (Judeans)  be  called.' 
From  him  too  the  land  of  Canaan  was 
called  JudcEa.  A  far  more  unportant 
reason,  however,  for  the  'praise'  or 
'  confeesion'  which  is  here  prophetically 


396 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


9  Judah   is  *  a   lion's   whelp ; 
from  the  prey,  my  son,  thou  art 

t  Hos.  5.  4.    Rev.  5.  5. 


gone  up :  "'he  stooped  down,  he 
couched  as  a  lion,  and  as  an  old 
lion  :  who  shall  rouse  him  up? 

V  Numb.  23.  24.  &  24.  9. 


secured  to  Judah  was,  that  not  only 
the  royal  house  of  David  descended 
from  him,  but  that  he  was  the  progeni- 
tor according  to  the  flesh  of  the  Mes- 
siah, whose  kingdom  is  everlasting. 
Heb.  7.  14,  '  For  it  is  evident  that  our 
Lord  sprung  out  of  Judah,  of  which 
tribe  Moses  spake  nothing  concerning 

priesthood.' TT  Thine  hand  shall  be 

in  the  neck  of  thine  enemies.  The  in- 
trepid and  successful  bravery  of  the 
men  of  Judah  was  often  the  subject  of 
admiration.  As  soon  as  the  tribes  of 
Israel  sent  forth  separate  armies  against 
the  Canaanites,  the  tribe  of  Judah 
gained  a  high  distinction  which  was 
well  maintained  in  succeeding  genera- 
tions. The  fiercest  giants  about  the  re- 
gion of  Hebron  could  not  stand  before 
Caleb  and  his  brave  associates.  David 
was  of  the  tribe  of  Judah.  By  him 
was  the  kingdom  of  Israel  raised  to  a 
pitch  of  power  and  glory  which  made 
his  name  great  in  distant  lands.  Put- 
ting the  hand  in  the  neck  is  obviously 
a  figurative  expression,  importing  con- 
quest, or  forcing  the  enemy  to  turn 
from  their  victors  and  quit  the  field. 
It  is  a  very  significant  metaphor.  The 
idea  conveyed  by  it  is  that  of  a  person 
turning  to  flee,  and  his  pursuer  putting 
his  hand  upon  the  back  of  his  neck  or 
his  shoulders  to  arrest  his  flight  and 
secure  him ;  thus  at  once  showing  his 
own  superiority  and  the  weakness  of 
his  enemy.  The  enemies  of  Judah 
were  more  especially  overthrown  and 
brought  into  complete  subjection  under 
David,  who,  evidently  referring  to  this 
prophecy,  says  Ps,  18.  40,  'Thou  hast 
also  given  me  the  neck  of  mine  enemies, 
that  I  might  destroy  them  that  hate 
me*' ^  Tliy  father's  children  shall 


horo  down  before  thee.  That  is,  they 
shall  acknowledge  thee  as  exalted  to 
the  highest  dignity  among  them,  and 
entertain  towards  thee  the  most  pro- 
found reverence.  This  was  the  su- 
premacy which  for  the  present  pertain- 
ed to  Joseph,  but  eventually  the  per- 
manent pre-eminence  was  to  redound 
to  Judah  ;  and  this  prediction  began  to 
be  accomplished  when  he  took  prece- 
dency of  the  other  tribes  in  leading  the 
armies  of  Israel,  after  the  death  of 
Joshua,  Judg.  1.  1.  It  was  also  still 
more  fully  confirmed  at  a  subsequent 
period,  1  Chron.  5.  2,  '  For  Judah  pre- 
vailed above  his  brethren,  and  of  him 
came  the  chief  ruler.'  But  its  complete 
accomplishment  was  to  be  realised  only 
in  Christ,  m  that  transcendant  dignity 
with  which  he  is  invested  as  King  of 
kings  and  Lord  of  lords.  Its  ultimate 
spiritual  fulfilment  is  to  be  seen  sym- 
bolically represented  in  Rev.  5.  5 — 8, 
where,  when  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah  takes  the  sealed  book,  the  whole 
host  of  heavenly  worshippers  are  dis- 
covered in  prostrate  adorations  at  his 
feet. 

9.  Judah  i»  a  lion's  whelp,  &c.  As 
the  lion  is  the  king  of  beasts,  so  this 
animal  forms  a  very  suitable  emblem 
by  which  to  represent  the  king  among 
the  tribes;  and  it  is  to  this  passage  that 
we  are  to  trace  the  denomination, 
'  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,'  so  em- 
phatically applied  to  Christ,  The  Heb. 
has  several  distinct  words  to  designate 
the  different  species,  or  rather  the  dif- 
ferent ages  and  degrees  of  strength  and 
fierceness  of  the  lion,  three  of  which 
occur  in  this  verse,  denoting  the  diifer- 
ent  grades  in  the  principality  of  Judah, 
Ho  is  first  compared  to  the  I'l:}   gur, 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


397 


the  little  lion  or  the  lion's  whelp,  imply- 
ing that  his  predicted  dominion  should, 
m  its  commencement,  be  small,  being 
exercised  by  petty  rulers,  such  as  the 
judges  Othniel,  Ibzan,  and  others,  who 
succeeded  Joshua ;  a  state  of  the  ad- 
ministration of  Israel  that  continued 
with  occasional  changes  to  the  time  of 
David  and  Solomon,  when  their  ene- 
mies were  all  subdued,  and  the  people, 
enriched  by  their  spoils,  were  dwelling 
in  quiet  and  enjoying  unexampled  pros- 
perity in  the  land  of  their  fathers.  This 
triumphant  and  peaceful  state  is  shad- 
owed out  by  the  r!"'''.>5  aryeh,  the  full 
grown  lion,  in  the  vigor  of  his  strength, 
more  strictly  applicable  to  David,  and 
of  the  i5"iD^  labi,  the  old  lioness,  an 
emblem  of  Solomon,  couchant  in  her 
den  after  being  satiated  with  prey,  and 
giving  herself  to  that  repose  which  no 
one  could  disturb  without  awakening 
her  most  tremendous  rage.  In  allu- 
sion to  this  the  prophet  in  addressing 
Jerusalem  says,  Is.  29.  1,  'Wo  to  Ariel, 
to  Ariel,  the  city  where  David  dwelt.' 
'Ariel'  signifies  'lion  of  God,'  and  this 
figurative  appellation  is  bestowed  upon 
that  city  from  its  being  the  residence  of 
David,  the  place  '  where  the  lion,  even 
the  old  lion,  walked,  and  the  lion's 
whelp,  and  none  made  them  afraid ; 
where  the  lion  did  tear  in  pieces  enough 
for  his  whelps,  and  strangled  for  his 
lionesses,  and  filled  his  holes  with 
prey,  and  his  dens  with  ravin,'  Nah.  2. 
10,  II.  In  this  metaphorical  picture, 
the  infancy,  youth,  and  maturity  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah  are  characterised  with 
precision  and  perspicuity,  under  figura- 
tive representations,  in  a  most  remark- 
able manner.  From  the  first  it  should 
be  powerful ;  but  this  initial,  rather 
than  positive  power,  should  only  afford 
promise  of  what  it  would  be;  like  a  lion's 
whelp,  that  only  gives  indications  of 
those  formidable  qualities  with  which 
it  shall  eventually  be  endowed.  It 
should  afterward  become  a  community 
34 


composed  of  brave  and  enterprising 
members,  the  terror  of  its  enemies; 
like  a  full-grown  lion,  which  all  other 
animals  hold  in  fear  on  account  of  ita 
known  might  and  indomitable  spirit. 
And  finally  as  a  lioness  accompanied 
by  her  yoimg  becomes  to  the  last  de- 
gree fierce  and  intractable,  it  should  be 
dreaded  by  all  the  surrounding  nations. 
Hence  it  is  supposed  by  Hales  and 
others  that  a  lion  was  the  standard  of 

Judah. IT  From  the  prey,   my  son, 

thou  art  gone  up.  In  allusion,  says 
Bochart,  to  lions  which  having  secured 
their  prey  in  the  plains,  return  satiated 
to  their  lairs  in  the  mountains.  Through- 
out the  whole  of  the  present  chapter 
the  patriarch  utters  himself  under  the 
strong  impulse  of  the  spirit  of  proph- 
ecy, but  the  blessing  of  Judah  seems 
conceived  in  a  higher  strain  than  any 
of  the  others,  probably  from  the  fact 
of  the  Messiah's  being  its  grand  bur- 
den. The  interpreter  therefore  finds  it 
difficult  to  confine  the  application  of 
these  prophetic  symbols  merely  to  the 
temporal  achievements  and  victories 
of  the  tribe  of  Judah  in  the  persons  of 
its  heroes  and  kings.  The  theme 
swells  under  his  contemplation,  and  he 
is  insensibly  led  by  the  language  now 
cited  to  trace  the  spiritual  career  of 
'  David's  greater  son,'  while  he  warred 
successfully  with  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness during  his  ministry  on  earth,  des- 
poiling his  most  potent  adversaries, 
and  dividing  the  spoil  with  the  mighty, 
till,  rising  from  the  dead,  he  at  length 
'  went  up'  in  a  triumphant  ascension 
from  the  field  where  his  victories  had 
been  won,  like  the  lion  returning  to  his 
lair  gorged  with  prey,  and  sat  down  at 
his  father's  right  hand,  in  a  rest  which 
no  enemy  can  presume  to  invade  but 
at  his  utmost  peril.  Accordingly  it 
will  be  remarked  that  Christ  is  not 
called  the  'Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,' 
until  after  his  ascension  to  heaven. 
This  passage  is  thus  paraphrased  in 


3^8 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1GS9 


10  ^  The  sceptre  shall  not  de- 
part from  Judah,  nor  y  a  lawgiver 
^  from    between  his   feet,   s- until 

X  Numb.  24.  17.  Jcr.  30.  21.  Zcch.  10. 
11.  y  Ps.  60.  7.  &  108.  8.  or,  Numb.  21.  IS. 
z  Dcut.  28.  57.  a  Isai.  11.  1.  &  62. 11.  Ezek. 
21. 27.  Dan.  9.  25.  Matt.  21.  9.  Lu-ke  1. 
o2,  33. 


the  Chal.  of  Onkelos;  '  He  shall  have 
dominion  in  the  beginning,  and  in  the 
end  the  kingdom  of  the  house  of  Judah 
shall  be  magnified  :  for  from  the  judg- 
ment of  death  thou  hast  rid  thy  soul, 
O  my  son :  (referring  perhaps  to  the 
resurrection  of  Christ:)  he  shall  rest 
and  dwell  in  strength  as  a  lion,  and  as 
a  courageous  lioness,  and  there  shall 
be  no  kingdom  that  shall  stir  him.' 
Compare  the  prediction  of  Balaam, 
Num.  23.  24,  '  Behold  the  people  shall 
rise  up  as  a  great  lion,  and  hft  himself 
up  as  a  young  lion :  he  shall  not  lie 
down  till  he  eat  of  the  prey  and  drink 
the  blood  of  the  slain.' 

10.  The  sceptre  shaU  not  depart  from 
Judah,  &c.  Heb.  t:n'J  ~ilO"i  ^i  '^o?/a- 
surshehet.  Gr.  *A  prince  shall  not  fail 
from  Judah,  nor  a  captain  out  of  his 
loins,  until  the  things  come  that  are 
laid  up  for  him.'  Chal.  'One  having 
principahty  shall  not  be  taken  from  the 
house  of  Judah,  nor  a  scribe  from  his 
children's  children,  until  the  Messiah 
come,  whose  the  kingdom  is.'  Jerus. 
Targ,  'Kings  shall  not  fail  from  the 
house  of  Judah,  nor  skilful  doctors  of 
the  law  from  their  children's  children, 
till  the  time  when  the  king  Messiah 
shall  come.'  Syr.  'The  sceptre  shall 
not  fail  from  Judah,  nor  an  expounder 
from  between  his  feet.'  Sam.  '  The 
sceptre  shall  not  be  taken  away  from 
Judah,  nor  a  leader  from  his  banners, 
until  the  Pacific  shall  come.'  Arab. 
'The  rod  shall  not  pass  away  from  Ju- 
dah, nor  a  lawgiver  from  under  his 
rule,  until  he  shall  come  whose  he  is.' 
The  Heb.  word  for  sceptre  £23^3  sheb&i 


Shiloh  come:  ^' and  unto  him 
shall  the  gathering  of  the  pec 
pie  be. 

b  Tsai.  2.  2.  &  11.  10.  &42.  1,  4.  &  49.  6,  7, 
22,  23.  &  55.  4,  5.  &  60.  1,  .3,  4,  5.  Hag.  2.  7 
Luke  2.  30,  31, 32. 


is  used  with  such  latitude,  by  the  sacred 
writers,  as  to  render  its  import  here 
somewhat  doubtful ;  though  it  will  be 
perceived  that  the  ancient  versions,  as 
now  cited,  are  very  unanimous  in  affix- 
ing to  it  the  sense  of  authority,  juris- 
diction,  rule.  It  signifies  primarily  a 
rod  or  staj:  Thus  Ex.  21.  20  ;  '  If  a 
man  smite  his  servant  or  his  maid  with 
a  rod  (tJ-C).'  Prov.  23.  13,  'If  ihoii 
beatest  him  (thy  son)  with  the  roa 
(t^rir)  he  shall  not  die.'  Is.  28.  27, 
'  But  the  fitches  are  beaten  out  with  a 
staflj  and  the  cummin  with  a  rod^ 
(t:-r).'  In  Lev.  27.  32,  '  Whatsoever 
passeth  under  the  rod'— it  is  spoken  of 
the  long  rod,  or  stafi;  which  the  herd- 
man  or  shepherd  carried  in  his  hand, 
for  the  purpose  of  keeping  his  flock  in 
order;  and  when  covered  with  paint, 
for  marking  every  tenth.  As  some 
kind  of  rod  or  wand  was  anciently 
borne  by  magistrates  as  a  badge  of  au- 
thority, the  word,  at  length,  by  a  usual 
figure  of  speech,  came  to  be  employed 
as  indicative  of  official  poicer  or  author- 
ity. Thus  Amos  1.  5,  'I  will  cut  off 
him  that  holdeth  the  sceptre  (r^^r) 
from  the  house  of  Eden  ;'  i.  e.  him  that 
exercises  jurisdiction;  v.  8,  'and  him 
that  holdeth  the  sceptre  from  Ashke. 
Ion.'  Ps.  45.  6,  '  The  sceptre  i'oy^) 
of  thy  kingdom  is  a  right  sceptre.' 
Hence,  by  a  natural  transition,  it  was 
applied  to  the  officers  themselves,  who 
were  distinguished  by  this  mark  of  dis- 
tinction. Thus,  1  Chron.  17.  6,  '  Spake 
I  word  to  any  of  the  judges  of  Israel 
saying,'  &c.  This  is  rendered  in  the 
parallel  passage,  2  Sam.  7.  7,  'Spake  I 


B.  C.  16S9.J 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


399 


a  word  with  any  of  the  tribes  of  Israel 
OitiTU"!  'it22';U  shibte  Yisrael)  saying,' 
&c.  Tills  leads  us  to  notice  a  third 
import  of  the  term,  more  usual  per- 
haps than  any  other,  viz.  that  of 
'tribe,'  usually  rendered  in  the  Gr. 
(TKT}i:Tpov  sceptre,  or  (pv\n  tribe.  Thus 
Num.  18.  2,  'Thy  brethren  also  of  the 
tribe  nr^^D  matieh  of  Levi,  of  the  tribe 
{t:2r)  of  tiiy  father.'  Exod.  24.  4, 
'And  (Moses)  builded  an  altar  under 
the  hill,  and  twelve  pillars,  according 
to  the  twelve  tribes  {'^.'^:zz:)  of  Israel.' 
Judg.  20.  12,  '  And  the  tribes  (vj::-:;) 
of  Israel  sent  men  through  all  the 
tribe  (t2*r)  of  Benjamin.'  The 
grounds  of  this  application  of  the  term 
are  perhaps  to  be  traced  to  the  circum- 
stance mentioned.  Num.  17.  2,  3,  &c., 
•  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  take  of  every  one  of  them  a  rod, 
according  to  the  house  of  their  fathers, 
of  all  their  princes  according  to  the 
house  of  their  fathers  twelve  rods : 
write  thon  every  man's  name  upon  his 
rod.'  These  rods,  corresponding  in 
number  with  the  number  of  the  tribes, 
were  laid  up  by  Moses  in  the  taberna- 
cle, when  it  was  discovered  in  the 
morning  that  Aaron's  rod  had  budded. 
From  this  incident,  it  is  not  unlikely 
that  the  'tribes'  were  called  from  the 
Heb.  word  for  'rods.'  And  this  we 
consider  as,  on  the  whole,  the  leading, 
though  not  the  exclusive  sense  of  the 
term  in  the  passage  before  us,  which 
we  take  to  be  equivalent  to  tribeship, 
implying  that  the  tribe  of  Judah,  as  a 
tribe,  should  continue,  and  continue  in 
the  exercise  of  its  wonted  iribiial  an- 
ihoritij  till  the  coming  of  the  Messiah, 
however  the  other  ten  tribes  might  be 
scattered  by  conquest  or  captivity.  In 
this  sense  every  tribe  had  a  sceptre, 
and  this  promise  to  Judah  that  his 
sceptre  should  not  depart,  amounts  to 
a  declaration  that  the  sceptres  of  the 
other  tribes  should  depart.  All  the 
other  tribes  were  to  have  a  sceptre  as  .' 


well  as  Judah,  but  Judah's  sceptre 
should  continue  longer  with  him  than 
his  brothers'  sceptres  should  with  them. 
Accordingly  we  learn  from  history 
that  Judah  never  lost  his  tribe,  the 
greatest  care  having  been  exercised  to 
preserve  distinct  this  tribe  and  its  fami- 
lies. Thus,  in  the  days  of  Saul  the 
men  of  Judah  were  numbered  apart, 
1  Sam,  11.  8  ;  the  same  also  was  the 
case  in  the  time  of  David,  2  Sam. 
24.  9.  Prophets  also  were  employed 
to  record  the  genealogies  of  this  tribe 
under  the  kings,  2  Chron.  12.  15,  and 
13.  22,  and  the  same  care  appears  to 
have  been  exercised  during  the  captivi- 
ty in  Babylon,  for  while  there  was  dif- 
ficulty in  making  out  the  genealogies 
of  some  of  the  other  tribes  there  was 
none  in  regard  to  this,  Ez.  2.  62 ;  Neh. 
7.  64.  And  while  in  fact  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  other  ten  tribes  never  re- 
turned at  all  to  the  land  of  their  fathers, 
Judah,  with  Benjamin  its  accessory, 
returned  with  its  integrity  unbroken, 
and  so  remained  till  the  birth  of  Christ, 
the  whole  nation  as  well  as  the  land 
itself  receiving  its  denomination  from 
Judah,  the  one  being  called  '  Jews,'  the 
other  '  Judasa.'  Thus  it  was  that  the 
sceptre,  or  the  tribual  constitution,  did 
not  depart  from  Judah  before  the  pre- 
dicted era.  It  is  abundantly  evident, 
however,  that  both  the  sceptre  and 
what  is  called  the  lawgiver  are  long 
since  lost  in  Judah ;  that  the  tribe  of 
Judah  has  lost  the  record  of  its  geneal- 
ogies ;  and  that  none  can  discriminate 
the  true  descendants  of  the  patriarch 
Judah  from  the  descendants  of  Benja- 
min or  of  the  other  patriarchs.  Either 
then  this  word  of  promise  to  Judah 
has  failed  forevermore,  or  Shiloh  is 
come,  and  it  is  vain  to  look  for  another 

Messiah. II  Nor  a  lawgiver  from 

betwecnhisfect.  Heb.  '[^pTMZ  mehokeky 
a  writer  of  statutes ;  i.  e.  a  scribe,  an 
expounder  or  interpreter  of  the  law, 
such  as  were  the  scribes   under   the 


400 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


New  Testament;  not  a  legislator  in 
the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  for  the 
power  of  making  laws  for  the  people 
of  Israel  was  never  delegated  by 
the  Most  High  to  any  man  or  num- 
ber of  men  ;  this  he  always  reserved 
in  his  own  hands.  It  is  a  great  error 
to  suppose  that  the  tribe  of  Judah  was 
ever  invested  with  a  legislative  author- 
ity over  the  other  tribes,  or  in  fact  over 
itself.  It  governed  itself  by  laws  al- 
ready enacted.  'Lawgiver'  is  here  a 
collective  term  for  the  teachers  of  the 
law,  a  body  of  men  which  we  learn 
continued  in  Israel  as  long  as  the  na- 
tional polity  of  that  people  subsisted. 
This  office  was  performed  by  the 
priests  and  Levites,  from  whom  were 
the  lawyers  and  scribes  so  often  men- 
tioned in  the  Evangelists,  and  it  is 
worthy  of  note  that  they  are  particu- 
larly mentioned  as  adhering  to  tiie 
house  of  Judah  and  being  associated 
with  it.  Thus,  2  Chron.'  11.  13,  14, 
•And  the  priests  and  the  Levites  that 
were  in  all  Israel  resorted  to  him  out 
of  all  their  coasts.  For  the  Levites 
left  their  suburbs  and  their  possessions, 
and  came  to  Judah  and  Jerusalem.' 
The  kings  of  Judah  moreover  took 
especial  care  that  the  priests  and  Le- 
vites should  be  distributed  as  instruc- 
ters  of  the  people  throughout  the  seve- 
ral cities  of  the  kingdom.  2  Chron. 
17.  9,  'And  they  taught  in  Judah,  and 
had  the  book  of  the  law  of  the  Lord 
with  them,  and  went  throughout  all 
the  cities  of  Judah,  and  taught  the  peo- 
ple.' This  order  of  men  continued  du- 
ring the  period  of  the  captivity,  Ez.  2. 
36,  40;  Neh.  8.  9,  and  ch.  12,  and 
down  to  the  date  of  the  Saviour's 
manifestation,  as  is  evident  from  al- 
most every  page  of  the  Gospels.  The 
original  term  is  rendered  by  the  Gr. 
'president;'  by  the  Chal.  'scribe;'  by 
the  Jerus.  Targ.  'skilful  doctors  of  the 
law;'  by  the  Targ.  Jon.  'teaching 
scribes.' IT  Prom  between  his  feet. 


This  has  sometimes  been  interpreted  as 
a  paraphrastic  phrase  for   'being  born 
of;'  or  as  synonymous    with 'out  of 
the  loins,'    '  out  of   the  thighs.'     See 
Deut.  28.  57.     But  as  the  law-teachers 
here  spoken  of  sprung  not  from  the 
tribe    of    Judah,    but    from    that   of 
Levi,  this  explication  does  not  appear 
tenable.     We  therefore  understand  the 
phrase  as  importing  merely  that  this 
class  of  men  should  occupy  a  station 
subordinate  to  that  of  the  personified 
authority  of  the  tribe.    The  allusion  is 
perhaps  to  the  fact  of  princes,  judges, 
and  other  dignitaries  having  a  scribe  or 
secretary  sitting  at  their  feet,  or  in  a 
place  below  the  level  which  they  occu- 
py themselves.     To  be  '  at  the  feet'  of 
a  person,  is  a  scriptural  expression  for 
being  subservient  to  him,  or  obsequious 
to  his  will.     Thus,  E.x.  11.  8,  'Get  thee 
out,  and  all  the  people  that  follow  thee;'' 
Heb.  '  that  are  at  thy  feet.''     This  Aben 
Ezra  interprets  as  meaning  '  which  are 
in  thy  power,  or  at  thy  disposal.     Deut. 
11.  6,  'And  all  the  substance  that  was 
in   their  possession;'   Heb.    'at    their 
feet ;'  Ab.  Ez.  '  which  obeyed   them.' 
Judg.  8.  5,  '  Give,  I  pray  you,  loaves  of 
bread  unto  the  people  that  folloic  me ;' 
Heb.  'that  are   at  my  feet.'     The  fol- 
lowing passage  may  be  adduced,  as  at 
once  an  illustration  and  a  fulfilment  of 
the  meaning  of  the  phrase ;  2  Chron. 
34.  30, 'And  the  king  went  up  into  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  and  all  the  men  of 
Judah,   and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  the  priests  and  the  Levites, 
great  and   small :    and  he  read  (i.  e. 
caused  the  priests  and  the  Levites  to 
read)  in  their  ears  all  the  words  of  the 
book  of  the  covenant  that  was  found 
in  the  house  of  the  Lord.'     Here  the 
'lawgiver'  may  be  conceived  as  sitting 
'at  the  feet'  of  the  supreme  authority, 
and  acting  in  his  appropriate  capacity 

of  public  teacher. H   Until  the  Shi- 

loh  come.    As  this  is  admitted  by  all 
believers  in  revelation  as  a  clear  pre- 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


401 


diction  of  the  Messiah,  by  which  word  ! 
it  is  in  fact  rendered  by  the  chief  of  the 
ancient  Targumists,  we  shall  waive 
the  recital  of  the  various  opinions  re- 
specting the  origin  and  literal  import  of 
the  title  '  Shiloh,'  and  give  that  only 
which  appears  to  rest  on  the  best  au- 
thority. This  is,  that  it  is  derived 
from  nbtU  shalah,  to  be  quiet,  easy,  se- 
cure, and  in  Hiph.  to  make  quiet,  to 
pacify ;  in  which  case  '  Shiloh'  signi- 
fies the  Tranquillizer,  the  Pacificator, 
the  Giver  of -peace,  a  title  pre-eminently 
apphcable  to  Him  by  whom  the  proc- 
lamation of  '  peace  on  earth  and  good 
will  to  men'  is  made,  and  the  end  of 
whose  mission  into  the  world  was  that 
he  might  restore  'peace'  between  the 
offended  Majesty  of  heaven  and  a  race 
of  creatures    who    had    incurred    the 

guilt  of  rebels. ^  Unto  him  shall  the 

gathering  of  the  nations  be.  Heb. 
^.np'i  yikkehath,  obedience,  adherence^ 
or  obsequiousness.  Gr.  'And  he  shall 
be  the  expectation  of  the  nations,  or 
the  Gentiles.'  Chal.  'And  him  shall 
the  people  obey.'  Syr.  '  And  him  shall 
peoples  wait  for.'  Sam.  and  Arab. 
'  And  to  him  shall  the  people  be  con- 
gregated.' This  prediciion  is  alluded 
to  by  Isaiah  11.  10,  whose  words  are 
thus  quoted  by  Paul,  Rom.  15.  12, 
'And  again,  Esaias  saiih,  There  shall 
be  a  root  of  Jesse  and  he  that  shall 
rise  to  reign  over  the  Gentiles;  in  him 
shall  the  Gentiles  trust.'  We  now  see 
the  excellency  of  the  blessing  given  to 
Judah,  He  was  to  be  the  father  of  the 
Shiloh;  and  till  the  Shiloh  came,  this 
tribe  was  to  be  the  most  glorious  of  all 
the  tribes  of  Israel.  The  great  burden 
of  Judah' s  blessing  was  the  promise  of 
the  Messiah.  It  was  expected  that  he 
would  bring  wiih  him  the  richest  bles- 
sings to  men,  and  in  particular  to  his 
own  people.  It  was  the  joy  of  the 
ancient  patriarchs  that  the  Shiloh  was 
to  proceed  from  them.  It  was  their 
joy  that  a  large  part  of  their  natural 
34- 


seed  should  be  blessed  in  him ;  but  it 
was  the  completion  of  their  joy  that  to 
him  the  gathering  or  the  obedience  of 
the  nations  should  be.    Abraham  and 
his  seed  were  the  heirs  of  the  world, 
and  they  were  then  put  in  possession 
of  their  inheritance,  when  the  Gentiles 
were  made  to  rejoice  with  his  people  in 
the    supremacy  of    the    same    Lord, 
whose  dominion  was  to  extend  from 
sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth.     Do  w^e  think  Judah 
a    happy    man   when    he    heard  his 
father's  prophetical  blessing'?    Do  we 
think  the  tribe  of  Judah  happy  because 
they  were  heirs  of  the  blessing?    But 
are  not  we  also  happy,  when  the  bles- 
sing of    Jacob   and  Abraham   comes 
upon  us  through  Jesus  Christ?    Have 
we  yielded  the  obedience  of  faith  to  the 
great  Redeemer?     He  came  unto  his 
own,  and  his  own  received  him  not ; 
but    to     as    many    as    receive    him, 
whether   Jews  or  Gentiles,  he    gives 
power  to  become    the  sons  of   God. 
The  whole  blessing  of  Judah  had  a  fa- 
vorable aspect  toward  us,  when  it  was 
predicted  that  this  tribe  should  be  pre- 
served and  blessed  with  distinguishing 
honors    till    the    Shiloh    came.     The 
Lord  had  in  view  not  only  the  honor 
and  advantage  of  his  highly  favored 
people  of  Israel,  and  of  the  tribe  of  Ju- 
dah in  particular,  but  the  salvation  of 
the  Gentiles,  who  were  to  be  gathered 
in  to  Shiloh.     For  our  sakes  Israel  and 
Judah  enjoyed  the  divine  protection  till 
Christ  came  that  we  might  be  saved  by 
hiis  obedience  to  the  death.     The  whole 
train  of  providential  administration  in 
the  world,  and  especially  towards  the 
chosen  people  was  directed    towards 
the  redemption  and  salvation  of  men  aa 
its   object.    What   despisiers   then  are 
we  of  our  own  mercies  if  we  refuse  to 
join  the  concourse  that  is  flocking  to 
the  standard  of  the  Shiloh  ? 

11.  Binding  Ids  foal  unto  the  vinCj 
&c.    It  has  been  generally  supposed 


402 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


11  'Binding  his  foal  unto  the 
vine,  and  his  ass's  colt  unto  the 

c  2  Kings  13.  32. 

that  the  spirit  of  inspiration  here  makes 
sudden  transition  from  the  spiritual 
to  the  temporal  prerogatives  of  Judah, 
and  that  ihis  part  of  the  prophecy  is  to 
be  interpreted  of  the  exceeding  fertil- 
ity of  his  inheritance  in  the  land  of 
Canaan,  particularly  in  the  production 
of  the  vine.  So  luxuriant  should  be 
the  growth  of  vines  in  his  allotment, 
that  it  should  not  be  unusual  for  men 
to  bind  their  young  asses  to  them  as 
they  do  in  other  countries  to  any  kind 
of  barren  timber,  nor  would  they  heed 
their  eating  their  tender  shoots  and 
leaves,  any  more  than  if  they  were 
grass.  And  not  only  so ;  wine  was 
to  be  produced  in  such  rich  abundance, 
that  the  people  might  'wash  their 
garments  in  wine  and  their  clothes  in 
the  blood  ei  grapes,'  as  if  it  had  been 
so  much  water.  Of  course  the  lan- 
guage is  to  be  understood  as  a  hyper- 
bolical expression  for  the  most  teeming 
fecundity  of  soil.  In  support  of  this 
exposition,  reference  is  had  to  the  mam- 
moth cluster  of  grapes  which  grew  at 
Eschol,  in  the  tract  assigned  to  Ju- 
dah, which  was  carried  back  'on  a 
EtafT  between  two'  as  a  specimen  of 
the  growth  of  the  country.  Num.  13. 
23.  We  do  not  feel  prepared  absolute- 
ly to  reject  this  interpretation,  and  yet 
we  cannot  refrain  from  suggesting,  (1) 
That  it  has  somewhat  the  air  of  an  un- 
natural transition  to  pass  so  abruptly 
from  the  lofty  spiritual  theme  of  the 
Slessiah  in  the  preceding  verse  to  so 
petty  a  subject  as  the  natural  qualities 
of  the  soil  which  Judah  was  to  inherit 
in  Canaan.  It  would  seem  that  such 
a  descent  could  not  be  made  without 
doing  violence  to  the  spirit  of  prophecy. 
(2)  A  more  formidable  objection  arises 
from   the    fact   that   the  orammafica! 


choice  vine;  he  washed  his  gar- 
ments in  wine,  and  his  clothes  in 
the  blood  of  grapes  : 


structure  of  the  passage  requires  that 
the  participle  'binding'  should  be  refer- 
red to  the  nearest  antecedent  substan- 
tive, which  is  not  'Judah,'  but  'Shiloh.' 
Let  this  be  understood  as  the  true  con- 
struction and  the  whole  flows  natural- 
ly as  a  continuous  description  of  the 
attributes  of  the  main  subject  of  the 
oracle.  Viewing  Christ  then  as  the 
grand  burden  of  the  prediction,  is  it  the 
excess  of  spiritualizing  interpretation 
if,  with  Calovius,  we  regard  this  high- 
wrought  language  as  implying  that  he 
should  'bind,'  by  the  cords  of  faith, 
hope,  and  charity,  to  the  '  vine'  of  the 
Jewish  church,  that  '  vine  which  was 
brought  out  of  Egypt,'  the  people  of 
the  Gentiles,  here  shadowed  forth  un- 
der the  image  of  an  ass's  colt,  who  had 
hitherto  never  been  brought  into  sub- 
jection to  the  divine  law,  even  as  the 
young  ass  upon  which  our  Lord  rode 
into  Jerusalem,  and  to  which  some  have 
thought,  not  improbably,  that  here  was 
a  prophetic  allusion,  had  never  before 
been  subjected  to  a  rider  7  By  some  of 
the  Jewish  writers  it  is  taken  as  an  in- 
timation of  the  lowliness  of  the  Mes- 
siah's advent.  Thus,  in  the  treatise 
entitled  '  Bereshith  Rabba,'  speaking  of 
this  passage  it  is  said,  'It  showeth  us 
that  when  Christ  shall  come  to  save 
Israel,  he  shall  make  ready  his  ass,  and 
ride  upon  him,  and  come  unto  Israel 
with  poverty.'  We  give  the  above  in- 
terpretation, not  as  actually  adopting  _ 
it,  but  as  one  that  harmonises  some- 
what happily  with  the  general  highly 
sublimated  and  mystical  strain  of  the 
patriarchal  predictions  in  the  rest  of 
the  chapter. IF  He  washed  his  gar- 
ments in  icine,  &c.  If  the  preceding 
clause  be  explained  in  the  sense  sug- 
j;V!5ted,  this  v/e  are  naturally  required 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


40: 


12  His  ^  eyes  shall  be  red  with 
wine,  and  his  teeth  while  with 


milk. 


d  Prov.  23.  29. 


to  refer  to  the  glorious  career  of  the 
Savior's  victories,  so  that  the  tv^'O 
members  of  the  verse  present,  con- 
trasted in  strong  relief,  his  state  of  hu- 
miliation with  that  of  his  subsequent 
exaltation,  when  he  had  successfully 
avenged  himself  of  his  adversaries. 
His  garments  therefore  are  in  fact 
washed  in  blood  of  a  deeper  stain  than 
that  of  the  grape,  as  we  maj'  learn 
from  the  passages  by  which  this  is  to 
be  illustrated.  Is.  63.  1—3,  'Who  is 
this  that  Cometh  from  Edom  with 
dyed  garments  from  Bozrah?  this  that 
is  glorious  in  his  apparel,  travelling -in 
the  greatness  of  his  strength?  I  that 
speak  in  righteousness,  mighty  to  save. 
Wherefore  art  thou  red  in  thine  apparel, 
and  thy  garments  like  him  that  trcad- 
eth  in  the  wine-fat?  I  have  trodden 
the  wine-press  alone,  and  of  the  peo- 
ple there  was  none  with  rne  :  for  I  will 
tread  them  in  mine  anger,  and  trample 
them  in  my  fury;  and  their  blood  shall 
be  sprinkled  upon  my  garments,  and  1 
will  stain  all  my  raiment.'  See  to  the 
same  effect  Rev.  14.  20,  and  19.  13. 
Jerus.  Targ.  'How  beautiful  is  the 
King  Christ  that  shall  spring  up  of  the 
house  of  Judah.  He  shall  gird  his 
loins,  and  shall  go  forth  to  war  against 
his  enemies.  He  shall  kill  kings  and 
princes,  making  the  rivers  red  with  the 
blood  of  their  slain,  and  the  hills  white 
with  the  fat  of  their  mighty  men:  his 
garments  shall  be  imbrued  in  blood, 
and  he  like  to  one  pressing  clusters  of 
grapes.' 

12.  His  eyes  shall  be  red  with  wine, 
&c.  Or,  Heb.  'His  eyes  shall  be  red- 
der than  wine,  and  his  teeth  whiter 
than  milk.'    This  is  the  rendering  of 


13  T[  f  Zebulun  shall  dwell  at 
the  haven  of  the  sea;  and  he  shall 
be  for  an  haven  of  ships  ;  and 
his  border  shall  be  unto  Zidon. 

e  Deut.  33.  18,  19.     Josh.  19.  10,  11. 


the  Gr.,  Arab.,  Syr.,  Sam.,  and  Vulg. 
But  if  taken  according  to  the  common 
version,  the  more  obvious  sense  un- 
doubtedly is,  as  hinted  above,  that  the 
descendants  of  Judah  should  inherit 
so  fruitful  a  country  as  to  enable  them 
to  drink  wine  and  milk  in  such  quanti- 
ties, that  their  eyes  should  assume  the 
sparkling  ruby  tint  of  the  one,  and 
their  teeth  the  immaculate  whiteness 
of  the  other.  But  would  it  have  been 
a  blessing  to  Judah  to  have  his  eyes  in 
the  literal  sense  of  the  expression  'red 
with  wine?'  Very  far  from  it;  but  it 
was  a  blessing  to  him  to  have  a  land 
so  rich,  that  he  might  drink  wine  in  as 
great  abundance  as  the  laws  of  tem- 
perance would  admit.  When  it  is  said 
that  he  should  wash  his  garments  in 
wine,  it  certainly  is  not  meant  that  he 
would  actually  make  use  of  wine  in- 
stead of  water  to  wash  his  clothes. 
This  would  have  been  a  grievous  abuse 
of  a  product  of  divine  bounty  which 
might  have  been  turned  to  a  better  ac- 
count. But  would  it  not  have  been  a 
still  more  grievous  abuse  of  it  to  make 
a  means  of  destroying  our  own  under- 
standings, and  deforming  the  native 
expression  of  our  faces  7 — for  the  word 
here  used  to  denote  '  redness'  is  used 
in  Prov.  23.  29,  (and  no  where  else  in 
the  Scriptures,)  as  a  description  of  the 
detestable  effects  of  drunkenness.  The 
language  of  Jacob,  therefore,  is  doubt- 
less to  be  understood  merely  as  hyper- 
bolical or  oratorical. 

13.  Zebulun  khall  dicell  at  the  haven 
of  the  sea,  &c.  Heb.  D"^^^  C]inb 
"^5!:;^  lehoph  yammim  yishkon,  shall 
dwell  in  tents,  or  shall  tabernacle  at  the 
shore  of  the  sea,    Jacob  does  not  pro- 


404 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


nounce  the  blessings  upon  his  sons  in 
the  order  of  their  birth,  as  in  that  case 
Zebulun  would  hold  the  tenth  place 
instead  of  the  fifth,  which  belonged  to 
Issachar;  but  he  classes  the  sons  of 
Leah  together,  and  then  passes  to 
those  of  the  concubines.  Moses,  Deut. 
33.  18,  and  Joshua,  Josh.  19.  10—17, 
observe  the  same  order  in  regard  to 
these  two  brethren.  Another  reason 
perhaps  of  Zebulun's  being  named  be- 
fore Issachar  is  tiie  fact  that  the  dis- 
trict of  this  tribe  lay  north  of  that  of 
Issachar.  As  Zebulun  received  his 
name  from  the  'habitation'  or  'cohab- 
itation' of  which  he  was  the  cause  in 
respect  to  his  parents,  so  here  the  bles- 
sing begins  with  an  allusion  to  his 
•dwelling.'  The  word  rendered  'ha- 
ven' occurs  elsewhere  five  times,  in 
each  of  which  instances  it  is  rendered 
either  'sea-shore,'  or  'sea-coast,'  and 
properly  implies  'a  maritime  region' 
rather  than  a  'haven,'  or  'port.'  This 
is  to  be  inferred  also  from  the  use  of 
the  term  ^ptl"^  yislikon,  he  shall  taber- 
nacle, as  dwelling  in  tents  is  not  a 
mode  of  habitation  adapted  to  a  sea- 
port, but  to  the  interior  of  a  country  ; 
although  it  is  unquestionable  that  a 
portion  of  the  tribe  occupied  the  havens 
upon  the  coast,  and  addicted  them- 
selves to  sea-faring  pursuits.  This 
prophetic  designation,  uttered  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  before  the  event 
took  place,  corresponds  with  remark- 
able exactness  with  the  geographical 
character  of  the  lot  of  Zebulun  in  Ca- 
naan. It  extended  from  the  vicinity  of 
the  Mediterranean  sea  on  the  west  to 
the  lake  of  Genesaret  on  the  east,  and 
lay  therefore  very  commodioualy  for 
the  purposes  of  trade  and  navigation. 
Gr.  '  Zebulun  shall  be  a  maritime  dwel- 
ler.' Moses,  accordingly,  in  the  par- 
allel blessing,  Deut  33.  18,  adopts  a 
kindred  language;  'And  of  Zebulun  he 
said,  Rejoice  Zebulun  in  thy  going  out ;' 
.  e.  in  thy  voyages,  in  thy  trading  ex- 


peditions.  Nothing  but  the  inspiration 
of  the  speaker  can  account  for  this 
clear  and  accurate  designation  of  the 
country  which  Zebulun  was  to  occupy 
in  Canaan.  Jacob  says  concerning 
the  inheritance  of  this  tribe  what  would 
not  have  been  true  had  it  been  said  of 
any  other  of  the  inheritances  of  the 
twelve  tribes,  except  Asher,  and  yet 
was  strictly  true  concerning  them,  that 
they  should  dwell  at  the  haven  of  the 
sea,  and  enjoy  the  advantages  of  com- 
modious harbors  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  ancient  city  of  Zidon.  How 
could  Moses  too,  when  he  committed 
this  prophecy  to  writing,  have  known 
that  it  would  be  verified  1  In  no  other 
way  but  by  his  faith  in  the  word  of 
God.  There  could  be  no  artifice  used 
to  effect  an  agreement  between  the  lots 
used  in  the  division  of  the  land,  and 
the  prophecies  of  Jacob  or  Moses. 
But  the  whole  disposing  of  the  lot  is  of 
the  Lord. ^  His  border  shall  be  un- 
to Zidon.  Heb.  y^^-S,  "bV  in^Dl'i 
yarkatho  al  1''zidon,  his  side  shall  be 
towards  or  over  against,  Zidon.  It 
did  not  extend  to  it.  From  the  ac- 
count of  the  inheritances  of  the  tribes, 
Josh.  19,  it  appears  that  Asher  bordered 
on  great  Zidon,  and  that  the  tribe  of 
Zebulun  was  separated  by  Asher  from 
that  noted  city;  yet  we  have  no  reason 
to  doubt  that  the  blessing  of  Zebulun 
was  more  distinctive  of  that  tribe  than 
it  could  have  been  of  that  of  Asher, 
which  probably  did  not  avail  itself  so 
much  of  its  maritime  situation  or  of 
the  neighborhood  of  Zidon.  Those 
who  lived  in  the  days  of  the  judges 
and  kings  of  Israel,  knew  better  than 
we  do,  how  exactly  the  ancient  predic- 
tions concerning  the  natural  seed  of 
Abraham  were  accomplished.  But  we 
know  enough  of  their  accomplishment, 
to  fill  us  with  wonder  and  praise ;  and 
to  banish  all  doubts  concerning  the 
divine  original  of  the  word  of  proph- 
ecy.   It  may  here  be  remarked  that 


B.  C.  16S9.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


405 


14  If  Issachar  is  a  strong  ass, 
couching  down  between  two  bur- 
dens : 

15  And  he  saw  that  rest  was 
ffood,  and   the  land  that  it  was 


Zebulun  bordered  not  only  on  the  great 
sea,  which  we  call  the  Mediterranean, 
but  on  another  sea  frequently  spoken 
of  in  the  gospel,  the  sea  of  Tiberias, 
where  our  Lord  found  several  of  the 
men  whom  he  called  to  the  glorious 
office  of  apostleship.  It  is  probable 
that  some  of  the  apostles  were  sons  of 
Zebulun. 

14.  Issachar  is  a  strong'  ass,  &c. 
Heb.  D13  ^J2T^  ham  or  garem,  strong- 
boned  ass,  or  lit.  a??  ass  of  bone.  Issa- 
char being  principally  engaged  in  hus- 
bandry, is  fitly  compared  to  a  strong 
ass,  a  patient  drudging  animal,  capable 
of  enduring  the  severest  labor  without 
suffering  any  diminution  of  strength  or 
hardihood ;  as  Judah  had  been  com- 
pared to  a  lion,  to  denote  the  courage 
and  resolution  of  that  tribe.  Asses 
were  not  so  contemptible  animals  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Jews  as  thpy  are 
amongst  us.  We  are  not  therefore  to 
suppose  that  Issachar  was  vilified  by 
this  comparison,  any  more  than  Dan 
was  by  being  called  a  serpent,  or  Ben- 
jamin by  being  likened  to  a  wolf.  The 
peculiar  habits  of  the  ass  are  familiar 
to  all ;  the  drift  therefore  of  the  com- 
parison can  be  mistaken  by  none. 
The  qualities  of  this  animal  are  pa- 
tience, gentleness,  great  capability  of 
endurance,  laborious  exertion,  and  a 
meek  submission  to  authority.  Issa- 
char therefore  the  progenitor  of  a  race 
singularly  docile,  and  distinguished  for 
their  patient  industry,  is  exhibited  un- 
der the  similitude  of  the  meekest  and 

most    laborious    of    quadrupeds. 

IT  Couching  doxcn  between  two  burdens. 
Heb.  C^nBrr^on  '^^n  f  zn  robetz  bain 
ham.tnishpctayim.    The  original  word 


pleasant;  and  bowed  ^his  shoul- 
der to  bear,  and  became  a  servant 
unto  tribute. 

f  1  Sam.  10.  9 


nC'iJ^  rendered  burdens  is  probably 
to  be  referred  to  the  root  ns'ii:  to  stick 
up,  to  be  prominent ;  hence  the  sub- 
stantive n5'ir?2  niay  signify  any  kind 
of  prominence.  The  two  panniers  of 
the  laden  ass  form  prominences,  stick- 
ing up  on  each  side  above  the  back  of 
the  animal  when  lying  down,  which  is 
the  posture  here  described.  This  ex- 
pression, as  applied  to  a  region  of  coun- 
try, would  naturally  be  supposed  to 
imply  two  very  marked  and  conspicu- 
ous Hmits.  as  for  instance  two  ranges 
of  mountains  inclosing  a  valley,  and 
by  a  very  remarkable  coincidence  the 
tribe  of  Issachar  received  for  its  lot,  in 
the  distribution  of  the  land,  the  fertile 
and  delightful  vale  of  Esdraelon,  lying 
between  ranges  of  hills,  in  the  peaceful 
and  industrious  occupancy  of  which 
they  might  very  justly  be  likened  to  an 
ass  reposing  between  his  protuberant 
panniers.  '  Here,  on  this  plain,'  says  Dr. 
Clarke,  '  the  most  fertile  part  of  all  the 
land  of  Canaan,  which,  though  a  soli- 
tude, we  found  like  one  vast  meadow 
covered  with  the  richest  pasture,  the 
tribe  of  Issachar  'rejoiced  in  their 
tents.' '  As  the  blessings  of  several 
of  the  other  sons  have  respect  to  the 
geog.raphical  features  of  their  destined 
inheritance,  it  is  natural  to  Idbk  for 
something  of  the  same  kind  in  that  of 
Issachar,  and  viewed  in  this  light  the 
words  yield  a  clear  and  striking  sense, 
the  appropriateness  of  which  to  the 
matter  of  fact  is  obvious  to  every  eye. 
Chjl.  '  Issachar  rich  in  substance,  and 
his  possession  shall  be  between  iho 
bounds.'  Syr.  'Issachar  a  gigantic 
man,  lying  down  between  the  paths.' 
Targ.  .Ton.  '  He  shall  lie  down  between 


40b 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


16  II  g  Dan  shall  judge  his  peo- 
ple, as  one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel. 

17  i^Dan  shall  be  a  serpent  by 

g  Deut,  33.  22.  Judg.  18.  1,  2.   h  .Tiidg.  13.  27. 


the  limits  of  his  brethren.'  Jerus. 
Targ.  '  And  his  boundary  shall  be  situ- 
ated between  two  limits.' 

15.  And  he  saw  that  rest  teas  good, 
&c.  That  is,  he  saw  that  his  place  of 
rest  was  good;  that  a  singularly  eligi- 
ble tract  had  fallen  to  his  lot.  It  is  by 
no  means  clear  that  Jacob  intended  a 
censure  on  the  posterity  of  Issachar, 
though  many  commentators  under- 
stand it  to  the  disparagement  of  this 
tribe,  as  if  they  were  to  be  addicted  to 
ignominious  ease.  The  Gr.  renders 
the  passage,  '  Having  seen  the  rest 
that  it  was  excellent,  and  the  land  that 
it  was  fat,  he  subjected  his  shoulder  to 
labor,  and  became  an  husbandman.' 
Surrounded  by  the  other  tribes,  and 
seeing  his  portion  of  the  good  land  that 
it  was  very  fertile,  he  devoted  himself 
to  the  labors  of  husbandry.  Accord- 
ingly Josephus  says  of  Issachar's  in- 
heritance, '  It  is  fniitful  to  admiration, 
abounding  in  pastures  and  nurseries 
of  all  kinds,   so  that  it  would  make 

any  man  in  love  with  husbandry.' 

IT  Became  a  servant  unto  tribute.  Heb. 
^i2V  0^3^  ^n"^  yehi  lemas  obed,  became 
to  the  drudgery  of  a  servant  ;  i.  e.  sub- 
mitted to  the  drudgery  of  a  servant ;  a 
farther  illustration  of  his  habits  of  as- 
siduous toil.  It  does  not  imply  the 
payment  of  tribute-money,  but  the 
yielding  up  of  the  body  to  hard  service. 
The  leading  idea  undoubtedly  is  that 
the  tribe  of  Issachar  was  to  be  distin- 
guished, not  for  commercial  pursuits  or 
warlike  prowess,  but  for  patient  de- 
votedness  to  the  culture  of  the  soil.. 
Some  indeed  have  supposed  that"  the 
patriarch  meant  to  insinuate  that  they 
should  be  willing  to  purchase  exemp- 


the  way,  an  adder  in  the  path, 
that  biteth  the  horse-heels,  so 
that  his  rider  shall  fall  back- 
ward. 


tion  from  war  by  a  heavy  tribute ;  but 
the  words  do  not  necessarily  imply  it, 
nor  does  it  appear  that  they  ever  de- 
chned  the  mihtary  services  to  which 
they  were  called.  They  are  commend- 
ed by  Deborah  for  the  prompt  pres- 
entation of  themselves  in  the  war  with 
Jabin,  Judg.  5.  15,  and  in  the  days.of 
David  an  honorable  testimonial  is  given 
to  their  character,  1  Chron.  12.  32. 

16.  Dan  shall  judge  his  people.  Heb. 
•^"iT*!  y^  Dan  yadin,  the  judger  shall 
judge ;  an  instance  of  the  paranomasia, 
or  play  upon  verbal  affinities.  The  pre- 
diction points  to  a  leading  characteristic 
in  the  tribe  of  Dan,  to  wit,  that  of 'judg- 
ing,' or  acdng  the  part  of  a  deliverer,  in 
the  person  of  some  eminent  individual, 
a  descendant  of  this  tribe.  This,  it  can- 
not be  doubted,  was  fulfilled  mainly  in 
Samson,  the  most  illustrious  son  of  the 
tribe  of  Dan,  who  Judg.  15.  20,  ^judged 
Israel  twenty  years.'  Chal.  'In  the 
tribe  of  Dan  there  shall  be  chosen 
and    raised    up    a    man,   and    in    his 

days  his  people  shall  be  delivered.' 

^  As  one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel. 
This  clause  affords  grammatically  a 
choice  of  interpretations;  either  that 
Dan  should  judge  his  people  as  one  of 
the  other  tribes  should  judge  them,  al- 
luding perhaps  tacitly  to  Judah,  who 
was  usually  to  hold  the  pre-eminence; 
or,  that  he  should,  at  some  time  or 
other,  judge  the  whole  people  of  Israel 
as  though  they  constituted  but  one 
tribe.  The  latter,  we  apprehend  to  be 
the  true  sense,  as  it  is  expressly  affirm- 
ed that  Samson  'judged  Israel'— not 
the  tribe  of  Dan — '  twenty  years.' 
Thus  the  Targ.  Jon.  'And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  that  from  the  house  of 


B.C.  1689.  j 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


407 


18  '  I  have  waited  for  thy  sal- 
vation, O  Lord  ! 

i  Ps.  25.  6.  &  119. 166,  174.     Isai.  25.  9. 


Dan  a  man  shall  arise  who  shall  judge 
his  people  with  the  judgments  of  truth  ; 
and  at  the  same  time  all  the  tribes  of 
Israel  shall  obey  him.'  Most  of  the 
other  ancient  versions,  however,  put 
the  former  construction  upon  the 
words. 

17.  Dan  shall  be  a  serpent  by  (he 
teat/,  &c.  The  obvious  import  of  this 
is,  that  although  Dan  in  the  person  of 
his  future  representative  should  be  re- 
nowned as  a  warrior,  yet  he  should 
not  accompUsh  his  victories  so  much 
by  open  bravery  and  the  direct  force  of 
arms  as  by  subtilty  and  stratagem, 
surprising  the  enemy  by  unexpected 
assaults,  as  a  serpent  concealed  by  the 
way-side  suddenly  darts  upon  the  un- 
wary traveller.  We  have  only  to  con- 
sult the  history  of  Samson's  warfare 
with  the  Philistines  to  see  how  striking- 
ly this  predicted  character  was  then 
realized.  The  original  word  for  adder 
(']5"'i:'J  shephiphon)  Bochart  shows 
satisfactorily  to  signify  the  Cerastes,  or 
arrow  snake,  (serpens  jaculus,)  a  ser- 
pent of  the  viper  kind,  which,  lurking 
in  the  sand  and  wheel-tracks  in  the 
road,  unexpectedly  bites  not  only  the 
traveller  but  the  beast  on  which  he 
rides ;  thus  described  by  an  ancient 
poet : 

'  Straight  on  onward  spires  he  glides. 

And  bites  the  horse's  leg,  or  cattle's  sides.' 
—  IT  That  biteth  the  horse's  heels  ;  i.  e. 
that  overthroweth  the  house-pillars ; 
a  singularly  beautiful  and  striking  sym- 
bol of  the  transaction  recorded  Judges 
16.  27—30,  '  Now  the  house  was  full  of 
men  and  women ;  and  all  the  lords  of 
the  Philistines  were  there ;  and  there 
were  upon  the  roof  about  three  thou- 
sand men  and  women.    And  Samson 


19  1[  k  Gad,  a  troop  shall  over- 
come him  :  but  he  shall  overcome 
at  the  last. 

kDeut.  33.  20.    1  Chron.  5.  18. 


took  hold  of  the  two  middle  pillars 
upon  which  the  house  stood. 
And  he  bowed  himself  with  all  his 
might;  and  the  house  fell  upon  the 
lords,  and  upon  all  the  people  that 
were  therein.  So  that  the  dead  which 
he  slew  at  his  death  were  more  than 
they  which  he  slew  in  his  life.'  Chal. 
'There  shall  be  a  man  v.'ho  shall  be 
chosen  and  rise  from  the  house  of  Dan, 
whose  fear  shall  come  upon  the  peo- 
ple, and  he  shall  valiantly  smite  the 
Philistines,  as  a  serpent,  as  an  adder 
he  shall  lie  in  wait  by  the  path,  he 
shall  slay  the  mighty  men  in  the  camp 
of  the  Philistines,  horsemen  and  foot- 
men, and  shall  weaken  their  horses 
and  chariots,  and  cast  down  their 
riders  backward ;'  Jerus,  Targ.  'And 
he  shall  be  like  a  serpent  who  lies  in 
the  path,  and  like  a  basilisk  who 
watches  in  the  division  of  the  roads, 
and  he  shall  smite  the  horse  in  his 
heel,  so  that  his  rider  shall  think  to 
turn  backward ;  this  shall  be  Samson 
the  son  of  Manoah,  whose  fear  shall  be 
upon  his  enemies,  and  his  dread  upon 
his  haters,  for  he  shall  slay  kings  with 
princes.' 

18.  I  have  waited  for  thy  salvation,  O 
Lord.  What  are  we  to  understand  by 
this  salvation  7  Or  why  does  Jacob 
express  his  longings  after  God's  salva- 
tion at  this  time,  when  he  had  blessed 
only  a  part  of  his  sons,  and  was  about 
to  bless  the  rest  of  them  1  It  seems 
to  be  an  exclamation  prompted  by  the 
spirit  of  prophecy  from  a  foresight  of 
the  sudden  and  untimely  death  of 
Samson,  and  the  consequent  evils  and 
disasters  which  would  thence  ensue, 
(see  Josh.  19.  47;  Judg.  1.  34,  with 
Judg.  18.  30,  and  1  Kings  12.  29,)  not- 


408 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


withstanding  which  Jacob  is  inwardly 
constrained  on  this  occasion  to  declare 
his  firm  belief  and  his  earnest  expecta- 
tion of  that  eternal  deUverance  which 
was  to  be  wrought  by  the  Messiah. 
Accordingly  the  Chal.  paraphrases  the 
passage  thus;  *I  expect  thy  salvation, 

0  Lord,  said  our  father  Jacob.  I  look 
not  for  the  salvation  of  Gideon,  be- 
cause it  is  a  temporal  salvation,  nor  for 
the  salvation  of  Samson,  the  son  of 
Manoali,  because  it  is  transitory;  but 

1  look,  for  the  redemption  of  Christ,  the 
son  of  David,  who  is  to  come  to  call 
to  himself  the  children,  whose  salva- 
tion my  soul  desireth.'  This  sudden 
ejaculation,  abruptly  introduced  as  it 
is,  serves  no  doubt  to  point  out  to  us 
the  predominant  state  of  Jacob's  mind. 
It  shows  that  his  heart  was  set  on  the 
promised  salvation.  It  had  been  the 
object  of  his  most  delightful  contem- 
plations, and  his  most  ardent  desires 
through  the  course  of  his  life.  It  was 
all  his  desire,  and  all  his  joy  in  his 
last  hours.  His  thoughts  turned  to  it 
as  the  thoughts  of  a  miser  are  ever 
turning  to  his  treasure.  We  have  in- 
deed to  wait  for  this  salvation,  but  not 
in  the  same  sense  as  did  the  pious  pro- 
genitor of  Israel.  The  Savior  for 
whom  the  ancient  patriarchs  waited 
and  longed,  has  long  since  come  into 
our  world  and  obtained  eternal  redemp- 
tion for  us.  Still,  however,  we  must 
wait  for  the  son  of  God  from  heaven, 
who  is  our  deliverer  from  the  wrath 
to  come.  Whilst  we  hve,  and  when 
we  die,  let  us  wait  for  him,  and  our 
hope  will  not  be  in  vain.  'It  is  a  good 
thing  that  a  man  should  both  hope  and 
quietly  wait  for  the  salvation  of  God.' 

19.  Gad,  a  troop  shall  overcome  him. 
Heb.  i;-n3^  m"l3  "73  Gad  gedud 
yegudenUi  the  troop,  a  troop  shall-xcith- 
iroop-overcome  him  ;  a  possible  allu- 
sion to  the  name  given  to  Gad  at  his 
birth.  Gen.  30.  11.  The  drift  of  the 
oracle  is  to  preintimate  the  fact,  abun- 


dantly verified  by  the  history,  that  this 
tribe  should  be  annoyed,  wasted,  and 
sometimes  brought  into  subjection  by 
the  predatory  bands  of  Ammonites, 
Philistines,  Hagarenes,  and  other  hos- 
tile powers  boidering  upon  their  ter- 
ritories.    Judg.  10.  8,  '  And  thai  year 
they  (the  Philistines  and  Ammonites) 
vexed   and  oppressed  the  children  of 
Israel  eighteen  years,  all  the  children 
that  were  on  the  other  side  of  Jordan 
in  the  land  of  the  Amorites,  which  is 
in  Gilead.'     Jer.  49.  1,  '  Concerning  the 
Ammonites,  thus  saith  the  Lord;  Hath 
Israel  no  sons 7  hath  he  no  heir?  why 
then  doth  their  king  inherit  Gad,  and 
his  people  dwell  in  their  cities  T     Sam. 
'  Gad,  a  troop  shall  waste  him,  and  he 
shall  waste  at  last.'    Arab.  '  Gad  shall 
break  the  rear  of  whatsoever  army  shall 

be  gathered  against  him.' IT  But  he 

shall  overcome  at  the  last.  These 
words  do  not  mean  that  the  Gadites 
were  to  be  exempted  from  the  general 
calamity  when  God  should  cast  Israel 
out  of  his  sight,  but  that  they  were  to 
be  often  delivered  from  their  enemies, 
and  blessed  with  victory  in  the  conclu- 
sion of  wars  in  which  at  the  beginning 
they  were  beaten  by  their  enemies. 
The  following  passage  from  the  subse- 
quent history  illustrates  in  part  the 
prediction.  1  Chron.  5.  18—22,  'The 
sons  of  Reuben,  and  the  Gadites,  and 

half  the  tribe  of  Manasseh 

made  war  with  the  Hagarites,  with 
Jetur,  and  Nephesh,  and  Nodab.  And 
they  were  helped  against  them,  and 
the  Hagarites  were  delivered  into  their 
hand,  and  all  that  were  with  them  ;  for 
they  cried  to  God  in  the  battle,  and  he 
was  entreated  of  them ;  because  they 

put  their  trust  in  him For 

there  fell  down  many  slain  because  the 
war  was  of  God.'  That  this  tribe  were 
of  a  warlike  character  is  evinced  by 
the  language  of  the  historian,  1  Chron. 
12.  8,  'And  of  the  Gadites  there  sepa- 
rated themselves  unto  David  into  the 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX, 


409 


20  IT  1  Out  of  Asher  his  bread 
shall  be  fat,  and  he  shall  yield 
royal  dainties. 

1  Deut.  33.  24.    Josh.  19.  24. 


hold  to  the  wilderness  men  of  might 
and  men  of  war  fit  for  the  battle,  that 
could  handle  shield  and  buckler,  whose 
faces  were  like  the  faces  of  lions,  and 
were  as  swift  as  roes  upon  the  moun- 
tains.' This  throws  light  upon  the 
parallel  benediction  of  Mose-s,  Deut. 
'33.20,  'Blessed  is  he  that  enlargeth 
Gad ;  he  dwelieth  as  a  lion,  and  teareth 
the  arm  with  the  crown  of  the  head.' 

20.  Out  of  Asher  his  bread  shall  be 
fat.  It  might  have  been  said  of  Asher, 
as  well  as  cf  Zebulun,  that  he  should 
dwell  at  the  haven  of  the  sea,  and  his 
border  should  reach  to  Zidon,  Josh.  19. 
28,  29.  But  it  is  probable  that  he  did 
not  avail  himself  of  his  maritime  posi- 
tion so  much  as  Zebulun;  The  extra- 
ordinary fertility  of  his  soil  might  ren- 
der him  less  heedful  of  the  advantages 
of  his  situation  for  trade.  The  name 
'Asher'  has  the  import  of  'felicity, 
blisSj  prosperity'  in  reference  to  which 
the  Jerus,  Targ.  and  that  of  Jon.  ren- 
der it :  'O  happy  Asher,  how  fat  is  thy 
land !  and  his  land  shall  supply  the 
delicacies  of  the  kings  of  the  sons  of 
Israel !'  The  obvious  import  of  the 
language  is,  that  Asher's  inheritance 
should  be  such  as  to  evince  that  the 
name  given  him  was  well  founded. 
For  he  should  not  only  enjoy  the  rich 
products  of  a  fertile  land,  teeming  with 
every  thing  that  could  contribute  not 
only  to  the  sustenance,  but  to  the  com- 
fort of  hfe,  but  should  be  able  also, 
from  his  ample  stores,  to  supply  those 
luxurious  articles  which  are  sought  to 
grace  the  tables  of  kings.  The  Heb. 
word  for  fut  (r;;>2'L'  shemanak)  is 
closely  related  to  "^fz":^  shemen,  oil,  and 
therefore,  in  the  corresponding  bles- 
sing uttered  by  Moses,  Deut  33.  24,  it 
8  said,  'He  shall  dip  his  foot  in  <?i7.' 


21  H  "^  Naphtali  is  an  hind  let 
loose :  he  giveth  goodly  words. 


m  Deut.  33.  23. 


*  Bread,'  as  before  remarked,  is  used 
for  all  kinds  of  food,  and  '  fat'  for  the 
best  or  most  excellent  of  any  thing. 
The  silence  of  the  Scriptures  else- 
where in  relation  to  the  region  occu- 
pied by  Asher,  prevents  us  from  con- 
firming this  prediction  in  detail,  as  we 
have  been  enabled  to  do  most  of  the 
others.  We  therefore  merely  give  the 
Chal.  paraphrase  of  this  verse:  'The 
land  of  Asher  shall  be  the  best,  and  he 
shall  be  nourished  with  the  dainties  of 
kings.'  Consequently  he  would  be 
able  to  afford  such  dainties  to  kings. 

21.  Naphtali  is  a  hind  let  loose.     A 

*  hind'  is  the  mate  or  female  of  the 
stag;  an  animal  of  an  elegant  shape, 
and  noted  for  the  nimbleness  with 
which  it  leaps  among  the  mountain 
rocks,  and  the  swiftness  of  its  course 
on  the  level  plain ;  in  allusion  to  which 
the  Psalmist  says,  Ps.  18.  33,  'The 
Lord  maketh  my  feet  like  hind's  feet, 
and  causeth  me  to  stand  'upon  the 
high  places.'  Its  timid  and  shrinking 
nature  renders  it  an  unapt  emblem  of 
warlike  qualities ;  and  except  in  one 
eminent  instance  it  does  not  appear 
that  the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  of  which  it 
is  here  the  representative,  was  ever 
distinguished  by  any  heroic  achieve- 
ments; and  even  on  that  occasion, 
Judg,  4.  6—16,  Barak,  who  is  princi- 
pally aimed  at  in  the  prediction,  be- 
trayed at  first  the  timorousness  of  the 
deer,  and  needed  the  masculine  prompt- 
ings of  Deborah  to  rouse  him  to  ac- 
tion. Judg.  4.  8,  'And  Barak  said 
unto  her,  If  thou  wilt  go  with  me, 
then  I  w^ill  go  :  but  if  thou  wilt  not  go 
with  me,  then  I  will  not  go.'  When 
once  embarked  in  the  cause,  however, 
he  evinced  a  noble  intrepidity,  and  the 
alacrity  with  which  he,  with  his  ton 


41t> 


GENESIS, 


[B.  C.  1689. 


22  ^  Joseph  15  a  fruitful  bough, 
even  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well, 


thousand  men 'at  his  feet,'  descended 
from  Mount  Tabor,  like  a  deer  leaping 
down  the  declivities,  and  met  and  dis- 
comfited the  hosts  of  Sisera,  extort- 
ed from  Deborah  the  warmest  com- 
mendations. They  were  then  '  a  people 
that  jeoparded  their  lives  unto  the  death 
in  the  high  places  of  the  field.'  The 
original  for  '  let  loose'  is  properly  'sent 
forth,'  implying  rather  the  dispatching 
of  a  messenger  than  the  freeing  of  a 
prisoner.  The  propriety  of  the  expres- 
sion may  be  seen  from  the  following 
incident  in  the  history;  Judg.  4.  6, 
'And  she  sent  and  called  Barak,  the 
son  of  Abinoam,  out  of  Kadesh-Naph- 
tali,  and  said  unto  him,  Hath  not  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel  commanded,  say- 
ing, Go  and  draw  toward  Mount  Ta- 
bor, and  take  with  thee  ten  thousand 
men  of  the  children  of  Naphtali  and 
of  the  children  of  Zebulun.'     This  was 

his   mission. IT  He   giveth   goodly 

words.  Heb.  *1B:!3  'i'l?2H  i'mre  sha- 
pher,  he  giveth  sayings  of  fairness, 
elegance,  or  grace.  Tlie  allusion  we 
suppose  to  be  to  the  splendid  triumph- 
al song  which  was  sung  by  Deborah 
and  Barak  conjointly  in  celebration  of 
the  victory  obtained  over  Jabin  and 
Sisera,  a  poem  which  ranks  high 
among  the  finest  specimens  of  lyrical 
composition  to  be  found  in  any  lan- 
guage. Judg.  5,  '  Then  sang  Deborah 
and  Barak  the  son  of  Abinoam  on  that 
day,  saying,  Praise  ye  the  Lord  for  the 
avenging  of  Israel,'  &c.  Jerus.  Targ. 
'And  when  he  opened  his  mouth  in 
the  congregation  of  Israel,  his  tongue 
was  sweet  as  honey.'  The  parallel 
blessing  of  Moses,  Deut.  33.  23,  is  in 
different  phraseology:  'O  Naphtali, 
satisfied  with  favor,  and  full  with  the 
blessing  of  the  Lord !' 
22.  Joseph  is  a  fruitful  boughy  &c. 


ichose 
wall : 


branches    rua    over    ibe 


Heb.  ri"lS  11  ^^^  porath,  son  of  a 
fruitful  {vine),  or  a  son  of  fructify- 
ing. As  Jacob  alludes  to  the  names 
of  Judah,  Dan,  and  Gad,  in  the  bles- 
sings which  he  pronounces  upon  them, 
so  the  readers  of  the  Heb.  text  will 
perceive  an  allusion  to  the  name  of 
Ephraim  in  the  blessing  pronounced 
upon  Joseph,  tTiD  porath  and  &">~iJ:s^ 
Ephraim  coming  from  the  common 
root  n"li3  parah,  to  be  fruitful.  Chal. 
'A  growing  son  is  Joseph,  a  son  who 
shall  be  blessed  as  a  vine  that  is  plant- 
ed by  a  fountain  of  waters.'  Gr.  'A 
son  increased.'  A  similar  expression, 
significant  of  fecundity,  occurs  Ps. 
128.  3,  '  Thy  wife  shall  be  as  a  fruitful 
vine  by  the  sides  of  thine  house :  thy 
children  like  olive-plants  round  about 
thy  table.'  In  the  Heb.  idiom,  what- 
ever proceeds  or  emanates  from  any 
thing,  is  said  to  belts  'son,'  or  'daugh- 
ter.' Thus,  Gen.  18.  7,  '  a  calf  is  call- 
ed 'the  son  of  the  herd;'  Job  41.  28^ 
'  arrows,'  '  the  sons  of  the  bow,'  or^ 
Lam.  3.  13,  '  sons  of  the  quiver;'  Job. 
5.  7,  'sparks,'  '  the  sons  of  the  burning 
coal,'  &c.  So  in  the  present  case,  the 
'  son  of  a  fruitful  vine'  is  a  '  bough'  or 
'  branch'  of  the  vine,  which  discloses 
the  grounds  of  the  rendering  in  the 
Eng.  version.  The  drift  of  the  bles- 
sing is  to  announce  the  prolific  charac- 
ter of  the  seed  of  Joseph,  the  numer- 
ous issue  that  should  proceed  from  his 

two  sons. IT  A  fruitful  bough  by  a 

well.  Jerus.  Targ.  '  I  liken  Joseph, 
my  son,  to  a  vine  planted  by  a  well  of 
waters,  that  sendeth  out  her  roots  to 
the  deep.'  By  the  mention  of  the  '  well' 
beside  which  Joseph's  progeny  were 
to  grow  up,  we  are  reminded  of  the 
famous  'well  of  Sychar,  near  to  the 
parcel  of  ground  that  Jacob  gave  to 
bis  son  Joseph,'  John  4.  5.     Sychar  is 


B.  C.  1689.J 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


411 


23  The  archers  have  n  sorely 
grieved  him,  and  shot  at  him, 
and  hated  him  : 

n  ch  37. 4,  24,  23.  &  39.  20,  &  42.  21.  Ps. 
1 18, 13. 


the  same  as  Shechem,  of  which  Jacob 
says,  Gen.  48.  22,  *  Moreover  I  have 
given  to  thee  one  portion  above  thy 
brethren,  which  I  took  out  of  the  hand 
of  the  Amorite  with  my  sword  and 
with  my  bow.'  This  was  the  place  of 
which  the  Evangelist  says,  'Now  Ja- 
cob's icell  was  there ;'  and  to  this  well 
we  conceive  the  patriarch,  or  the  Spirit 
that  spake  in  him,  alludes  in  the  words 
before  us,  a  uell  in  the  midst  of  his  in- 
heritance.-  IT   Whose    branches   run 

over  the  wall.  Heb.  t",*i;3  banoth, 
daughters.  '  The  daughters  (each)  run- 
neth over  the  wall ;'  the  subject  plural, 
the  verb  singular.  By  the  '  daughters,' 
here,  is  meant  the  young  and  tender 
branches,  as  the  stronger  and  more 
vigorous  are  before  called  'sons.'  All 
this  falls  very  naturally  on  an  eastern 
ear.  Joseph  was  the  fruitful  bough  of 
Jacob,  and  being  planted  near  a  well, 
his  leaf  would  not  wither,  and  he 
would  bring  forth  his  fruit  in  his  sea- 
son. Great  delight  is  taken  in  all 
kinds  of  creepers,  which  bear  edible 
fruits,  and  the  natives  allow  them  to 
run  over  the  walls  and  roofs  of  their 
houses.  The  term  '  branches'  in  the 
verse  is  in  the  margin  rendered  'daugh- 
ters;' and  it  is  an  interesting  fact,  and 
one  which  will  throw  light  on  some 
other  passages,  that  the  same  term  is 
used  here  to  denote  the  same  thing. 
*  That  man  has  only  one  Chede,  i.  e. 
branch,  daughter.'  '  The  youngest 
Chede  (branch)  has  got  married  this 
day.'  '  Where  are  your  branches  7' 
'They  are  all  married.'  'What  a 
young  branch  to  be  in  this  state ! — 
how  soon  it  has  given  fruit!'  When 
a  mother  has  had  a  large  family,  '  That  j 


24  But  his  0  bow  abode  in 
strength,  and  the  arms  of  his 
hands  were  made  strong  by  the 


o  Job  29.  20.    Ps.  37. 15. 


branch  has  borne  plenty  of  fruit.'  A 
husband  will  say  to  his  wife,  who  is 
steril,  'Of  what  use  is  a  branch  which 
bears  not  fruit  T  The  figure  is  much 
used  in  ^oeixy.— Roberts.  The  symbol 
of  the  branches  overtopping  the  wall 
upon  which  they  are  trained,  is  equiva- 
lent to  the  former,  denoting  the  vast 
increase  of  the  posterity  of  Joseph,  of 
which  the  following  passages  furnish 
an  account :  Num.  1.  33,  35 ;  Josh, 
ch.  16  and  17.  Moses  says  of  them, 
Deut.  33.  17,  'They  are  the  ten  thou- 
sands of  Ephraim,  and  the  thousands 
of  Manasseh.'  Chal.  'Two  tribes 
shall  come  forth  of  his  sons,  and  they 
shall  receive  their  portion  and  inherit- 
ance.' The  emblem  of  the  '  vine  run- 
ning over  the  wall'  aptly  denotes  a 
population  svi'elUng  beyond  the  com- 
pass of  the  bounds  which  they  were  to 
occupy.  How  strikingly  this  was  ful- 
filled in  the  case  of  Joseph,  may  be 
seen  from  the  ensuing  narrative.  Josh. 
17.  14  18,  '  And  the  children  of  Jo- 
seph spake  unto  Joshua,  saying.  Why 
hast  thou  given  me  but  one  lot  and  one 
portion  to  inherit,  seeing  I  am  a  great 
people,  forasmuch  as  the  Lord  hath 
blessed  me  hitherto  7  And  Joshua  an- 
swered them,  If  thou  be  a  great  people, 
then  get  thee  up  to  the  wood  country, 
and  cut  down  for  thyself  there  in  the 
land  of  the  Perizzites  and  of  the  giants, 
if  Mount  Ephraim  be  too  narrow  for 
thee.  And  the  children  of  Joseph  said, 
The  hill  is  not  enough  for  us.  »  •  And 
Joshua  spake  unto  the  house  of  Jo- 
seph, even  to  Ephraim  and  Manasseh, 
saying,  Thou  art  a  great  people,  and 
hast  great  power  :  thou  shalt  not  have 
one  lot  only.    But  the  mountain  shall 


412 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


hands  of  p  the  mighty  God  of  Ja- 
cob :  (*»  from  thence  ■■  is  the  shep- 
herd •  the  stone  of  Israel)  : 

p  Pg.  132.  2,  5.    q  ch.  45.  11.  &  47.  12.  A 

50.  21.    r  Ps.  80.  1.    s  Isai.  iiS.  16. 


be  thine ;  for  it  is  a  wood,  and  thou 
shall  cut  it  down:  and  the  outgoings 
of  it  shall  be  thine.'  Thus  that  part 
of  the  birthright  which  consisted  in 
the  '  double  portion,'  still  accrued  to 
Joseph. 

23,  24.  T%e  archers  have  sorely 
grieved  him.  Heb.  r:"!2n  "'^^2  baale 
hitzim,  lords  of  arrows,  or  arrow-mas- 
ters. See  Note  on  Gen.  14.  13.  Gr. 
'Against  whom  they  that  consulted 
gave  reproaches,  and  the  archers  laid 
wait  for  him.'  Chal.  '  And  strong  men, 
men  of  dissension,  straitened  him,  and 
took  revenge  of  him,  and  provoked 
him.'  The  prophecy  here  points  to 
Joseph  in  person,  from  whose  history 
its  fulfilment  appears  evident.  He  was 
aimed  and  shot  at,  as  it  were,  by  the 
bitter  and  reviling  words  of  his  breth- 
ren, and  still  more  deeply  wounded  by 
their  cruel  treatment.  He  was  sold 
into  Egypt  through  envy,  and  impris- 
oned by  a  lie.  His  virtue  was  violently 
assaulted  by  his  mistress,  his  inno- 
cence wronged  by  his  master,  and  his 
patience  severely  tried  by  the  ingrati- 
tude of  a  fellow- prisoner.  Yet  'his 
bow  abode  in  strength.'  The  divine 
favor  forsook  him  not.  He  was  pre- 
served and  relieved  by  the  mighty  God 
of  Jacob,  by  whom  he  was  delivered 
when  his  death  was  designed ;  pre- 
served chaste  when  tempted  to  sin ; 
rendered  prosperous  from  the  depth  of 
his  affliction ;  and  finally  advanced  to 
great  dignity,  and  made  an  instrument 
of  most  signal  good  to  others.  Thus 
his  'bow  abode  in  strength,'  denoting 
an  unconquered  perseverance  in  a  par- 
ticular state  or  condition.  Chal.  '  And 
the  prophecy  was  fulfilled  in  them,  for 


25  t  Even  by  the  God  of  thy 
father,  who  shall  help  thee,  "  and 
by   the    Almighty,   ^  who    shall 

t  ch.  28.  13,  21.  &  35.  3.  &  43.  23.  u  ch. 
17.  1.  &35.  11.    JC  Deut.  33.  13. 


that  he  observed  ihe  law  in  secret,  and 

set  his  hope  constant.' ^  And  the 

arms  of  his  hands  were  made  strong. 
The  idea  of  strength,  solidity,  firmness, 
which  is  afiixed  by  some  lexicographers 
to  the  original  word  for  '  made  strong,' 
(-it&i  yaphozu)  is  altogether  seconda- 
ry, the  primitive  root  of  the  term  signi- 
fying '  fine  gold.'  It  occurs  Ps.  19.  10, 
'More  to  be  desired  are  they  than  gold, 
yea  '  than  much  fine  gold,  (Heb. 
TD  paz).'  Ps.  21.  3,  'Thou  setlest  a 
crown  of  pure  gold  (t5)  on  his  head,' 
Prov.  8.  19,  'My  fruit  is  better  than 
gold,  yea,  than_^ne  §"oW(TS).'  The  verb, 
therefore,  which  is  of  the  kind  called 
denominative,  or  formed  from  a  noun, 
'signifies  to  '  make  strong'  only  so  far 
as  it  implies  the  rendering  a  substance 
of  the  hardness  and  consistence  of 
pure  gold.  But  it  is  probable  that  the 
sense  given  of  the  word  by  some  of  the 
Jewish  critics  is  the  most  correct,  viz., 
'to  make  golden,'  or  '  to  gild,'  in  allu- 
sion to  the  ornaments  of  gold  which 
were  put  upon  the  hands  of  Joseph  by 
Pharaoh,  Gen.  41.  42.  This,  though 
done  by  Pharaoh,  is  referred  to  the 
hands  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob, 
because  it  was  brought  about  by  his 
overruUng  providence.  Chal.  'There- 
fore gold  was  put  upon  his  arms ; 
he  strengthened  and  confirmed  his 
kingdom,  which  was  given  him  from 
before  the  most  mighty  One  of  Ja- 
cob.'  IT  From  thence   is,  &c. ;  i.  e. 

from  that  time,  and  fi'om  that  cause,  he 
became,  or  was  made  the  feeder  or 
sustainer  of  his  brethren ;  a  stay,  a 
support,  a  rock  of  defence  to  his  father 
and  his  family.  It  is  a  thankful  recog- 
nition of  Joseph's  kindness  to  his  father 


B.  C.  1689-1 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


413 


bless     thee    with     blessings    of 
heaven   above,    blessings  of  the 
deep  ihat  lieih  under,  blessing 
of     the     breasts     and     of 
womb : 


26  The  blessings  of  thy  father 
have  prevailed    above   the  bles- 
sings of  my  progenitors,  ^  unto 
the  '  the  utmost   bound  of    the    ever- 
y  DeuL  33. 15.    Hab.  3  6. 


and  family  in  keeping  and  feeding 
them,  even  as  a  shepherd  does  his 
sheep  ;  by  which  he  became  the  found- 
ation or  hasis^  as  it  were,  of  the  house 
of  Jacob,  which  he  preserved  from 
perishing.  Accordingly,  the  Apocry- 
phal writer,  in  Eccles.  49.  1-5,  in  his 
praises  of  Joseph,  says,  'Neither  was 
there  a  man  bom  like  unto  Joseph,  a 
governor  of  bis  brethren,  and  a  stay  of 
the  people.'  In  consequence  of  Jo- 
seph's persevering  constancy  in  up- 
rightness, his  '  arms,'  under  the  provi-  j 
dence  of  God,  were  '  gilded'  with  the 
insignia  of  office,  and  he  was  thence 
enabled  to  stand  to  his  fathers  famish-  j 
ing  house  in  the  relation  of  a  bounti- 
ful provider,  a  kind  pastor,  and  a  pow- 
erful protector. 

25.  Even  by  the  God  of  thy  father. 
Rather,  '  Even  from  the  God  of  thy 
father.'  The  design  is  to  designate  the 
source  from  whence  the  accumulated 
blessings  of  Joseph  were  to  flow. 
The  patriarch  would  have  them  traced 
up  to  their  fountain-head  in  the  abound- 
ing goodness  of  the  God  of  heaven  and 

earth. T  TP  ho  shall  bless  thee  uith  the 

blessings  of  heaven  abate ;  i.  e.  \v-ith 
the  rain  and  dew  distilling  from  the 
clouds  of  heaven  and  rendering  thy 
land  fnaitful,  called  Ezek.  24.  26, 
'  Showers  of  blessing.'  So  Deut.  33. 
13,  '  And  of  Joseph  he  said,  Blessed  of 
the  Lord  be  his  land,  for  the  precious 
things  of  heaven,  for  the  dew  and  for 
the  deep  that  coucheth  beneath,  and 
for  the  precious  fruits  brought  forth  by 
the  sun,  and  for  the  precious  things  put 
forth  by  the  moon.'  Chal.  '  Blessings  of 
the  dew  which  descendeth  from  heaven 
above,  and  which  ascend  out  of  the 
depths  of  the  earth  beneath."  When  God 
35* 


destroyed  the  old  world,  the  windowgof 
heaven  were  opened  to  pour  down  in- 
cessant showers  of  rain  for  its  destruc- 
tion, and  the  fountains  of  the  great 
deep  were  broken  up,  that  the  waters 
from  below  calling  to  the  waters  above, 
might  leave  no  hope  of  escape  for 
guilty  mortals.  But  when  blessings 
were  promised  to  Joseph,  he  was  as- 
sured that  the  Lord  would  open  the 
windows  of  heaven  to  pour  down  the 
rain  in  its  season,  in  his  land,  and  that 
it  should  be  refreshed  and  fructified  by 
springs  issuing  from  the  bowels  of  the 
earth,  which  is  the  import  of  the  phrase, 
'  the  deep  that  Heth  under.'  The  earth 
shall  rise  up  against  the  wicked,  and  the 
heavens  shall  reveal  their  iniquity  ;  but 
heaven  and  earth,  and  the  waters  be- 
low the  earth  shall  combine,  under  the 
control  of  divine  providence,  to  furnish 
blessings  to  God's  people.  It  may  in- 
deed be  said  that  the  blessings  here 
promised  are  not  the  best  of  blessings  ; 
that  they  were  only  such  as  God  often 
bestows  on  the  objects  of  his  displeas- 
ure. But  the  blessings  of  the  present 
life  are  dehghtful  when  viewed  as  ex- 
pressions of  the  favor  of  God,  and  the 
promise  of  such  blessings  might  be 
very  useful  to  the  family  of  Joseph,  as 
a  means  of  counteracting  the  tempta- 
tions of  prosperity  in  Egypt,  especially 
the  prospects  of  gra-ndeur  arising  from 
their  connexion  with  the  house  of  Pot- 
ipherah,  priest  of  On.  They  might 
have  hoped  to  be  princes  in  Egypt,  if 
they  had  separated  their  interests  from 
the  family  of  Jacob ;  but  they  had  a 
surer  prospect,  even  of  temporal  pros- 
perity from  the  promise  of  the  God  of 

their    fathers. T  Blessings  of   the 

breast  and  of  the  icomb.     That  is,  of  a 


414 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


Listing  hills ;  'they  shall  be  on 
the  head  of  Joseph,  and   on  the 

z  Deut.  33.  16. 


numerous  posterity,  the  opposite  of 
which  is  '  a  miscarrying  womb  and 
dry  breasts,'  spoken  of  by  the  prophet, 
Hos.  9.  14. 

26.  The  blessings  of  thy  father  have 
prevailed,  &c.  Or,  Heb.  'The  bles- 
sings of  thy  father  are  strong  upon  (i.  e. 
in  addition  to)  the  blessings  of  my 
progenitors.'  This  is  the  more  genu- 
ine force  of  the  preposition  rendered 
'  above.'  The  meaning  probably  is, 
thai  the  blessings  of  Jacob  when  su- 
peradded to  those  of  his  forefathers 
formed,  as  it  were,  a  blessing  cumula- 
tive that  made  it  emphatically  strong 
and  prevalent.  It  was  not  the  blessing 
of  a  single  individual,  but  the  united 
blessing  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Ja- 
cob, all  lighting  together  upon  the  head 
of  Joseph.  Thus  the  Chal.  '  The  bles- 
sings of  thy  father  shall  be  added  upon 
the   blessings    wherewith    my   fathers 

blessed    me.' "^   Unto     the    xitmost 

bound  of  the  everlasting  hills.  It  is 
difficult  in  the  multiplicity  of  senses 
given  to  these  words,  to  determine 
which  is  the  true.  Some  take  the  ori- 
ginal phrase  to  be  equivalent  to  '  the  ut- 
most limit  of  the  duration  of  the  ever- 
lasting hills  ;'  implying  the  perpetuity 
of  these  blessings;  that  their  continu- 
ance should  run  parallel  with  that  of 
the  earth  itself.  Gr.  '  With  the  bles- 
sings of  the  eternal  hills.'  Perhaps  a 
different  rendering  of  the  original  will 
give  a  siill  more  accurate  view  of  the 
meaning.  The  Heb.  mi^n  taavah  ren- 
dered utmost  bound  usually  signifies 
desire  or  desirable  things.  In  this 
sense  it  may  be  a  continuation  of  the 
blessings  recited  in  the  former  verse — 
'unto  the  desire  (i.  e.  the  desired  pro- 
ducts) of  the  everlasting  hi'Is.'     Moses 


crown  of  the   head  of  him  that 
was  separate  from  his  brethren. 


himself  leads  us  to  this  sense,  when  in 
blessing  the  tribes  of  Israel  Deut.  33. 
15,  he  invokes  for  Joseph  substantially 
the  same  blessings  that  Jacob  did.  Af- 
ter having  spoken  of  the  precious 
things  of  heaven,  and  of  the  deep  that 
coucheth  beneath,  of  the  precious 
things  brought  forth  by  the  sun,  and  of 
the  precious  things  put  forth  by  the 
moon,  he  adds,  '  the  chief  things  of  the 
ancient  mountains,  and  the  precious 
things  of  the  lasting  hills.'  There 
were  many  precious  fruits  brought  forth 
by  the  mountains  of  Palestine.  When 
Moses  expresses  his  earnest  desire  that 
a  rich  share  of  these  might  be  granted 
to  the  tribes  that  sprung  from  Joseph, 
he  seems  to  repeat  Jacob's  blessing  in 

a  richer  variety  of  expression. IT  On 

the  crown  of  the  head  of  him  xcho  was 
separate  from  his  brethren.  Or,  '  the 
Nazarite  of  his  brethren  ;'  the  original 
for  'Nazarite'  being  derived  from  ^T3 
nazar,  to  separate.  Joseph  may  be 
said  to  have  been  '  separated'  from  his 
brethren,  not  in  consequence  of  the 
Nazarite's  vow,  for  this  profession  had 
not  yet  been  instituted,  though  perhaps 
prophetically  alluded  to  in  these  words, 
but  because  that  God  by  his  providence 
did  separate  and  set  him  apart  from 
the  rest,  and  advanced  him  to  decided 
pre-eminence  over  them.  According- 
ly the  Gr.  renders  it,  'upon  the  head 
of  his  brethren  over  whom  he  ruled.' 
Certain  it  is  that  the  word  "it:  nezer  is 
used  for  a  crown  put  upon  the  heads  of 
kings  and  priests.  Ps.  F9.  39,  'Thou 
hast  profaned  his  crown  ("it3)  by  cast- 
ing it  to  the  ground.'  Ps.  132.  13, 
'  His  enemies  will  I  clothe  with  shame; 
but  upon  himself  shall  his  crown  ("iT]) 
flourish.'     The  allusion  is  perhaps  to 


8.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX, 


415 


27  IT  Benjamin  &hall  ^ravin 
€is  a  wolf;  in  the  morning  he 
shall  devour  ihe  prey,  *J  and  at 
night  he  shall  divide  the  spoil. 

a  Jud^.  20.  21,  25.  Ezek.  22.  25,  27. 
b  Numb.  23.  24.  Esther  8.  U.  Ezek  39. 
10.    Zech.  14. 1,  7. 


sojne  liind  of  -crovm,  tiara,  -or  head- 
dress as  an  outward  badge  of  Joseph's 
lordship  over  the  Egyptians  and  over 
hjs  brethren-  The  same  phrase  Deut. 
33.  16.  is  rendered  by  the  Gr.  So^acOeig 
ev  a6e\(poiq  glorified  arnong  his  brethren  ; 
and  the  Targum  of  Jonathan  gives  an 
equivalent  sense,  'The  man  who  was 
prince  and  ruler  in  Egypt,  and  who 
shone  in  the  glory  of  his  brethren;' 
i.  e.  in  the  glory  and  honor  which  he 
enjoyed  among  them, 

27.  JBenjamin  shall  ravin  as  a  icolf. 
That  is,  shall  tsar  his  prey  in  pieces. 
As  Judah  is  likened  to  a  lion,  Issacliar 
to  a  strong  ass,  Dan  to  a  serpent,  and 
Naphtah  to  a  hind  let  loose,  so  Benja- 
jamin  is  here  compared  to  a  ravenous 
•wolf,  to  denote  the  warlike  character 
of  this  tribe,  their  activity,  courage, 
and  success  in  their  conflicts  with  the 
enemies  of  Israel.  Although  the  im- 
age is  not  on  the  whole  disparaging, 
for  the  Most  High  himself  in  allusion 
to  his  judgments  against  his  enemies  is 
compared  to  a  leopard  and  a  bear, 
Hos.  13.  7,  8,  yet  it  probably  betokens 
a  degree  of  fierceness  and  rapacity,  not 
to  say  cruelty,  which  would  be  a  stain 
upon  the  memory  of  this  tribe  with 
succeeding  generations.  This  is  evinced 
in  the  history  of  the  transaction  record- 
ed Judg.  19  and  20 ;  in  that  of  Saul, 
who  was  of  this  tribe ;  and  of  his  de- 
scendants, who  v/ere  so  long  opposed 
to  the  accession  of  the  house  of  David 

to  the  throne. ^  In  ihe  morning— 

and  at  night.  That  is,  all  the  day 
long ;  denoting  their  pertinacious  ad- 
dictedness  to  wailike  practices.     Som£ 


28  T[  All  these  are  th«  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel :  and  this  is  it 
that  their  father  spake  unto  them, 
and  blessed  them:  everyone  ac- 
cording to  his  blessing  he  blessed 
them. 


have  supposed  that  these  expressions 
pointed  to  the  early  and  latter  periods 
of  their  history  as  a  tribe,  which  is  not 
improbable.  They  should  continue 
their  rapacity  and  violence  from  the 
morning  or  commencement  of  the 
Jewish  state  to  the  night  or  end. 

28.  All  these  are  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel.  This  phraseology  confirms  the 
remark  made  above  that  the  blessings 
of  Jacob  had  respect  rather  to  the 
twelve  tribes  than  to  their  heads  and 
founders  in  the  person  of  his  sons. 
The  present  also  is  the  first  mention 
which  occurs  in  the  sacred  writers  of 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  Henceforth 
they  are  either  expressly  mentioned  or 
plainly  referred  to  throughout  the 
Scriptures.  The  heads  of  these  tribes 
are  now  with  their  dying  father,  hear- 
ing from  his  mouth  such  a  portion  of 
the  mind  of  God  respecting  the  future 
destinies  of  their  seed,  as  he  thought 
fit  to  declare.  Should  the  term  '  bles- 
sed' be  considere'd  as  inappropriate  in 
reference  to  Reuben,  Simeon,  and  Le- 
vi, it  is  still  to  be  remembered  apart 
from  the  fact  that  general  assertions  are 
often  made  of  a  whole  body  which  do 
not  apply  to  every  individual,  that  they 
were  favored  with  a  part  in  the  inher- 
itance of  Jacob.  Reuben  was  not  to 
excel,  but  he  was  to  have  a  place  and 
a  name  in  Israel.  Simeon  and  Levi 
were  to  be  divided  and  scattered,  but 
still  among  the  chosen  seed  where  their 
lot  could  and  would  be  turned  into 
a  blessing.  Even  the  reproofs,  threat- 
enings,  and  chastisements  which  do  us 
good  arc  to  be  accounted  as  real  bles- 


416 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


29  And  he  charged  them,  and 
said  unto  them,  I  "  am  to  he  gath- 
ered unto  my  people  :  ^  bury  me 
with  my  fathers  ^  in  the  cave 
that  is  in  the  field  of  Ephron  the 
Hittite, 

30  In  the  cave  that  is  in  the 
field  of  Machpelah,  which  is  be- 
fore Mamre,  in  the  land  of  Ca- 


c  ch.  15.  15.  &  25.  8. 
19,  37.     e  ch,  50. 13. 


d  ch.  47,  30.    2  Sam. 


sings  which  we  ought  to  receive  with 
thankfulness. ^  Every  one  accord- 
ing to  his  blessing.  As  Joseph's  inter- 
preting according  to  the  dreams  of  his 
fellow-prisoners  implies  an  interpreta- 
tion corresponding  with  the  fulfilment 
of  the  dreams,  so  here  Jacob's  bles- 
sing his  sons  *  according  to  the  bles- 
sing' of  each,  signifies  that  his  words 
were  verified  in  the  actual  accomplish- 
ments which  took  place  in  regard  to 
every  one  of  them.  It  was  a  sublime 
source  of  joy  to  Jacob  on  his  death-bed, 
that  he  would  leave  blessings  to  all  his 
seed.  The  greatest  evils  that  Jacob 
saw  in  his  life  were  the  wicked  actions 
of  some  of  his  children.  Yet  how 
rich  was  the  mercy  of  God  to  himself, 
as  well  as  to  them,  that  after  all  that 
most  of  them  had  done  to  provoke  the 
Lord  to  anger,  he  was  authorised  to 
bless  them  ! 

29.  And  he  charged  them,  and  said, 
&c.  Jacob  had  before.  Gen.  47.  30, 
given  a  charge  to  Joseph  and  exacted  a 
solemn  promise  from  him  to  bury  him 
not  in  Egypt,  but  i«  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, and  in  the  cave  of  Ephraim  the 
Hittite.  Joseph's  promise  was  no 
doubt  in  itself  sufficient  to  satisfy  the 
mind  of  his  father.  He  knew  that  Jo- 
seph was  too  honest  to  violate  his  en- 
gagements, too  affectionate  to  neglect 
a  father's  dying  charge,  and  too  pow- 
erful in  Egypt  to  find  any  great  diffi- 
culty in  performing  what  he  had  prom- 


naaii  f  which  Abraham  bought 
with  the  field  of  Ephron  the  Hit- 
tite, for  a  possession  of  a  bury- 
ing-place. 

31  (s  There  they  buried  Abra- 
ham and  Sarah  his  wife  ;  ^  there 
they  buried  Isaac  and  Rebekah 
his  wife ;  and  there  I  buried 
Leah.) 


f  ch.  23.  16. 
35.  2a 


g  ch.  23.  19.  &  25.  9.    h  ch. 


ised.  But  the  good  man  wished  that 
all  his  sons  should  take  part  in  his  fu- 
neral, and  that  all  of  them  should 
know  his  earnest  desire  to  be  buried  in" 

Canaan. T"  1  am  to  he  gathered  unto 

my  people.  Heb.  t\0i!i'2  ne-esaph,  J  am, 
gathered,  or  rather  1  am  being  gather- 
ed  ;  the  present  with  the  import  of  the 
future,  a  very  frequent  idiom  in  the  He- 
brew.    On  the  import  of  the  phrase  see 

Note    Gen.    25.    8. IT    Bury    me; 

i.  e.  entomb  m.e. 

30.  In  the  cane  which  is  in  the  field  of 
Machpelah.  It  cannot  be  supposed 
that  the  sons  of  Jacob  were  ignorant 
of  the  place  where  the  remains  of 
Abraham  were  deposited.  Why  then 
did  Jacob  recite  thus  minutely  the  situ- 
ation of  the  burying-place  and  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  purchase  ?  It  was  no 
doubt  in  order  to  intimate  that  he 
shared  the  faith  of  Abraham,  who,  by 
buying  it,  clearly  showed  that  he  re- 
garded the  possession  as  a  pledge  that 
his  seed  should  one  day,  according  to 
promise,  become  the  actual  inheritors 
of  the  land.  Jacob  undoubtedly  loved 
Rachel  with  warmer  affection  than  his 
fathers  Abraham  or  Isaac.  Yet  it  was 
not  his  wish  to  be  buried  with  her,  but 
with  his  fathers  in  the  sepulchre  which 
they  had  purchased.  He  hoped  to  see 
Rachel  as  well  as  Abraham  in  heaven. 
But  Abraham  had  testified  his  faith  in 
the  divine  promises  by  the  purchase  he 
had  made  of  the  burying-place  of  Mach- 


B.  C.  16S9.] 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


417 


32  The  purchase  of  the  field 
and  of  the  cave  that  is  therein, 
was  from  the  children  of  Heth. 

33  And  when  Jacob  had  made 
an  end  of  conimandino:  his  sons, 


pelah,  and  Jacob  would  show  that  he 
was  not  lacking  in  the  same  pious  con- 
fidence. His  command  therefore  to 
his  sons  was  a  public  profession  that  he 
also  lived  and  was  now  dying  in  the 
same  faith  by  which  his  venerable  pro- 
genitors had  embraced  the  promise. 
What  was  said  by  Paul  of  Joseph  may 
with  equal  propriety  be  said  of  Jacob, 
that  'by  faith  he  gave  commandment 
concerning  his  bones.' 

32.  The  purchase  of  the  field,  &c. 
The  transaction  between  Abraham  and 
the  sons  of  Heth  was  public  and  well- 
known  ;  it  was  confirmed  by  the  modes 
used  in  the  country  for  ascertaining  the 
transference  of  property.  Jacob's  sons 
therefore  had  no  reason  to  fear  that  they 
would  meet  with  any  opposition  from 
the  people  of  the  land,  when  they  car- 
ried their  father's  body  to  the  place 
where  his  forefathers  were  buried.  Both 
Abraham  and  Jacob  knew  of  course 
that  the  whole  land  of  Canaan  was  to 
be  theirs,  but  they  claimed  no  right 
from  that  promise  to  seize  upon  any 
part  of  it  as  their  exclusive  property. 
When  they  found  it  proper  to  secure 
any  spot  of  ground  for  themselves, 
they  bargained  for  it,  and  paid  the 
price  in  current  money  of  the  mer- 
chant. The  time  was  not  yet  come 
for  possessing  the  land  by  the  right 
which  the  divine  grant  gave  to  their 
posterity. 

33.  And  when  Jacob  had  made  an 
end,  dec.  It  would  seem  that  Jacob's 
decease  followed  very  close  upon  his 
utterance  of  these  dying  benedictions, 
and  it  is  somewhat  surprising  that  he 
should  have  been  able  to  speak  so 
many  and  so  excellent  things,  and  fin- 


he  gathered  up  his  feet  into  the 
bed,  and  yielded  up  the  ghost, 
and  i  was  gathered  unto  his 
people. 

i  ver.  29. 


ish  them  almost  in  the  moment  of  his 
death.  But  he  was  no  doubt  supernat- 
urally  strengthened  for  the  occasion, 
though  it  may  be  supposed  that  when 
the  unwonted  vigor  created  by  the 
prophetic  afflatus  subsided,  a  reaction 
took  place,  and  nature  sunk  almost  at 
once  under  the  transition.  But  it  mat- 
tered Uttle  at  v;hat  particular  hour  this 
solemn  event  befel  the  aged  saint. 
Death  was  no  new  subject  to  him  ; 
salvation  not  an  untried  theme  ;  the 
grave  no  strange  country ;  heaven  not 
an  unlooked-for  home.  He  had  waited 
for  the  Angel  of  the  Covenant,  who 
had  redeemed  him  from  all  evil,  and 
the  summons,  when  it  came,  found  him 
ready  and  willing  to  enter  into  the 
eternal  presence.  His  work  was  done ; 
his  last  blessings  and  behests  had 
been  pronounced;  his  last  accents  of 
prayer  and  praise  breathed  out ;  and 
he  had  now  nothing  to  do  but  '  to  gath- 
er up  his  feet  into  his  bed,'  and  cheer- 
fully to  resign  his  spirit  into  the  hand 
of  his  Father  and  his  God.  He  was 
gathered  to  his  people  according  to  his 
own  expectation  and  his  hope.  He 
had  lived  out  fifteen  years  of  his  life 
with  Abraham.  With  his  father  Isaac 
he  had  lived  somewhat  near  a  hundred, 
and  seventeen  with  Joseph  in  Egypt. 
But  henceforth  we  contemplate  him  liv- 
ing m  a  happier  world  through  endless 
ages,  with  Christ  which  is  far  better. 
Let  us  live  by  faith,  as  the  patriarchs 
did,  and  we  also  shall  be  gathered  to 
them  when  we  die.  How  wretched 
will  be  our  lot,  if  we  see  millions  with 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  our- 
selves cast  out  into  outer  darkness! 
But  how  excellent  and  exta tic  will  be 


418 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


CHAPTER  L. 

AND    Joseph   *fell    upon 
father's  face,  and  ^  wept  i 
him,  and  kissed  him. 

ach.  46.  4.    b  2  Kings  13.  14. 


his 


our  joys,  if  admitted  to  those  blessed 
regions,  where  our  fellowship  with 
Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and 
with  an  innumerable  multitude  of  saints 
and  angels,  will  make  but  a  small  part 
of  our  happiness  ! 


CHAPTER  L. 
We  have  reached  at  length  the  con- 
cluding portion  of  the  patriarchal  his- 
tory. We  have  followed  the  progress 
of  Jacob's  life  through  the  protracted 
period  of  one  hundred  and  forty-seven 
years,  and  have  seen  him  meekly  and 
calmlybowing  to  the  universal  law  which 
remands  our  dust  to  its  kindred  dust. 
We  are  now  called  to  contemplate  those 
tokens  of  affection  and  veneration  which 
were  evinced  for  his  memory  by  his 
surviving  family  and  the  people  with 
whom  he  sojourned.  The  death  of  a 
parent  is  at  all  times  an  event  peculiar- 
ly affecting.  The  source  of  our  ov/n 
life  appears  to  us  thereby,  as  it  were, 
dried  up.  While  our  parents  live,  we 
seem  to  have  a  kind  of  barrier  betwixt 
us  and  the  grave ;  but  that  being  re- 
moved the  destroyer  appears  advan- 
cing upon  us  with  hastier  strides.  If 
we  look  forward,  there  is  nothing  inter- 
posed for  our  defence;  if  backward, 
our  very  children  are  pressing  upon 
our  heels  and  ready  to  lay  their  hands 
upon  our  eyes.  Joseph  now  ftlt  the 
full  force  of  these  impressions.  His 
father,  his  guide,  his  best  friend  on 
earth  was  now  no  more  numbered 
among  the  living.  No  more  was  he 
to  behold  that  venerable  countenance  ; 
no  more  to  hear  those  words  of  truth 


2  And  Joseph  commanded  his 
servants  the  physicians  to  "^em- 
balm his  father:  and  the  physi- 
cians embalmed  Israel. 

c  vcr.  26.  2  Chron.  16.  14.  Matt.  26.  12. 
Mark  14.  8.  &  18. 1.  Luke  21.  1.  John  12.  7. 
&  19.  oD.  40. 


and  wisdom  which  had  so  often  pro- 
ceeded from  his  lips.  But  though  ha 
could  not  preserve  his  father  alive,  or 
redeem  him  from  death,  yet  he  will 
spare  no  trouble  or  expense  in  obeying 
his  dying  charge.  The  highest  respect 
we  can  pay  to  the  dead  is  to  fulfil  their 
desires  expressed  by  them  during  their 
lives.  The  sequel  informs  us  of  the 
exemplary  conduct  of  Joseph  in  this 
particular. 

1.  Joseph /ell  wpon  his  father' s  face 
and  wept,  &c.  'Joseph,'  said  God  to 
Jacob  at  Beersheba,  '  shall  put  his 
hands  upon  thine  eyes.'  This  no 
doubt  Joseph  had  done  though  we  are 
not  expressly  informed  of  it;  and  now 
w^hen  he  saw  that  his  father  was  a 
lifeless  carcase,  he  gave  way  to  the  ex- 
cess of  his  grief,  embracing  and  kissing 
it  with  passionate  endearment.  Hard 
indeed  must  be  our  hearts  if  we  do  not 
mourn  when  our  fathers  die;  but  let 
us  beware  of  enhancing  our  sorrows 
on  that  occasion  by  the  recollection 
of  any  thing  unfilial  or  ungrateful  in 
our  deportment  towards  them  whilst 
alive.  Let  us  beware  of  thus  laying 
up  for  ourselves  materials  of  grief 
which  will  not  admit  of  comfort.  Jo- 
seph could  never  have  forgiven  himself 
had  he  been  conscious  of  embittering 
his  father's  days,  by  despising  his 
counsels  or  disregarding  his  welfare  in 
his  lifetime.  We  are  not  told  what 
Reuben  or  Simeon  or  Levi  felt  on  the 
present  occasion.  Their  sensibilities 
were  not  so  strong  as  those  of  Joseph, 
but  their  self-reflections  must  have 
been  bitter.    Joseph's  tears  were  at- 


B.  C.  1689.1 


CHAPTER  L. 


419 


3  And  forty  days  were  fulfilled 
for  him  ;  for  so  are  fulfilled  the 
days  of  those  which  are  embalm- 


tended  with  secret  consolation.  Their 
griefs  were  tinctured  with  the  most 
painful  and  tormenting  recollections. 
Yet  it  may  be  hoped  that  theirs  was  a 
sadness  of  the  countenance  by  which 
the  heart  was  made  bitter, 

2.  Joseph  commanded  his  servants 
the  physicians,  &c.  Heb.  D'^KD'H 
ropheim,  from  J^B^  to  heal.  Gr.  evra- 
(piaaras  embalmers.  The  business  of 
embalming  was  performed  by  those 
who  were  physicians  by  profession. 
The  process  of  embalming  among  the 
ancient  Egyptians  is  thus  described  by 
Herodotus,  b.  ii.,  c.  86—8,  '  The  body 
was  given  to  the  embalmers,  who  first 
took  out  the  brains  and  entrails  and 
washed  them  in  palm  wine  impregna- 
ted with  strong  astringent  drugs;  after 
which  they  began  to  anoint  the  body 
with  the  oil  of  cedar,  myrrh,  cinna- 
mon, and  cassia;  and  this  lasted  thirty 
days.  They  next  put  it  into  a  solution 
of  nitre  (saltpetre)  for  forty  days  long- 
er, so  that  they  allowed  seventy  days 
to  complete  the  embalming;  after 
which  they  bound  it  up  in  swathes  of 
linen  besmeared  with  gum.  Being 
then  able  to  resist  putrefaction,  it  was 
delivered  to  the  relatives,  inclosed  in  a 
v/ooden  or  paper  case  somewhat  re- 
sembling a  coffin,  and  laid  in  the  cat- 
acomb or  grave  belonging  to  the  fam- 
ily, where  it  Vv'as  placed  in  an  upright 
posture  against  the  wall.'  The  Jewish 
method  was  not  dissimilar.  When  the 
principle  of  life  was  extinguished,  and 
the  eyes  were  closed  in  death,  the  first 
funeral  office  among  the  Jews  was  the 
ablution  of  the  corpse  in  a  warm  infu- 
sion of  camomile  flowers  and  dried 
roses.  See  Acts  9.  37.  After  washing 
the  corpse  ihey  embalmed  it,  by  laying 
all  around  it  a  large  quantity  of  costly 


ed  :  and  the  Egyptians  ^  mourned 
for  him  three  score  and  ten  days. 

d  Numb.  20,  29.     Dcut.  34.  a 


spices  and  aromatic  drugs,  in  order 
to  imbibe  and  absorb  the  humors, 
and  by  their  inherent  virtues  to  pre- 
serve it  as  long  as  possible  from  putre- 
faction and  decay.  Thus  Nicodemus 
brought  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes, 
about  an  hundred  pounds  weight,  to 
perform  the  customary  office  to  tho 
deceased  Savior.  This  embalming 
was  usually  repeated  for  several  days 
together  that  the  drugs  and  spices  thus 
applied  might  have  all  their  efficacy  in 
the  exsiccation  of  the  moisture  and  the 
future  conservation  of  the  body.  They 
then  swathed  the  corpse  in  hnen  rolls 
or  bandages,  closely  enfolding  and  en- 
wrapping it  in  that  bed  of  aromatic 
drugs  in  which  they  had  surrounded  it. 
The  Egyptian  custom  of  embalming 
the  dead  arose  from  the  doctrine  of 
their  religion,  that  after  a  period  of  three 
thousand  years'  migration  through  the 
bodies  of  various  animals,  the  soul 
again  returned  to  the  original  body  it 
had  at  first  occupied,  and  that  provided 
the  body  remained  unmutilated,  the 
spirit  entered  its  former  habitation,  and 
both,  thus  reunited,  were  immediately 
made  happy ;  but  if,  on  the  contrary, 
the  body  was  destroyed  or  defaced,  the 
soul,  as  well  as  any  remnants  of  the 
body  which  might  remain,  shrank  at 
once  into  annihilation. 

3.  I<^orty  days  were  fulfilled  for  him. 
That  is,  forty  days  were  occupied  in 
the  process  of  embalming  the  body. 
Considerable  time  was  necessary  for 
the  drugs  to  operate,  so  as  to  produce 
the  designed  effect  upon  the  body,  to 
preserve  it  from  corruption.  The  sev- 
enty-five days  mourning  of  the  Egyp- 
tians, mentioned  in  the  ensuing  clause 
of  the  verse,  is  to  be  understood  as  in- 
cluding the  forty  days  of  embalming. 


420 


GENESIS. 


[B.  G.  1689. 


4  And  when  the  days  of  his 
mourning  were  past,  Joseph  spake 
unto  *  the  house  of  Pharaoh  say- 
ing, If  now  I  have  found  grace  in 
your  eyes,  speak,  I  pray  you,  in 
the  ears  of  Pharaoh,  saying, 

5  '  My  father  made  me  swear 

e  Esther  4.  2     f  ch.  47.  29. 


The  whole  i3  spoken  of  together  as  a 
mourning  period.  This  long  mourning 
for  the  death  of  Jacob  was  a  great 
honor  done  to  the  venerable  patriarch, 
chiefly  for  the  sake  of  his  son.  All  the 
Egyptians  saw  how  dear  Jacob  was  to 
their  lord,  and  thought  ihey  could  not 
pay  a  more  respectable  token  of  res- 
pect to  him  than  by  mourning  for  his 
father.  When  good  and  great  men 
die  it  is  proper  that  the  general  heart 
of  the  community  should  feel  the  stroke 
of  providence.  But  when  we  wear 
mourning  apparel,  our  clothes  will  rise 
up  in  judgment  against  us,  if  we  do 
not  call  to  mind  our  own  mortal  con- 
dition, and  think  seriously  of  our  own 
dissolution.  Our  bodies  are  not  made 
of  brass,  any  more  than  the  bodies  of 
those  whom  we  profess  to  deplore,  A 
loud  voice  comes  from  their  graves, 
proclaiming  that  to-morrow,  or  when  a 
few  more  years  are  gone,  we  must  be 
with  them.  Shall  we  not  then  prepare 
for  the  decease  which  we  must  so  soon 
accomplish  7  Was  so  much  time,  and 
pains,  and  expense  employed  on  a  dead 
body,  to  preserve  it  from  the  natural 
consequences  of  death  7  What  excuse 
is  left  for  us  if  we  bestow  not  as  much 
time  and  care  to  secure  ourselves 
against  the  terrible  consequences  of 
death  to  both  body  and  soul  7  Yet  are 
there  not  those  who  act  as  if  they 
thought  that  less  time  v/as  necessary 
to  prepare  for  heaven,  than  the  Egyp- 
tian physicians  thought  necessary  for 
seasoning  the  dead  body  of  a  man,  to 
preserve  it  from  putrefaction  ? 


saying,  Lo,  I  die :  in  my  grave 
s  which  I  have  digged  for  me  Id 
the  land  of  Canaan,  there  shall 
thou  bury  me.  Now  therefore 
let  me  go  up,  I  pray  thee,  and 
bury  my  father,  and  1  v/ill  come 
again. 

g  2  Chron.  16. 14.    Isaiah  22. 16.    Mat.  27.  GO, 


4.  Joseph  spake  unto  the  house  of 
Pharaoh,  sarjing,  &c.  Joseph  was 
lord  of  all  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  yet 
he  was  Pharaoh's  servant;  he  did  not 
forget  his  condiiion  amidst  all  his  gran- 
deur. He  certainly  had  sufficient  credit 
with  his  sovereign  to  obtain  permission 
to  bury  his  father  in  Canaan  with- 
out solicitation  from  other  favorites. 
Yet  he  disdains  not  to  use  the  inter- 
est of  other  servants  in  his  favor ;  and 
for  this  it  is  probable  he  had  a  spe- 
cial reason  on  the  present  occasion. 
Princes  in  the  East  have  often  discov- 
ered an  irreconcilable  aversion  to  any 
thing  that  wears  a  gloomy  appearance, 
or  that  puts  them  in  mind  of  death. 
We  learn  from  the  book  of  Esther,  ch. 
4.2,  that  it  was  in  her  time  the  custom 
that  'none  might  enter  into  the  king's 
gate  clothed  with  sackcloth,'  for  which 
reason  Mordecai  was  excluded  from 
the  royal  presence  so  long  as  he  wore 
mourning  apparel.  The  Father  of  mer- 
cies, on  the  other  hand,  looks  with  a 
compassionate  eye  on  mourners  when 
they  come  into  his  presence.  But  a 
wise  man  will  be  cautious  of  obtruding 
his  sorrows  on  his  fellow-men,  without 

knowing  their  dispositions. IT  Unto 

the  house  of  Pharaoh.  Gr.  ivvacrrai 
potentates,  chief  officers,  or  in  other 
words,  to  the  principal  men  of  his 
court.  The  same  word  in  the  Greek  of 
the  New  Testament,  Acts  8.  27,  is 
rendered  eunuch.  See  Note  on  Gen. 
37.  36. 

5.  My  father  made  me  sioear.  Heb. 
'^U^^^ilUn    kishbianif  sware  me.     On 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  L. 


42. 


6  And  Pharaoh  said,  Go  up, 
and  bury  thy  father,  according  as 
he  made  thee  swear. 

7  Tl  And    Joseph   went   up  to 


this  phraseology  see  Note  on  Gen.  24.  3. 
The  Egyptians  were  very  jealous  of 
the  honor  of  their  country,  which  they 
esteemed  '  the  glory  of  all  lands.' 
They  might  have  thought  that  Joseph, 
who  had  received  such  honors  in  their 
land,  did  not  discover  a  grateful  sense 
of  their  favors,  if  he  had  carried  his 
father's  body  to  be  buried  in  another 
land,  without  giving  a  good  reason  for 
it.  The  old  man  had  himself  more- 
over been  treated  with  great  generos- 
ity by  Pharaoh.  Did  his  son  grudge 
his  body  to  that  land  which  had  sup- 
plied his  numerous  family  with  food, 
when  he  could  find  none  in  the  land 
of  Canaan?  Joseph  wished  to  ob- 
viate any  such  reflections,  and  there- 
fore produced  reasons  for  his  request, 
which  he  knew  would  satisfy  the 
king's  mind,  and  the  minds  of  his 
people.  Jacob  had  digged  a  grave  for 
himself  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  in 
that  place  of  it,  where  his  father,  and  a 
part  of  his  own  family,  had  been  buried. 
He  had  not  only  expressed  a  strong 
desire  to  be  buried  in  that  grave,  but  he 
had  brought  his  son  Joseph  under  the 
sacred  engagement  of  an  oath,  to  do 
what  he  desired.  '  Now  therefore,' 
says  Joseph,  'let  me  go  up,  I  pray 
thee,  and  bury  my  father,  and  I  will 
come  again.'  He  was  sure  the  reasons 
given  would  not  only  procure  the  king's 
consent  to  his  proposal,  but  would 
banish  every  suspicion  of  disrespect  in 
making  it.  He  would  not  be  account- 
ed deficient  in  his  affection  to  his 
king  and  benefactor,  because  he  was  a 
dutiful  son  who  paid  a  regard  to  his 
father's  dying  wishes.  He  would  not 
be  esteemed  a  disloyal  subject,  because 
36 


bury  his  father:  and  with  hira 
went  up  all  the  servants  of  Pha- 
raoh, the  elders  of  his  house,  and 
all  the  elders  of  the  land  of 
Egypt, 


he  desired  leave  to  perform  a  solemn 
oath.  On  the  contrary,  he  would  have 
lost  all  credit  with  the  Egyptians  them- 
selves, if  he  had  acted  otherwise  than 
he  did.  Nor  would  his  father  be 
thought  ungrateful  to  a  king  and  na- 
tion from  whom  he  had  received  such 
favors,  when  he  desired  to  lie  in  death 
with  his  forefathers,  in  the  grave  which 

he    had    provided     for    himself. ^ 

Which  1  have  digged.  That  is,  pro- 
cured to  be  dug,  or  rather  hewed  out. 
It  may  seem  strange  that  Jacob  should 
have  been  in  such  haste  to  dig  a  grave 
for  himself,  more  than  seventeen  years 
before  he  died.  But  it  seems  from 
other  passages  to  have  been  customary 
for  men  in  those  early  times  to  have 
places  of  sepulture  prepared  some  time 
before  their  death.  Comp,  2  Chron.  16. 
14,  and  Mat.  27.  60.  It  is  possible  that 
Job  may  allude  to  something  of  this 
nature  when  he  says  ch.  17.  1,  'The 
graves  are  ready  for  me.'  But  apart 
from  this,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  Jacob 
did  not  expect  to  live  so  long  as  he  did. 
His  heart  almost  died  within  him  when 
he  was  made  to  believe  that  Joseph 
was  torn  in  pieces  by  wild  beasts ;  and 
although  he  had  met  with  fewer  evds 
in  the  course  of  his  life  than  he  did,  yet 
he  might  have  dug  a  grave  for  himself 
without  the  imputation  of  folly  or  mel- 
ancholy. The  most  healthy  and  pros- 
perous ought  to  remember  that  they 
will  one  day  need  a  grave  ;  and  it  will 
not  impair  our  cheerfulness  to  think 
of  our  latter  end,  if  we  entertain  the 
well-grounded  hope  of  happiness  be- 
yond the  grave. 

6.  Pharaoh  said,   Go  up,  &c.     Tha 
answer  of  Pharaoh   shows  at  least  a 


423 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1639. 


8  And  all  the  house  of  Joseph, 
and  his  brethren,  and  his  father's 


great  reverence  for  the  solemnity  of  an 
oath.  He  puts  his  compliance  with 
Joseph's  request  especially  upon  this, 
that  his  father  had  'made  him  swear.' 
An  oath  was  a  solemn  thing  and  must 
be  observed.  The  name  of  God  must 
not  be  taken  in  vain.  Those  Chris- 
tians who  disregard  the  obligations  of 
an  oath  are  worse  than  multitudes  of 
the  heathen.  The  foundations  of  hu- 
man society  are  subverted  when  oaths 
are  treated  with  contempt. 

7.  And  Joseph  went  up,  &c.  -Al- 
though all  Egypt  may  be  said  to  have 
done  Jacob  honor  at  his  death,  and  his 
funeral  ceremonies  were  magnificent 
beyond  a  parallel  in  history,  except  per- 
haps in  the  case  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  yet  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  was 
not  in  consequence  of  any  wish  on  his 
part.  He  simply  desired  to  be  carried 
by  his  sons  and  buried  in  the  land  of 
promise.  His  desire  was  that  of  faith, 
and  not  of  vain-glorious  display.  But 
God  sometimes  so  orders  events  that 
those  who  who  are  least  covetous  of 
worldly  distinction  shall  either  in  their 
lives  or  at  their  death  be  crowned  with 
a  large  share  of  it.  When  men,  like 
Solomon,  seek  that  supremely  which 
God  approves,  he  not  unfrequently 
adds  to  it  the  inferior  honors  to  which 
they  are  indifferent.  The  eclat  which 
now  marked  the  funeral  obsequies  of 
Jacob  was  principally  for  Joseph's  sake, 
and  it  shows  in  what  esteem  he  was 
held  in  Egypt.  Whatever  modern  cav- 
illers have  said  to  throw  discredit  upon 
his  conduct  as  prime  minister  in  the 
court  of  Pharaoh,  the  facts  recorded 
make  it  clear,  that  he  was  considered  at 
the  time  as  one  of  the  greatest  benefac- 
tors to   the  country. ^  With  him 

-went  up  all  the  servants  of  Pharaoh. 
That  is,   a  very  large    proportion    of 


house:  only  their  little  ones,  and 
their  flocks,  and  their  herds,  they 
left  in  the  land  of  Goshen. 


them.  Thus  Mat.  3.  5,  '  There  went 
out  to  him  Jerusalem  and  all  Judea;' 
by  which  is  meant  a  great  many  from 

all    quarters. ^   All    the   ciders    of 

the  land.  The  counsellors,  senators, 
court-officers.  See  Note  on  Gen.  24. 2. 
So  great  a  cavalcade  attending  Jacob 
to  his  long  home,  through  a  part  of 
two  different  countries,  would  spread 
the  fame  of  the  good  man,  and  revive 
the  remembrance  of  him  in  the  land  of 
Canaan.  And  it  was  much  for  the  in- 
terest of  religion  that  his  name  should 
be  known.  In  his  life  he  had  eminent- 
ly displayed  the  virtues  by  which  re- 
ligion is  recommended.  Let  us  endeav- 
or always  so  to  demean  ourselves  that 
those  who  remember  our  names  when 
we  are  in  the  dust,  may  find  no  pre- 
tence to  speak  evil  of  us,  or  of  the 
ways  of  God  on  our  account. 

8.  All  the  house  of  Joseph,  and  his 
brethren,  &c.  Joseph's  brethren  no 
doubt  cheerfully  concurred  with  him 
in  doing  hnnor  to  their  father  and  in 
obeying  his  last  injunction.  They  had 
been  fully  persuaded  that  he  did  them 
no  injustice  in  valuing  and  loving  Jo- 
seph so  much  more  than  themselves. 
The  grief  with  which  they  were  pen- 
etrated for  the  loss  of  their  best  friend 
would  be  enhanced  by  the  bitter  reflec- 
tion that  they  had  brought  accum.u- 
lated  sorrows  upon  his  grey  hairs,  but 
as  they  could  assure  themselves  of  his 
forgiveness,  and  hope  for  that  of  heav- ' 
en,  they  would  find  comfort  in  then 
mourning.  They  left  their  little  ones 
and  their  flocks  and  herds  in  Egypt, 
with  the  requisite  number  of  women 
and  servants  to  take  care  of  them,  be- 
cause the  time  determined  by  God  foi 
their  final  departure  from  that  country 
had  not  yet  arrived  by  about  two  hun 
dred  vears. 


n.  O.  1689.1 


CHAPTER  L. 


423 


9  And  there  went  up  with 
him  both  chariots  and  horsemen: 
and  it  was  a  very  great  company. 

10  And  they  came  to  the 
threshing-floor  of  A  tad,  which  ?5 
beyond  Jordan,   and    there    they 


9.  There  went  up  uith  him  both  char- 
iots and  horsemen.  Htb.  '^"^  rekeb, 
chariot,  or  rather  chariotry,  col.  sing, 
for  phir.  a  great  muhitude  of  chariots. 
In  hke  manner  Ps.  63.  17,  '  The  chari- 
ots of  God  are  twenty  thousand.' 
Heb.  ~2'l  chariotry.  Jacob,  who  was 
wilhng  to  be  a  servant  in  Syria,  and 
'for  a  wife  kept  sheep,'  surely  never 
affected  splendor  in  his  life-time.  Yet 
he  is  honored  with  a  funeral  as  splen- 
did as  if  he  had  been  a  king.  A  com- 
mentator in  remarking  upon  it  says, 
'The  mourning  retinue  was  composed 
of  an  itinerant  national  multitude, 
which  swelled  like  a  flood  and  moved 
like  a  river.'  Such  honors  to  a  man 
after  his  death  can  be  of  no  value  to 
him.  It  was  the  happiness  of  Jacob 
that  his  dead  body  was  under  the  pro- 
tection of  his  God,  to  be  raised  again 
in  glory  and  incorruption  at  the  last 
day,  Luke  20.  37.  Yet  the  affectionate 
heart  of  Joseph  was  soothed  by  the 
sight  of  so  large  a  concourse  of  the 
first  men  of  Egypt.  His  grief  was 
mitigated  by  the  respect  paid  to  his 
father's  memory,  and  to  himself;  and 
may  it  not  be  hoped  that  the  discourse 
of  some  of  the  company  was  turned, 
by  the  occasion,  to  the  character  of  Ja- 
cob, and  to  those  marvellous  events 
which  had  procured  him  so  much  con- 
sideration from  the  king  of  Egypt  1  If 
so.  notwithstanding  that  Calvin,  in 
the  sternness  of  his  critical  judgment, 
thinks  there  was  even  on  the  part  of 
Joseph  an  undue  display  of  the  tokens 
of  grief  on  this  occasion,  may  it  not 
be  supposed  that  the  cause  of  true  re- 
ligion was  promoted  by  the  eercmonies 


"  mourned  with  a  great  and  very 
sore  lamentation  :  »  and  he  made 
a  mourning  for  his  father  seven 
days. 


h  2Sam.  1.  17. 
Job.  2.  13. 


Acts  8. 2.    i  1  Sam.  31.  13. 


attendant  upon   the  funeral? 1[  j,t 

teas  a  very  great  company.  Heb.  nin^^n 
"iii?2  TS!^  hammahaneh  kabed  meocl, 
the  encamping  host  icas  very  heavy. 
Thus  the  like  phrase  1  Kings,  3.  9, 
(Heb.)  'a  mighty  people'  is  expounded 
in  2  Chron.  1.  10,  '  a  great  people.' 

10.  They  came  to  the  threshing Jioor  of 
Atad.  Heb.  -!i::i>n  ']'^3  goren  ha-a- 
tad.  As  the  latter  word  in  the  original 
has  the  definite  article  prefixed  'the 
Atad,'  and  as  it  properly  signifies  a 
thorn,  briar,  or  bramble  bush,  it  is 
questionable  whether  the  correct  ren- 
dering be  not,  'they  came  to  the  plain 
or  area  of  the  thorn  bush  :'  i.  e.  to  a 
once  open  champaign  tract  now  grown 
over,  or  it  may  be,  compassed  about 
and  hedged  in,  with  thorns.  It  was 
undoubtedly  an  extensive  level  plat  oi 
ground,  like  the  spots  which  were  pre- 
pared for  threshing-floors,  or  it  may 
have  been  a  place  formerly  used  for 
that  purpose.  At  any  rate  it  was  a 
spot  sufiiciently  large  for  a  camping 
ground  for  the  whole  host.  While  the 
main  body  of  the  cavalcade  remained 
here,  the  remains  of  Jacob  were  proba- 
bly conveyed  by  a  select  company  to 
the  place  of  sepulture.  The  threshing- 
floor  of  Atad  might  have  been  a  more 
proper  place  than  the  field  of  Ephron, 
for  this  solemn  mourning  in  Ca- 
naan. What  if  the  inhabitants  of  the 
country  where  a  part  of  Jacob's  prop- 
erty lay,  had  looked  with  an  evil  eya 
on  such  a  large  company  of  men  con- 
tinuing seven  days  amongst  them? 
They  would  have  had  a  better  pretenca 
for  supposing  that  some  bad  design 
was  in  agitation,  than  Joseph  had  to 


424 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


11  And  when  the  inhabitants 
of  the  land,  the  Canaanites.  saw 
the  mourning  in  the  floor  of  Atad, 
they  said,  This  is  a  grievous 
mourning  to  the  Egyptians : 
wherefore  the  name  of  it  was 
called  Abel-mizraim,  which  is 
beyond  Jordan. 

12  And  his  sons  did  unto  him 
according  as  he  commanded 
them : 

13  For  •'his  sons  carried  him 

k  ch.  49.  29,  30.    Acts  7.  16. 


impute  bad  designs  to  his  brethren, 
when  they  came  to  Egypt  to  buy  corn. 
In  every  part  of  his  conduct  Joseph 
demeaned  himself  wisely.  While  his 
heart  was  pierced  with  sorrow,  he 
did  not  forget  those  rules  by  which  at 
other  limes  he  acted  to  prevent  mis- 
chief. 

11.  And  when  the  inhabitants  of  the 
land,  &c.  The  Canaanites  were  evi- 
dently astonished  at  the  expression  of 
the  overwhelming  sorrow  evinced  by 
the  Egyptians  and  that  for  seven  days 
together.  Surely,  they  would  say, 
this  man  must  have  been  greatly  rev- 
erenced or  greatly  beloved  in  Egypt. 
Probably  never  before  had  they  wit- 
nessed such  cries  of  grief  uttered,  never 
so  many  tears  shed,  for  a  single  man. 
Their  emotions  on  the  occasion  prompt- 
ed a  significant  name  for  the  place,  by 
which  it  was  afterwards  known.  They 
called  it  '  Abel-mizraim,'  the  mourning 
of  the  Egxjptians.  It  may  be  well  for 
us  to  bear  in  mind,  when  we  mourn  to 
an  uncommon  degree  for  the  death  of 
beloved  friends,  that  our  deportment 
will  probably  be  observed.  Let  us 
consider  whether  we  are  honoring  our 

profession  by  our  sighs  and  tears. 

^  Which  is  beyond  Jordan.  Heb. 
ITl^n  1'2^^  beaber  ha-yarden.  Most 
interpreters,  following  Jerome  who  has 


into  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  bu- 
ried him  in  the  cave  of  the  field 
of  Machpelah,  which  Abraham 
1  bought  with  the  field  for  a 
possession  of  a  burying-place 
of  Ephron  the  Hittite,  before 
Mamre. 

14  ][  And  Joseph  returned  into 
Egypt,  he  and  his  brethren,  and 
all  that  went  up  with  him  to  bu- 
ry his  father,  after  he  had  buried 
his  father. 

1  ch.  2.3  16. 


'  trans  Jordanem,'  render  this  '  beyond 
Jordan,'  which  is  adopted  in  our  Eng. 
version.  If  this  be  correct,  it  must  be 
understood  relatively  to  the  place 
where  Moses  wrote,  which  is  presumed 
to  have  been  in  the  wilderness  east  of 
the  Jordan.  Consequendy  the  thresh- 
ing-floor in  question  must  have  been 
on  the  west  of  the  Jordan.  Jerome 
accordingly  remarks  '  that  there  was 
in  his  time  a  place  two  or  three  miles 
from  Jericho  called  Bethagla  (rT^^ 
nb^y  beth-aglah)  i.  e.  place  of  circuit- 
ing, or  where  persons  walked  round  in 
a  circuit  after  the  manner  of  mourners. 
Rosen muller,  however,  observes  that 
the  original  "i^JJD  beaber  may  as  prop- 
erly be  rendered  'in  trajectu,'  at  the 
passage  of  the  Jordan,  without  defining 
on  which  side  of  the  river  the  place 
was  situated.  But  in  either  case,  the 
inference  is,  that  the  route  taken  from 
Egypt  was  not  the  direct  route  through 
the  land  of  the  Philistines,  but  the 
more  circuitous  one  through  a  part  of 
Arabia,  and  the  land  of  Moab  and  Am- 
mon.  This,  Leclerc  suggests,  may 
have  been  owing  to  the  apprehended 
hostility  of  the  Philistines  or  the  Edom- 
ites,  or  both. 

14.  And  Joseph  returned,  &c.  AS' 
the  time  for  the  fulfilment  of  the 
promise  respecung  the  egress  of  the 


B.  C  16S9.J  CHAPTER  L. 

15  ^  And  when  Joseph's  breth- 
ren saw  that  their  father  was 
dead,    '"  they   said,    Joseph    will 

m  Job  15.  21,  22. 


children  of  Israel  from  Egypt  had  not 
yet  arrived,  they  now  returned  to  the 
place  of  their  former  dwelling  to  wait 
the  unfolding  of  the  plans  of  provi- 
der^e.  Our  duties  to  deceased  friends 
and  relatives  terminate  at  their  gra\es. 
We  return  from  their  funerals  to  reflect 
upon  the  time  when  the  same  mourn- 
ful offices  will  be  performed  for  us  that 
we  have  performed  for  them,  and  to 
enter  upon  that  work  which  we  yet 
have  the  power  to  do  for  the  living. 

15.  And  when  Joseph's  brethren  sair, 
&c.  The  heart  of  man  is  by  nature 
vindictive.  It  was  a  just  observation 
of  Saul  to  David,  1  Sam.  24.  19,  'If  a 
man  find  his  enemy  will  he  let  him  go 
well  away?'  Hence  when  men  have 
injured  any  person,  they  hate  him,  be- 
cause they  think  he  must  of  necessity 
have  become  their  enemy  ;  and  if  they 
are  within  the  reach  of  his  person, 
they  fear  him,  because  they  conclude 
that  he  will  avail  himself  of  any  favor- 
able opportunity  to  revenge  himself 
upon  them.  It  was  thus  with  Joseph's 
brethren.  Their  thoughts*  being  no 
longer  occupied  with  the  pomp  and 
ceremonies  of  the  funeral,  are  naturally 
turned  into  another  channel.  Busy 
conscience  again  begins  to  work,  and 
to  fill  them  with  forebodings  of  ven- 
geance from  the  hand  of  Joseph. 
Though  his  veneration  for  his  father 
may  have  restrained  his  hands  till  this 
time,  yet  now  doubtless  he  will  review 
the  past  and  decide  that  their  sin  is  too 
great  to  be  forgiven.  These  unreason- 
able suspicions  were  perhaps  infused 
into  their  minds  from  what  they 
felt  in  themselves.  For  a  far  less  in- 
jury than  they  had  done  to  Joseph, 
36* 


425 


peradvcnture  hate  us,  and  will 
certainly  requite  us  all  the  evil 
which  we  did  unto  him. 

16  And  they  sent  a  messenger 


some  of  them  had  destroyed  a  whole 
city.  It  is  probable  too  that  this  ap- 
prehension was  strengthened  by  the 
recollection  of  what  their  father  Jacob 
had  suffered  from  the  vindictive  spirit 
of  Esau;  'The  days  of  mournirrg  for 
my  father  are  at  hand,  and  then  I  will 
kill  my  brother  Jacob.'  But  they 
knew  that  Esau  relented  before  his 
father's  death.  Why  did  they  suppose 
Joseph  to  be  a  second  Esau,  or  worse 
than  Esau?  Surely  his  former  behav- 
ior might  have  banished  all  such 
thoughts  from  their  minds.  But  their 
present  dejection  of  spirits  at  their 
father's  death  disposed  them  to  enter- 
tain dismal  thoughts,  which  would  not 
probably  have  been  admitted  at  another 
time.  Their  affliction  and  fear  brought 
their  sin  again  to  remembrance,  and 
renewed  their  apprehensions  of  ven- 
geance. '  He  will  certainly  requite  us 
all  the  evil  which  we  did  unto  him.' 
The  light  of  conscience  tells  us  that 
we  deserve  to  be  requited  according  to 
our  works ;  and  it  is  so  common  for 
men  to  requite  their  enemies  in  this 
way,  as  soon  as  it  is  in  their  power, 
that  it  is  difficult  for  us  to  believe  that 
any  will  act  otherwise,  when  they  can 
do  it  with  safety  to  themselves.  But 
however  rare,  the  world  yet  affords 
instances  of  men  who  love  their  ene- 
mies and  bless  those  that  curse  them. 
We  do  great  injustice  to  a  true  Chris- 
tian, if  we  think  him  no  better  than 
other  men.  Though  there  is  indeed 
flesh  as  well  as  spirit  within  him,  yet  he 
has  learnt  to  render  to  no  man  evil  for 
evil. 

15.    TTiey  sent  a  messenger  unto  Jo- 
seph.   Heb.    £icni  in  "WJ:"^  yetzavvu 


426 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1G89. 


unto  Joseph,  saying,  Thy  father 
did  command  beiore  he  died, 
saying, 

17  So  shall  ye  say  unto  Jo- 
seph, Forgive,  I  pray  thee  now, 
the  trespass  of  thy  brethren,  and 


el  Yoseph,  they  commanded  to  Joseph. 
The  original  has  nothing  respecting 
'  messengers,'  except  by  iniphcation. 
The  various  versions  for  the  most 
part  understand  that  messengers  were 
employed,  but  we  are  incUned  to  be- 
lieve from  V.  17,  that  they  addressed 
him  themselves,  in  a  personal  inter- 
view. The  word  'command,'  in  the 
sacred  idiom,  often  signifies  efficacious- 
ly to  procure  any  thing  to  be  done. 
Thus,  Ps.  42.  8,  '  The  Lord  will  com- 
viand  his  loving  kindness.'  Lev.  25. 
21,  'He  will  command  his  blessing;' 
i.  e.  he  will  effectually  secure  the  be- 
stowment  of  his  blessings.  So  in  the 
present  case  the  legitimate  meaning 
we  suppose  to  be  that  they  command- 
ed Joseph  by  laying  upon  him  the 
command  of  their  father.  This  is  upon 
the  supposition  that  such  a  command 
was  actually  given  by  Jacob,  which 
we  cannot  deny  without  questioning 
the  veracity  of  his  sons;  yet  the  pre- 
vious history  gives  us  no  account  of 
this  alleged  injunction  ;  and  it  must  be 
admitted  as  strange  in  the  extreme 
that  Jacob  should  not  have  given  Jo- 
seph this  charge  in  person,  instead  of 
communicating  it  to  him  by  proxy. 
Had  he  supposed  that  Joseph  retained 
any  secret  resentments,  he  would  cer- 
tainly have  endeavored  to  extinguish 
them,  or  to  guard  against  their  conse- 
quences in  one  of  his  last  interviews 
with  him.  He  spake  twice  to  him, 
and  once  to  all  the  brethren,  about  his 
burial  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  The 
conciliation  of  their  minds  to  one  an- 


their  sin ;  "  for  they  did  unto 
thee  evil :  and  now,  we  pray 
thee,  forgive  the  trespass  of  the 
servants  of  °  the  God  of  thy 
father.  And  Joseph  wept  when 
they  spake  unto  him. 

n  Pi-ov.  28.  13.    o  ch.  49.  25. 


other,  had  any  estrangement  been  sus- 
pected, would  have  been  a  more  im- 
portant subject  for  his  last  charge.  *It 
is  to  be  feared,  therefore,  that  the  ten 
brethren  took  an  unwarrantable  liberty 
with  their  father's  name,  and  uttered 
to  Joseph  a  forged  injunction.  But  a 
guilty  conscience  has  often  urged  sin- 
ners to  use  still  more  unjustifiable  arti- 
fices. The  plea  they  urged,  however, 
was  in  itself  well  adapted  to  compass 
the  end  proposed.  They  plead  the  dy- 
ing request  of  their  father.  What  more 
cogent  argument  could  be  used  with  a 
pious  mind  than  this 7  The  dying  re- 
quest of  a  friend  is  sacred;  and  how 
much  more  that  of  a  parent,  a  parent 
of  such  pre-eminent  worth  as  Jacob  ! 

17.  Forgive,  I  pray  thee,  the  trespass, 
&c.  They  make  an  mgenuous  confes- 
sion of  their  offence.  They  could  not 
do  less  if  they  expected  to  be  forgiven, 
for  it  was  too  well  knov^n  to  be  con- 
cealed. Ahhough  the  words  of  the 
peution  were  probably  not  the  words 
of  Jacob,  yet  Joseph  knew  that  they 
expressed  what  would  have  been  his 
father's  mind  had  he  left  such  a  com- 
mand as  his  brethren  alleged.  And 
undoubtedly  such  was  his  regard  for 
his  father,  that  he  would  have  forgiven 
his  brethren  for  his  sake,  even  had 
nobler  motives  been  wanting.  But  his 
forgiveness  would  not  have  been  cir- 
cumscribed within  the  limits  of  his 
father's  life.  As  we  have  already  seen 
in  reference  to  another  matter,  his 
I  father's  will  was  sacred  with  him 
I  when  the  old   ni«n  was  not  alive  to 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  L. 


427 


18  And  his  brethren  also  went 
and    p  fell  down  before  his  face : 

pch.  37.  7,  10. 


thank  him.  But  his  brethren  unite 
their  own  most  humble  and  earnest 
entreaties  with  the  alleged  command  of 
their  father.  However  strong  may  be 
our  propensity  to  revenge,  the  entreat- 
ies of  a  penitent  offender  will  disarm 
us.  It  is  scarcely  possible  for  a  man 
to  revenge  himself  on  one  who  lies 
prostrate  at  his  feet.  But  there  is  a 
peculiar  delicacy  in  the  address  which 
they  make  to  Joseph.  In  speaking  to 
him  of  Jacob,  they  do  not  designate 
him  as  their  father,  but  as  his;  ^Thy 
father  did  command.'  This  by  ap- 
pealing to  his  filial  reverence,  would 
bring  the  request  home  with  more 
power  to  his  heart.  But  there  was 
etill  another  motive  to  weigii  with  Jo- 
seph. His  brethren  sought  his  for- 
giveness on  the  ground  also  that  they 
were  'the  servants  of  the  God  of  his 
father;'  and  however  much  he  felt 
bound  to  do  for  his  father,  he  felt  con- 
strained to  do  incomparably  more  for 
his  father's  God.  Joseph  himself  was 
a  servant  of  God,  and  was  therefore 
bound  to  forgive  his  fellow-servants. 
They  had  indeed  in  some  instances 
been  very  imdutiful  to  God,  but  they 
served  a  God  who  pardons  iniquity, 
transgression,  and  sin  ;  and  why  should 
not  he?  He  himself  needed  remission. 
Although  an  eminently  holy  man,  yet 
the  debt  for  which  he  needed  and  re- 
ceived forgiveness  from  God,  was,  to 
that  debt  which  his  brethren  owed 
him,  as   ten   thousand   talents   to  two 

hundred  pence. ff  Joseph  wept  uhen 

they  spake  unto  him.  Considering 
how  long  his  brethren  had  forbore  to 
humble  themselves  aright,  Joseph 
might  well  have  upbraided  them,  both 
with  their  former  cruelty,  and  their 
subsequent  impenitence ;  or  he  might 


and  they  said,  Behold,  we  be  thy 
servants. 


have  imposed  conditions  upon  them, 
as  Solomon  afterwards  did  on  Shimei; 
or  he  might  have  pardoned  them  in 
kind  and  condescending  terms.  But 
the  way  in  which  he  expressed  his  for- 
giveness was  more  eloquent  and  con- 
vincing than  any  words  which  human 
ingenuity  could  ever  have  devised  ; 
'Joseph  wept  when  they  spake  unto 
him.'  Had  he  been  of  a  haughty 
spirit,  or  had  he  not  fully  understood 
their  motives,  he  would  have  been 
angry  with  his  brethren  instead  of 
weeping  with  them.  He  had  already 
from  his  heart  forgiven  them,  and  had 
given  them  abundant  proofs  that  their 
conduct  was  erased  from  his  memory. 
Did  they  imagine  that  he  was  for  sev- 
enteen years  playing  the  part  of  a 
hypocrite,  with  words  of  kindness  in 
his  mouth,  with  gifts  in  his  hand,  and 
malignity  in  his  heart?  Were  vile 
suspicions  of  his  sincerity  all  the  re- 
turn they  made  to  him  ?  But  the  truth 
doubtless  is,  that  Joseph  imputed  their 
appeal,  not  to  ingratitude,  or  to  any 
habitual  disbelief  of  his  sincerity,  but 
to  the  grief  and  fear  occasioned  by  the 
new  situation  in  which  their  father's 
death  had  placed  them.  Appreciating 
their  feelings,  the  softer  emotions  ope- 
rated on  his  heart  and  moved  him  to 
tears. 

18.  His  brethren  also  uent  and  fell 
down  before  his  face.  This  was  the 
final  and  complete  fulfilment  of  the 
dreams  of  Joseph  announcing  the  sub- 
jection and  homage  of  his  brethren. 
It  was  none  the  less  striking  becauto 
it  occurred  in  the  m'dst  of  a  scene 
of  deep  and  sympathetic  tenderness. 
They  had  been  effectually  subdued  and 
humbled,  and  we  cannot  imagine  a 
greater  contrast  than   that  which  wc 


428 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689. 


19  And  Joseph  said  unto  them, 
^  Fear  not :  '  for  am  I  in  the  place 
of  God  'I 

20  '  But  as  for  you,  ye  thought 

q  ch.  45.  5.  r  Deut.  32.  35.  Job.  34.  29. 
Rom.  12.  19.  Heb.  10.  30.  2  Kings  5.  7. 
6  Ps.  56,  5.    Isai.  10.  7, 


evil  against  me ;  hut  t  God  meant 
it  unto  good,  to  bring  to  pass,  as 
it  is  this  day,  to  save  much  peo- 
ple alive. 

tch.  45.  5,  7     Acts  3.  13,  14, 15. 


witness  between  the  men  indignantly 
listening  to   the  relation  of  Joseph's 
dreams,  and    the    men   unconsciously 
bringing    them    to  pass.     Thus   God 
with  infinite  ease  abases  the  high,  and 
exalts  the  lowly.     Perhaps  they  would 
have   behaved  in  a  manner  still  more 
agreeable  to  Joseph,  had  they  placed 
all   that  confidence  in  him  to  which  j 
his  generosity  entitled  him ;  yet  we  are 
pleased  to  see  them  act  like  men  dis-  | 
posed  to  accept  the  punishment  of  their  | 
iniquity  and  to  humble  themselves  un- 
der the  mighty  hand  of  God. 

19.  Fear  not :  for  am  I  in  the  place 
of  God?  These  words  seem  to  signi- 
fy that  God  is  to  be  regarded  as  the 
great  avenger  of  sin,  and  that  Joseph 
was  not  so  presumptuous  as  to  put 
himself  in  the  place  of  him  to  whom 
vengeance  belongeth.  He  was  indeed 
a  magistrate  to  whom  the  sword  v.^as 
given  to  execute  vengeance  upon  evil 
doers.  Yet  he  could  not  execute  ven- 
geance as  a  magistrate  upon  his  breth- 
ren for  an  ofience  committed  against 
himself  long  before  he  was  raised  to 
that  high  station.  The  invitation  which 
he  gave  them  to  come  and  dwell  with 
him  was  an  implied  promise  that  he 
would  not  use  his  authority  against 
them,  but  treat  them  as  if  they  had 
never  offended  him.  *  Vengeance  is 
mine ;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord.' 
What  can  be  more  presumptuous  than 
for  a  man  to  usurp  the  prerogatives  of 
the  Judge  of  all  the  earth?  Yet  this 
prerogative  is  usurped  by  every  man 
who  gives  indulgence  to  an  unforgiving 
spirit. — The  above  interpretation  gives 


a  clear  and  consistent  sense,  yet  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  original  rnrn 
"1:^  Q"'nb!*  ha-thahath  Elohim  ani, 
will  admit  of  the  rendering  Am  1  under 
God  7  q.  d.  '  Am  I  or  am  I  not  under 
God  7  Am  I  not  as  much  his  subject 
as  you  are?  If  so,  how  can  I  punish 
you  for  that  which  he  hath  turned  into 
good?  It  is  plain  that  his  providence 
has  sent  me  by  your  agency  to  Egypt, 
not  to  destroy  \  ou,  but  to  save  your 
lives.  How  then  shall  I  make  use  of 
the  advantages  aiforded  me  to  execute 
a  mean  vengeance  for  injuries  done  to 
myself?  Surely  I  should  thus  incur 
the  guilt  of  fighting  against  God,  and 
of  abusing  his  great  goodness  to  the 
service  of  sin.'  Let  us  consider  then, 
when  strongly  solicited  to  avenge  our- 
selves, whether  we  are  or  are  not  under 
God.  When  we  presumptuously  vio- 
late his  law  by  executing  that  ven- 
geance which  he  forbears  or  prohibits, 
do  M'e  not  in  effect  say  that  we  are 
above  him? 

20.  Ye  thought  evil  against  me,  hut 
God  meant  it  unto  good.  In  using  this 
language  Joseph  by  no  means  intended 
to  upbraid  his  brethren  with  what  they 
had  thought  against  him.  His  men- 
tion of  their  intentions  was  only  de- 
signed as  a  contrast  to  the  gracious  in- 
tentions of  God.  In  what  he  said  on 
the  same  subject  on  a  former  occasion 
Gen.  45.  5,  7,  he  made  no  allusion  at 
all  to  the  wickedness  of  their  thoughts. 
At  that  time  they  were  less  able  to  bear 
it.  But  before  their  father's  death  they 
had  time  to  be  assured  that  he  could 
mean  nothing  that  was  unkind.    After 


B.  C.  1689.J 


CHAPTER  L. 


21  Now  therefore  fear  ye  not : 
''I   will   nourish   you,   and   your 

vch.  47.  ]2.    Matt.  5.  44. 

SO  many  proofs  that  he  still  loved  them, 
notwithstanding  all  that  they  had  done 
and  intended,  they  might  bear  the  hint 
that  he  now  gave  them.  All  that  he 
could  intend  by  it  was,  to  acknowledge 
what  was  too  plain  to  be  denied,  and 
to  say  in  substance  that  what  he  had 
told  them  seventeen  years  before,  he 
still  adhered  to,  and  that  the  same  con- 
siderations which  induced  him  to  pass 
by  their  offence  then,  induced  him  to 
do  it  still.  He  savv  that  God's  thoughts 
were  thoughts  of  mercy  and  kindness 
both  to  himself  and  his  brethren  ;  and 
under  this  conviction,  how  could  he  be 
guilty  of  so  great  a  wickedness  as  to 
destroy  or  injure  those  very  persons 
whom  God  had  exalted  him  to  preserve 
and  protect  7  Let  us  think  of  Joseph's 
words  when  we  are  called  to  suffer  in- 
jurious treatment  from  others.  What- 
ever our  Heavenly  Father  permits  to 
befal  us,  he  intends  it  for  good,  if  we 
love  him.  And  shall  we  not  bless  him 
for  his  kind  intentions?  But  if  we 
bless  God,  do  not  let  us  curse  the  in- 
struments whom  he  employs  for  our 
good.  They  may  have  thought  evil 
against  us,  but  that  evil  will  not  light 
upon  us.  It  will  rather  recoil  upon 
themselves.  They  deserve  our  pity. 
The  displeasure  of  God  will  be  suflficien  t- 
ly  heavy  for  them  without  our  dis- 
pleasure. Is  it  not  enough  for  us  that 
all  the  evil  should  be  theirs,  and  all  the 
good  our  own?  Let  us  not  then  by 
indulging  a  vindictive  spirit  take  effec- 
tual measures  to  rob  ourselves  of  all 
the  good  that  we  might  derive  from 
what  is  evil  to  them,  and  share  with 
them  in  their  sin  and  its  consequences. 

IT  God  meant  it — as  it  is  this  day, 

to  sate  much  ■people  alive.    The  Egyp- 
tians were  saved  alive :  the  house  of 


little  ones, 
them,  and 
them. 


429 

And   ho   comforted 
spake    kindly    unto 


Jacob  was  saved  alive ;  the  seed  that 
was  to  spring  from  Joseph  was  pre- 
served from  extinction  in  the  loins  of 
their  progenitors.  The  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  divine  providence  in  over- 
ruling the  bad  intentions  of  Joseph's 
brethren  to  merciful  ends  were  clearly 
illustrated.  Although  their  sin  was 
not  lessened  by  its  happy  consequen- 
ces, yet  these  consequences  were  more 
than  sufficient  to  preserve  the  mind  ol 
Joseph  from  irritation,  and  to  set  the 
minds  of  his  brethren  at  rest  from  any 
fears  of  his  resentment.  Their  busi- 
ness therefore  was  not  to  give  way  to 
groundless  apprehensions,  but  to  hum- 
ble themselves  for  their  iniquity,  and  to 
adore  the  kindprovidence  which  brought 
so  much  good  to  themselves,  to  their 
children,  and  to  the  world  out  of  their 
sins. 

2L  Now  therefore  fear  ye  not :  1 
will  nourish  you,  &c.  Again  Joseph 
intreated  and  exhorted  them  to  confide 
in  his  love,  and  to  banish  their  fears. 
He  was  vexed  to  see  them  unhappy. 
He  wished  them  to  be  as  happy  as 
himself,  and  at  the  same  time  exempt- 
ed from  those  cares  which  were  insep- 
arable from  his  station.  Do  we  say 
that  we  forgive  those  who  have  offend- 
ed us?  We  say  well ;  but  how  do  we 
verify  our  words  ?  Are  we  ready  to 
perform  offices  of  kindness  and  chari- 
ty to  them  as  we  have  opportunity ;  to 
comfort  them  when  oppressed  with 
grief;  to  supply  their  necessities  when 
in  want ;  to  assist  them  in  whatever 
they  need  ?  Such  were  the  ways  by 
which  Joseph  assured  his  brethren  of 
his  good  will  to  them  after  their  of- 
fences. He  was  not,  like  many,  for- 
ward in  promising  and  slow  in  per- 
1  forming.    He  was  equally  prompt  in 


430 

22  H 
Egypt, 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1689, 


And 
he, 


Joseph    dwelt    in 
and     his     father's 


both. IT  He    comforted    them    and 

spake  kindly  unto  them.  Heb.  '^Dl'i 
CDb  b3>  ycdabber  al  libham^  spake  to 
their  heart.  On  the  force  of  this  ex- 
pression see  Note  on  Gen.  34.  3.  Al- 
though words  without  deeds  are  but 
wind,  yet  words  of  kindness  to  which 
deeds  correspond  are  precious  to  those 
who  are  prepared  to  value  them  ;  and 
euch  were  Joseph's  on  this  occasion. 

22.  Joseph  dwelt  in  Egypt,  &c. 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  by  faith 
sojourned  in  the  land  of  promise  as  in  a 
strange  land,  dwelling  in  tabernacles. 
The  life  of  Joseph  was  very  different 
from  that  of  his  fathers.  He  lived  in 
a  sumptuous  palace,  honored  by  the 
whole  nation  of  Egypt,  and  by  the 
surrounding  nations,  as  the  wisest  and 
one  of  the  greatest  of  men.  Yet  he 
lived  in  his  palace  by  faith,  as  his 
fathers  had  done  in  their  tents. 
Amidst  all  his  hooor  and  affluence,  he 
valued  the  promise  of  Canaan  more 
than  all  the  treasures  of  Egypt,  and 
looked  forward  with  joyful  anticipation 
to  the  time  when  in  the  persons  of  his 
seed  he  should  become  the  actual  pos- 
sessor of  that  rich  inheritance.  Yet 
at  present  Mie  dwelt  in  Egypt,  he, 
and  his  father's  house.'  Why  was 
this  "7  Not  surely  for  the  sake  of  the 
honors  and  pleasures  which  the  court 
of  Egypt  could  afford  him,  but  rather 
because  it  was  the  will  of  God  that  he 
should  dwell  there  to  be  a  father  to 
Pharaoh,  and  to  be  the  shepherd  of  Is- 
rael. The  people  of  Canaan  were  no 
doubt  by  this  time  multiplied  to  such  a 
degree  that  the  family  of  Jacob  would 
not  easily  have  found  a  place  to  live 
together  a  pastoral  life  as  one  great 
family.  The  report  that  the  whole 
land  was  expected  by  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob  to  be  the  inheritance  of  their 


house  :  and  Joseph  lived  an  hun- 
dred and  ten  years. 


seed,  was  perhaps  now  current  in  Ca- 
naan, and  this  would  natural  expose 
them  to  the  jealousy  and  hostility  of 
the  original  inhabitants.  And  as  the 
iniquities  of  these  heathen  tribes  were 
not  yet  full,  any  attempt  to  take  forci- 
ble possession  of  the  country  would 
have  been  premature.  But  whatever 
were  the  motives  which  determined 
the  children  of  Israel  to  prolong  their 
residence  in  Egypt,  we  know  that  their 
abode  in  that  land  had  been  fore-ap- 
pointed for  them  by  God,  for  his  own 
glory  and  for  their  good.  It  was  not 
hid  from  Abraham  when  God  promised 
him  the  land  of  Canaan  for  his  seed, 
that  he  and  his  seed  should  be  sojourn- 
ers in  a  land  that  was  not  theirs,  foi 
the  space  of  fotir  hundred  and  fifty 
years.  The  one  half  of  this  time  they 
abode  in  Canaan  as  in  a  strange  land, 
the  other  half  of  it  in  the  land  of 
Egypt.  This  prediction  they  no  doubt 
regarded  as  equivalent  to  a  divine  di- 
rection for  their  longer  stay. IF  He 

and  his  father^  s  house  ;  of  which  he  had 
now  become  the  head,  for  Reuben  had 
forfeited  his  birthright.  When  heads 
of  families  die,  it  is  happy  if  some 
member  of  the  family  remains  who  is 
able  and  willing  to  discharge  the  du- 
ties of  a  head  to  a  headless  house. 
The  elder  brother,  if  of  proper  age, 
ought  to  be  a  father  to  the  younger, 
and  the  younger  ought  to  pay  him 
that  deference  which  is  due  to  his  age, 
his  qualifications,  and  his  endeavors  to 
promote  the  common  welfare. IT  Jo- 
seph lived  an  hundred  and  ten  years. 
He  was  shorter  lived  than  his  father 
Jacob,  whose  days  had  been  fewer 
than  those  of  any  of  his  progenitors 
from  the  days  of  Adam.  But  if  men's 
lives  were  to  be  measured  by  their 
good    works   and  usefulness,   Joseph 


B.  C.  1689.] 


CHAPTER  L. 


431 


23  And  Joseph  saw  Ephraim's 
';hildren  ^  of  the  third  genera- 
tion: y  the  children  also  of  Ma- 

X  Job  42.  16.    y  Numb.  32.  39. 


liacl  lived  longer  than  the  greater  part 
of  them.  Although  he  might  still  have 
been  very  useful  had  he  lived  as  long 
as  either  of  his  three  illustrious  prede- 
cessors, yet  all  the  great  work  allotted 
liim  was  finished,  and  the  set  time  was 
come  when  he  died,  that  he  should  go 
to  a  better  world  to  receive  his  reward. 
Some,  even  after  the  time  of  Joseph, 
lived  much  longer.  Levi,  Amram,  Pto- 
ses, and  Aaron,  all  lived  longer  than 
Joseph  ;  but  his  days  were  many  com- 
pared with  the  days  that  ire  may  ex- 
pect to  live  on  earth.  Do  we  wish  to 
protract  the  term  of  our  pilgrimage  on 
earth,  and  approximate  the  period  of 
these  good  men  of  ancient  times  7  Let 
us  be  sober,  be  temperate,  be  cheerful, 
that  we  may  not  shorten  our  days  by 
the  indulgence  of  our  appetites  and  pas- 
sions. We  may  not  live  as  many  years 
as  Joseph,  because  God  may  not  have 
occasion  for  our  services  so  long  in  the 
world  ;  but  what  though  the  number 
of  our  days  be  cut  off  in  the  midst,  if 
the  residue  of  them  be  made  up  in  the 
better  country  7 

23.  Joseph  saw  Ephraim's  children 
of  the  third  generation.  Although  Jo- 
seph was  displeased  when  he  saw 
Ephraim  put  before  Manasseh,  yet 
when  he  knew  the  mind  of  God,  he 
was  well  pleased  with  the  preference 
given  to  his  younger  son;  and  it  was 
one  part  of  his  happiness  that  he  saw 
the  children  of  Ephraim  to  the  third 
generation.  He  could  not  expect  to 
see  with  his  own  eyes  the  full  accom- 
plishment of  a  promise  relating  to  the 
latter  days,  yet  he  saw  the  earlier  stages 
of  it.  One  generation  after  another 
grows  up  under  his  eye  to  praise  the 
Lord,  and  to  enjoy  the  privileges  of 


chir,  the  son  of  Manasseh, 
'  were  brought  up  upon  Joseph's 
knees. 

z  ch.  30, 3. 


his  church.  Of  what  incalculable 
value  is  length  of  days  to  a  man  bo 
well  quahfied  and  so  well  inclined  to  be 
useful  I  It  was  not  necessary  to  tell 
us  that  Joseph  was  careful  to  transmit 
the  privilege  and  the  love  of  religion 
to  the  generations  that  followed  him. 
His  faith  in  the  promise,  and  his  desire 
of  a  rich  share  in  the  inheritance  of  Ja- 
cob, leave  us  no  room  to  doubt  of  his 
care  to  train  up  hia  children,  and  his 
children's  children,  in  the  way  in 
which  they  should  go. IT  The  chil- 
dren also  of  Machir — uere  brought  up 
upon  Joseph's  knees.  Heb.  X^'^'^ 
P0"l1  "IjI^  ^^  yidledu  al  birke 
Yoseph,  were  bom  upon  Joseph's 
knees;  implying  not  only  that  they 
were  laid  at  birth  and  afterwards 
nursed  and  dandled  on  his  knees,  but 
also  that  they  were  in  a  sense  consid- 
ered as  his  own,  inasmuch  as  Ephraim 
and  Manasseh  had  been  adopted  in 
their  father's  place,  Gen.  48.  5,  and 
thus  Joseph  maybe  said  to  be  brought 
one  generation  nearer  to  his  grand- 
children. While  therefore  he  had  the 
pleasure  of  beholding  the  multipUca- 
tion  of  his  family  by  Ephraim,  he 
found  no  reason  to  fear  that  Manasseh 
would  be  forgotten  by  God.  What  he 
saw  with  his  eyes  was  only  a  confirma- 
tion of  what  he  had  heard  with  his 
ears,  that  though  Ephraim  was  to  be 
greater  than  Manasseh,  yet  Manasseh 
also  was  to  be  great.  If  children's 
children  are  the  glory  of  old  men, 
they  were  so  in  a  very  eminent  degree 
to  Joseph,  who  was  assured  that  the 
blessings  of  divine  goodness  should 
descend  upon  his  head  in  the  persons 
of  his  descendants. 

24.  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,    •. 


432 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1635. 


24  And  Joseph  said  unto  his 
brethren,  I  die;  and  »  God  will 
surely  visit  you,  and  bring  you 
out  of  this  land,  unto  the  land 
^  which  he  sware  to  Abraham,  to 
Isaac,  and  to  Jacob. 

a  ch.  15.  14.  &  46.  4.  &  48.  21.  Exod.  3. 
16,  17.  Hebr.  11.  22.  b  cb.  15.  14.  «fe  26.  3. 
&  35.  12.  &  46.  4. 


die,  &c.  Dying  men  are  often  very 
unwilling  to  believe  what  all  by-stand- 
ers  cannot  but  see.  They  take  hold  of 
every  shadow  of  appearance  to  flatter 
themselves  with  vain  hopes  of  living 
sometime  longer  in  this  world.  But 
Joseph  was  not  afraid  to  die,  or  to  ob- 
serve the  symptoms  of  his  approach- 
ing dissolution.  He  had  lived  in  such 
a  manner,  as  when  death  came  he 
wished  to  have  lived,  and  he  held  fast 
in  death  that  hope  which  had  animated 
his  soul  amidst  all  the  afflictions  of 

life. IT  God  will  surely  visit  you. 

Heb.  IpD"!  "7pQ  pakod  yiphkod,  visit- 
ing will  visit.  By  this  is  virtually  im- 
plied an  antecedent  season  of  afflic- 
tion ;  for  '  visiting'  implies  '  deliver- 
ance,' and  before  they  could  be  delivered 
they  must  be  in  distress.  It  is  clear  that 
when  Joseph  was  dying  his  thoughts 
were  not  engrossed  by  his  own  con- 
cerns, although  he  was  on  the  borders 
of  the  everlasting  world.  His  mind 
was  at  perfect  ease  concerning  his  own 
state.  But  he  did  what  he  could  to 
console  the  hearts  of  his  brethren,  and 
of  all  his  father's  house,  whom  his 
death  was  depriving  of  their  best  earth- 
ly friend.  He  let  them  know  that 
they  had  a  far  better  friend  in  heaven, 
who  could  not  die,  and  who  would 
surely  visit  them  and  bring  them  again 
out  of  Egypt.  The  death  of  our  wor- 
thy friends  is  just  cause  for  sorrow,  but 
not  of  despondency.  Brittle  cisterns 
at  best,  they  are  now  broken  cisterns, 
in  which  no  water  is  left;  but  the 
fountain  of  living  water  is  never  ex- 


25  And  "  Joseph  took  an  oath 
of  the  children  of  Israel,  saying, 
God  will  surely  visit  you,  and  ye 
shall  carry  up  ray  bones  from 
hence. 


c  Exod.  13.  19.    Josh.  24.  32.    Acts  7.  16. 

hausted.  When  Joseph  tells  his  sur- 
viving children  that  God  will  surely 
visit  them  and  bring  them  out  of  that 
land,  he  does  not  refer  them  to  any 
new  discoveries  made  to  himself,  out 
to  the  well-known  promise  made  to 
Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob. 
When  there  was  no  written  word  of 
God,  his  afflicted  people  found  a  suf- 
ficient ground  for  their  faith  and  hope 
in  the  sure  promises  handed  down  from 
father  to  son.  How  superior  are  our 
privileges,  who  enjoy  that  precious 
volume    filled  with  promises  as    the 

heaven  is  with  stars! ^  The  land 

which  he  sware  to  Abraham,  &c.  How 
wonderful  is  the  condescension  of  God 
in  confirming  his  promises  by  an  oath! 
Had  he  merely  promised  without 
swearing,  ought  he  not  to  have  been 
trusted  7  But  when  to  silence  all  the 
whispers  of  our  unbelieving  hearts,  he 
engages  upon  oath  to  do  what  he  has 
said,  we  cannot  refuse  our  assent  to 
his  word  without  making  him  worse 
than  a  liar.  '  Which  he  sware !'  Why 
are  not  the  hearts  of  stubborn  sinners 
terrified  when  they  hear  God  swearing 
that  he  will  never  forget  any  of  their 
works,  and  that  they  shall  not  enter 
into  his  rest?  Why  are  not  the  hearts 
of  trembling  sinners  emboldened  to 
flee  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  on  the  hope 
set  before  them,  when  they  hear  the 
Lord  saying,  *  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord 
God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of 
the  wicked,  but  that  he  should  turn 
and  live  V 
25.  Joseph  took  an  oath  of  the  chil 


B.  C.  1635.] 


26  So  Joseph  died,  being  an 
hundred  and  ten.  years  old  :  and 


CHAPTER  L.  433 

they    d  embahned  hinn,    and  he 
was  put  in  a  coffin  in  Egypt. 

(I  ver.  2. 


dren  of  Israel.  How  naturally  do  we 
imitate  the  example  of  men  whom  we 
revere!  Jacob  expressed  his  faith  in 
God's  promise,  by  taking  an  oath  from 
Joseph  that  he  would  carry  up  his 
dead  body  to  the  land  of  Canaan,  and 
bury  it  there.  Joseph  in  like  manner 
took  an  oath  of  the  sons  of  Jacob  be- 
fore he  died.  He  did  net  expect  that 
any  of  his  brethren  then  living  would 
live  long  enough  to  carry  up  his  bones 
at  the  departure  from  Egypt  to  Ca- 
naan, and  he  did  not  expect  to  be 
buried  in  Canaan  before  that  time ;  yet 
he  took  an  oath  from  them,  that  when 
that  happy  period  should  arrive,  his 
bones  should  not  be  left  behind.  He 
hoped  that  such  a  sense  of  the  sacred 
obligation  of  an  oath  would  remain 
amongst  them,  that  none  would  pre- 
tend to  excuse  themselves  from  the 
performance  of  what  he  had  enjoined 
on  tlie  ground  of  never  having  as- 
sumed the  obligation  in  their  own  per- 
sons.  IT  God  rcill  surely  visit  you, 

and  ye  shall  carry  icp  my  bones  from 
hence.  '  Therefore  I  require  an  oath  of 
you  that  when  God  performs  his  oath, 
you  will  carry  up  my  bones  hence.' 
He  would  have  them  learn  from  the 
divine  faithfulness  to  be  faithful  them 
selves.  Though  Joseph  had  lived  but 
a  short  time  in  Canaan,  having  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Egypt 
surrounded  by  riches  and  honor,  yet 
he  never  considered  Egypt,  but  Ca- 
naan, as  his  home.  It  was  consequent- 
ly his  desire  that  his  bones  should  lie, 
not  with  the  dust  of  the  princes  of 
Egypt,  but  in  the  land  which  God  had 
given  by  covenant  to  his  fathers.  If  it 
be  asked  why  did  he  not  require  his 
bones  to  be  carried  up  immediately 
upon  his  death,  it  mav  be  answered 
37 


that  a  speedy  removal  of  his  remains 
might  have  been  construed  into  a  con- 
tempt of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  so 
have  brought  evil  upon  his  brethren. 
It  might  also  be  a  temptation  to  them 
to  attempt  a  premature  migration  from 
the  land  of  their  present  sojourning. 
A  wise  man's  heart  discerneth  both 
time  and  judgment. 

26.  So  Joseph  died.  All  his  grand- 
eur, and  riches,  and  goodness  could 
not  save  him  from  the  hands  of  the 
last  enemy.  And  yet  it  is  a  certain 
truth  that  'righteousness  delivereth 
from  death.'  His  death  was  not  his 
destruction.  He  died  that  he  might 
live  a  better  life  than  he  could  live  on 
earth.  It  was  superfluous  to  say  of 
him,  as  was  said  of  Lazarus,  that 
'angels  carried  him  to  Abraham's 
bosom.'  Blessed  are  the  dead  v/ho  die 
in  the  Lord.  Joseph  died  at  the  age  of 
an  hundred  and  ten.  Some  of  these 
years  v.-ere  spent  in  grief;  more  of 
them  in  joy.  But  when  he  entered 
into  the  eternal  world,  he  found  that 
the  years  spent  in  grief  had  been  as 
necessary  for  him,  and  were  as  pro- 
ductive of  benefit,  as  the  years  in 
which  he  had  seen  prosperity.  He 
had  not  lived  so  long  as  his  father,  but 
he  had  lived  to  bring  forth  much  fruit 
unto  God ;  and  without  this  what 
would  it  have  availed  him,  what  will 
it  avail  us,  to  live  as  long  as  Methu- 
selah?— Joseph's  death  occurred  A.  M. 
2369,  64  years  before  the  birth  of  Moses, 
and  144  before  the  dehverance  from 
Egypt. ^  They  embalmed  hivi.  Jo- 
seph had  caused  this  ceremony  to  be 
performed  for  his  father,  not  merely  be- 
cause he  wished  to  do  all  the  honor  to 
the  patriarch's  body  which  was  usually 
paid  to  the  remains  of  great  men  in 


^4 


GENESIS. 


[B.  C.  1635. 


Egypt,  but  because  it  was  necessary  in 
order  to  preserve  it  from  corruption,  till 
it  could  be  carried  to  the  place  of  sep- 
ulture. The  same  reason  existed  for 
dealing  in  a  similar  manner  with  the 
body  of  Joseph.  He  was  accordingly 
embalmed  and  put  in  a  cofl&n,  but  not 
buried.  Where  the  body  was  kept  in 
the  interval  prior  to  the  exodus  from 
Egypt  we  are  not  informed ;  but  being 
dead,  he  yet  spake  to  the  Israelites. 
His  venerable  mummy,  waiting  foi 
the  time  of  its  removal,  cried  aloud  to 
his  kinsmen,  *  Here  is  not  your  rest ; 
you  are  in  a  strange  land;  but  God 
will  surely  visit  you  and  bring  you  into 
the  land  which  he  sware  to  your  fa- 
thers to  give  you.'     Joseph's   dying 


hopes  were  not  disappointed.  When 
Moses  left  Egypt  in  haste,  neither  the 
hurry  of  the  departure,  nor  the  im- 
mense load  of  business  and  care  which 
then  Jay  upon  his  mind  made  him  for- 
get the  bones  of  Joseph.  He  would 
have  thought  himself  guilty  of  the 
basest  ingratitude,  and  even  of  perjury, 
if  the  oath  made  to  the  dying  patriarch 
had  not  been  observed.  Not  one,  it 
may  be  presumed,  of  those  persons  to 
whom  the  oath  had  been  administered, 
was  then  in  the  land  of  the  living. 
But  the  oath  which  they  had  sworn 
survived  their  own  dissolution,  and 
lived  in  its  binding  power  upon  the 
consciences  of  their  descendants. 


INDEX 


SUBJECTS  AND  PHRASES. 


Abimehch^  import  of  the  name, 

Abraham^  name  explained, 

Abyss,  term  explained, 

Abrek,  or  bow  the  knee,  meaning  of  the  term  considered, 

Accepting  the  face,  what  meant  by  it, 

According  to  the  mouth  of,  what  meant  by  the  phrase, 

Adam,  import  of  the  name, 

how  he  is  said  to  have  begotten  a  son  in  his  own  likeness, 

Adultery,  how  punished, 

Almighty,  or  All-sufficient,  Shaddai,  a  title  of  the  Most  High, 

Altars,  definition  and  use  of, 

And,  equivalent  to  even, 

Angel  of  the  Lord,  who  intended  by  the  phrase, 

used  as  a  personification  of  an  event  of  providence, 

who  redeemed  Jacob  from  evil,  who. 

Animal  food,  not  an  ordinary  diet  among  the  Orientals, 
Animals,  brought  to  Adam  to  be  named. 
Appearing,  what  meant  by  it  when  applied  to  God, 

to  Abraham  and  tho  patriarchs, 

— —  before  the  Lord, 

Antediluvians,  considerations  on  their  great  age, 

Aram,  the  same  as  Syria, 

Ararat,  mountains  of,  where  situated, 

Archers  wounding  Joseph,  how  phrase  to  be  explained, 

Ark,  Noah's  account  of  the  construction  o^ 

Ass,  wild,  described, 

B. 

Babel,  (Babylon,)  confusion  of  tongues  at, 
Baker  and  butler,  nature  of  their  offices, 

their  dreams,  how  interpreted  by  Joseph, 

Baskets,  seen  in  the  baker's  dream,  of  what  kind, 
Banquet,  used  in  the  sense  of  drinking, 


Vol.  Page 

1. 33r 

I. 

194,  270 

I.  29 

H.  287 

I.  313 

n. 

356,  311 

I.  109 

'S, 

I.  109 

n.  243 

I.  268 

I.  147 

I.  219 

I.  260 

n.  35 

n.  378 

I.  286 

I.  64 

n.  202 

I.  200 

H.  345 

I.  Ill 

n.  17 

I.  140 

H.  412 

I.  124 

I. 

177-179 

n.  259 

n.  260 

H.  267 

I.  303 

n.  124 

436  INDEX   OF    SUBJECTS    A^'D   PHRASE3. 

Barter,  how  carried  on  in  ancient  times,  II. 

Bearing  upon  the  knees,  what  to  be  understood  by, 
Beasts,  clean  and  unclean,  grounds  of  the  distinction  of, 
Before  the  Lord,  the  sense  of  the  phrase,  1. 

Begin,  sometimes  means  to  continue  an  action,. 
Being  with  one,  peculiar  force  of  the  expression, 
Believing  in  God,  the  phrase  explained  as  applied  to  Abraham, 
Benediction,  prophetical,  why  accompanied  with  eating  and  drink- 
ing, 
Benjamin,  import  of  the  name. 
Bethel,  why  called  Beth-aven, 

in  what  sense  called  God's  house, 

Bethlehem,  account  of  the  modern, 

Birth- day  f casts,  common  in  ancient  times. 

Birthright,  in  what  it  consisted,  II. 

Bishop,  peculiar  sense  of  the  original  term, 

Bless,  what  the  term  imports, 

Blessing,  used  in  the  sense  of  gift,  or  an  act  of  liberality, 

Blindness,  applied  to  signify  the  effects  of  vertigo  of  the  brain, 

Bottles,  eastern,  described, 

Bowing  down,  common  token  of  respect  in  the  East, 

Bowing  upon  the  bed's  head,  phrase  considered, 

Bracelets,  eastern  ornament  described, 

Branches,  term  used  for  wives  and  children, 

Bread,  a  general  term  for  food, 

Breath  of  life,  phrase  explained. 

Bricks,  what  kind  employed  in  the  building  of  Babylon, 

Brother,  used  for  kinsman, 

Building  one's  house,  equivalent  to  raising  up  children, 

Burnt-offerings,  nature  of, 

Burying-place,  what  implied  by  the  purchase  of  one,  II. 

nature  of  the  most  ancient. 

Butter,  the  use  of  it  as  an  article  of  diet  in  the  East, 
By  the  life  of  Fharaoh,  the  oath  considered, 

C. 

Cain  and  Abel,  account  of  their  respective  offerings,  I. 

explanation  of  the  sentence  of  the  former,  I. 

Cakes,  how  speedily  baked  in  the  East, 

Calling  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  what  meant  by  it, 

CameVs  milk,  great  use  made  of  in  the  East, 

Cannot,  used  not  unfrequently  to  express  moral  inability, 

Casting  out  the  bondwoman,  what  meant  by  the  expression. 

Cattle  and  beast,  distinction  of, 

Cave  of  Machpelah,  account  of, 

Change  of  garments,  when  and  why  enjoined, 

Changes  of  raiment,  a  common  present  in  the  East, 

Cherubims,  account  of  and  how  to  be  viewed. 


Vol.  Page. 

24, 

25 

II. 

12& 

I. 

132 

172, 

218 

I. 

160 

II. 

252 

I. 

242 

II. 

65 

II. 

206 

II. 

112 

II. 

113 

II. 

207 

II. 

269 

67, 

68 

II. 

281 

I. 

39 

II. 

182 

I. 

306 

I. 

353 

II. 

24 

II. 

370 

II. 

43 

II. 

44 

I. 

353 

I. 

53 

I. 

181 

II. 

19 

I. 

257 

I. 

147 

.  22, 

27 

I. 

287 

II. 

302 

.  96, 

97 

.  9S-104 

I 

285 

II 

.  165 

II 

.  117 

I 

.  351 

I 

40 

11 

24 

IT 

200 

II 

342 

I 

92 

INDEX   OF   SUBJECTS   AND   PHRASES,  437 

Vol.  Page. 

Childy  used  in  the  sense  of  lad,  siHpling,  I.  354 

Children  of  the  East,  what  people  intended  by  the  phrase,  II.    55 

Circumcision,  nature  and  origin  of  the  institution,  I.  272 

Coat  of  many  colors,  what  to  be  understood  by  Joseph's,  II.  222 

Coats,  how  God  is  said  to  have  made  for  our  first  parents,  I.    88 

Command,  peculiar  sense  of  the  term,  II.  426 

Commanding  one's  household,  what  implied  by  it,  I.  295 296 

Communing  with  a  servant,  common  in  the  East,  II.  317 

Comparative,  for  absolute  expressions,  not  unfrequent  in  the 

Scriptures,  II.  336 

Concubine,  what  kmd  of  connexion  implied  by  the  term,  I.  257  II.     17 

Corrupting,  ascribed  to  God  in  the  sense  of  destroying,  I.  124 

Corruption,  how  ascribed  to  the  earth,  I.  123 

Counting  for  righteousness,  lAiXd^SQ  ex'^laXned,                  .  1.243 

Covenant,  scriptural  sense  of  the  term,  I.  128 

Covenant  of  salt,  what  I.  328 

Covering  of  the  eyes,  how  Abraham  was  a  to  Sarah,  I.  344 

Creation,  the  true  import  of  the  term  I.    27 

Cursing,  how  to  be  understood  when  spoken  of  God,  I     81 

in  what  sense  the  serpent  was  cursed,  I.    82 

in  what  sense  the  ground,  I.    86 

Cutting  off  a  soul,  what  implied  in  that  punishment,  I.  277 

Cutting  a  covenant,  what  meant  by,  I.  254 

D. 

Day,  in  what  sense  the  term  used  in  the  Mosaic  narrative,  I.    31 

in  what  sense  said  to  be  great,  II.  116 

Dead  man,  used  for  one  in  imminent  danger  of  death,  I.  337 
Dead  woman,  in  what  sense  Rachel  affirmed  that  she  should  be 

one,  II.  128 

Deborah,  how  honored  as  a  nurse,  II.  203 
Deios,  their  copiousness  in  the  East,                                              II.    92,    154 

Die,  how  Adam  was  to  in  the  day  of  his  disobedience,  I.    63 

Digging  a  grave  for  one's  self,  custom  in  relation  to,  II.  421 
Dividing  one's  self,  in  military  movements,  what  meant  by  it, 

Diviner,  in  what  sense  this  character  is  ascribed  to  Joseph,  II,  324 

Drawing  water,  performed  by  females  in  the  East,  II.    37 

Dreams,  repetition  of,  what  meant  by,  II.  226 

anciently  a  mode  of  divine  communication,  I.  337 

Drinking,  at  feasts,  how  the  phrase  to  be  understood,  II.  323 

Duke,  true  sense  of  original  term,  II*  213 

Dwelling  in  tents,  how  affirmed  of  Jacob,  11.    64 

E. 

Ear-rings,  eastern  described,  11.    42 

Eating  the  forbidden  fruit,  design  of  the  prohibition  considered,  1.    62 

Eber,  why  Shera  called  the  father  of  his  children,  I.  175 

Edar,  tower  oC  passage  resoecuiig  explained,  H.  203 

S7* 


Vol.  Page. 

I.  55- 

-61 

II.  63, 

67 

II. 

32 

I. 

240 

II. 

203 

11. 

419 

I. 

84 

I. 

112 

I. 

113 

II. 

293 

II. 

63 

I. 

60 

L 

87 

I. 

85 

438  jy.DEX    OF    StJBJECTS    AND   THRASES. 

Eden,  garden  of,  locality  attempted  to  be  fixed, 

Edom,  import  of  the  name, 

Elder,  term  explained  as  a  title  of  office, 

Eliezer,  how  the  name  Lazarus  formed  from, 

El-Bethel,  meaning  of  the  phrase, 

Embalming,  how  and  by  whom  performed, 

Enmity,  how  put  between  the  seed  of  the  serpent  and  the  seed  of 

the  woman, 
Enoch,  what  meant  by  his  walking  with  God, 

views  of  his  translation, 

Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  import  of  the  names, 
Esau,  import  of  the  name^ 
Ethiopia,  same  as  Cush, 
Eve,  import  of  the  name, 

how  her  desire  was  to  be  to  her  husband, 

Everlasting  covenant,  everlasting  possession,  how  the  phrase  to 

be  understood,  I.  271 

F. 

Fainting,  how  spoken  of  a  land,  II.  362 

how  of  the  heart,  II.  344 

Fall,  how  the  term  applied  to  Ishmael,  II.  59,  60 
Falling  out  by  the  way,  what  meant  by  the  expression,  II.  343 
Father  of  many  nations,  in  what  sense  Abraham  was  to  be,  I.  269 
Fatness  of  the  earth,  how  used  as  a  symbol  of  spiritual  blessings,  II.  92 
Fear  of  Isaac,  in  what  sense  God  so  termed,  II.  154 
Firmament,  true  sense  of  the  term,  I.  33 
First-born,  how  Esau  affirmed  himself  to  be,  II.  89 
Finding  grace  or  favor  in  one's  sight,  what  I.  312 
Fifth  part  of  the  land,  what  meant  by  Joseph's  taking  it,  II.  282 
Find,  peculiar  sense  of  the  original  term,  II.  215,  232 
Flocks,  term  sometimes  includes  keepers,  II.  115 
Foot,  peculiar  usage  of  the  term  in  Hebrew,  II.  135 
For  ever,  with  what  hmitation  the  term  used,  I.  220 
Fulfilling  one's  "xeek,  what  meant  by  the  expression,  II.  125 
Fall  of  davs,  what  the  import  of  the  phrase  as  applied  to  Abra- 
ham, 11.    56 

G. 

Gates,  how  said  to  be  possessed, 

usual  place  of  ratifying  contracts. 

Gates  of  hell,  how  said  not  to  prevail  against  the  church. 

Gathered  to  one's  fathers,  what  meant  by  being. 

Generations,  original  term  how  used. 

Getting  a  man  from  the  Lord,  how  Eve's  words  respeeting  to  be 

understood, 
Getting  or  making  souls,  what  meant  by  the  expression, 
Gia-ntSf  the  antedilunan,  torm  explained, 


11. 

15 

II. 

25 

II. 

195 

II. 

57 

I. 

51 

I. 

n 

I. 

198 

I. 

lis 

IKDEX    OF    SUCJECTS   AND   PHRASES.  439 


Gilead,  mount,  account  of  the  region  so  called, 
Give,  used  in  Heb.  for  set,  appoint,  constitute, 
Giving  up  the  ghost,  phrase  explained, 
Glory,  used  sometimes  for  the  tongue, 

used  occasionally  as  synonymous  with  riches, 

Go,  or  walk,  used  in  the  sense  of  constantly  increase, 
God,  the  import  of  the  title  both  in  Heb.  and  Eng., 
— —  in  what  sense  frequently  affixed  to  other  words, 
Going  childless,  phrase  explained, 

Going  down,  how  attributed  to  God, 

Going  down  into  the  grave  mourning,  what  meant  by  it, 

God  forbid,  true  force  of  the  expression, 

God^s  being  with  one,  what  meant  by  it, 

Goodly  raiment,  given  by  Rebekah  to  Jacob,  what, 

Goelism,  ancient  usage  explained, 

Governor,  origin  and  import  of  the  original  word, 

Grave,  origin  of  the  term., 

Greater,  used  in  Heb.  for  elder, 

Grizzled,  origin  and  meaning  of  the  term. 

Groves,  anciently  used  as  places  of  prayer, 

H. 

Hated,  equivalent  to  loved  less, 
Hearing  a  voice,  what  the  sense  of  the  expression, 
Hearken,  used  in  the  sense  of  to  obey, 

Hebrew,  whether  the  original  language,  and  whence  the  name  de- 
rived, 

why  Abraham  so  called. 

Heaven,  scriptural  sense  of  the  term. 
Help  meet,  phrase  explained, 

Hospitality,  a  distinguished  virtue  of  eastern  nations, 
Host  of  the  heavens  and  earth,  what  meant  by  the  phrase, 
Hunter,  a  mighty,  in  what  sense  Nimrod  so  called,  , 

I. 

Jf,  sometimes  equivalent  to  a  negative^ 

Image,  how  man  was  made  after  God's, 

Impersonal  modes  of  expression  common  in  the  scriptures, 

Inheriting  one,  what  meant  by, 

Jnn,  term  sometimes  signifies  merely  lodging-place^ 

Inquiring  of  the  Lord,  how  done  in  ancient  times, 

Isaac,  import  of  his  name, 

Ishmael,  the  import  of  his  name,  and  the  prediction  respecting  him 

considered, 
Israel,  import  and  application  of  the  name, 


Jacob,  import  of  the  name,  II.    63 


Vol.  Pajie. 

TI. 

146 

I. 

43 

II. 

56 

II. 

392 

II. 

139 

II. 

75 

I. 

26 

II. 

23 

I. 

240 

I. 

296 

II. 

237 

I. 

299 

I. 

358 

II. 

68 

I. 

153 

II. 

298 

II. 

23 

II. 

84 

II. 

141 

I. 

366 

II. 

126 

I. 

358 

I. 

257 

I. 

177 

I. 

227 

I. 

27 

I. 

64 

I. 

282 

I. 

45 

I. 

171 

I. 

237 

I. 

41 

II. 

372 

I. 

241 

II. 

306 

II. 

62 

I. 

279 

I.  262—266 

II. 

173 

440  INDEX   OF    SUBJECTS   AND   PHRASES. 

Vol.  Page- 

Jehovak-jireh,  import  of  the  phrase  explained,  II.     13 

Joseph,  charged  with  oversight  of  his  brethren,  11.  220 

how  he  brought  his  brethren's  evil  report,     *  II.  221 

how  a  son  of  Jacob's  old  age,  II.  222 

■ how  the  ox  a  symbol  of,  II.  394 

his  conduct  vindicated  in  reference  to  the  Egyptian  priests,  II.  366 

his  dissimulation  with  his  brethren  justified,  II.  300 

his  conduct  in  marrying  Asenath  considered,  II.  290 

how  he  is  said  to  have  remembered  his  dreams,  II. 

how  likened  to  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well,  II.  410 

Judge,  in  what  sense  the  original  term  used,  II.  129 

K. 

Keeping  covenant,  what  meant  by  the  phrase,  I.  272 

Kesitah,  name  of  a  Jewish  coin,  II.  1S6 

Keturah,  at  what  time  she  was  married  to  Abraham,  II.    53 

Kissing,  a  token  of  subjection,  II.  284 

Knowing,  applied  to  God  in  the  sense  of  making  known,  II.     12 

Knowledge,  implies  practical  feeling  and  experimental  sense,  I.    E6 

L. 

Lad,  in  what  sense  term  used  in  the  scriptures,  II.     12 

Ladder,  Jacob's  vision  of  the,  considered,  II.  106 

Last  days,  import  of  the  phrase,  II.  .335 
Laughing,  by  what  motives  prompted  in  Abraham  and  Sarah,      I.  279,    290 

Learning  by  experience,  what  meant  by  the  phrase,  II.  134 

Leading,  used  in  the  sense  of  providing,  II.  360 

Lead  on  softly,  phrase  explained,  II.  184 

Lentiles,  w^hat  and  how  dressed,  II.    69 

Levlraie  law,  the  nature  of,  II,  240 

Liberality,  large  professions  of,  common  among  the  Orientals,  II.    26 

Lifting  up  the  feet,  Tphvase  how  used,  II.   II4 

Lifting  up  the  head,  what  implied  by  it,  II.  264 

Lifting  up  the  hand,  equivalent  to  swearing,  I.  237 

Life  and  soul,  terms  used  synonymously,  I.  151 

Lighting  of  from  a  camel,  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  a  superior,  II.    52 
Lighting  upon  a  place,  how  far  the  idea  of  chance  involved  in  the 

expression,  II.  105 

Lightly,  used  in  the  sense  of  easily,  II.    74 

Lights,  how  made  on  the  fourth  day,  J,    35 

how  serve  for  signs,  seasons,  &c.,  I.    36 

Looking  behind,  what  implied  in  the  commend  given  to  Lot,         I.  311,    326 

Lord,  title  of  honor  in  the  East,  II.    25 

Lord  God,  import  of  the  title,  I.    51 

Loud  weeping,  common  among  the  Orientals,  II.  333 

M. 

Magicians,  of  Egypt,  what  class  of  men  to  be  under8too4  by  tba 

ternJi  IL  273 


INDEX    or    srnjECT?    AND    PHRASES. 


441 


Mahanaim,  what  the  origin  and  import  of  the  name, 
Man^  Adam,  import  of  the  name, 
Mandrakes,  what  plant  probably  intended  by, 
Mark,  set  upon  Cain,  phrase  explained. 
Marriages,  how  negotiated  in  the  East, 
Marry,  used  in  the  sense  of  betroth, 
Melchizedek,  view  of  his  person  and  character, 
Mesopotamia,  geographical  account  of, 
Ministering  to  one,  what  implied  by  the  expression, 
Mocking,  how  affirmed  of  Ishmael, 
Moriah,  land  of,  what  region  intended  thereby. 
Mountain,  often  equivalent  to  a  mountainous  region^ 
Moving  creature,  true  import  of  original  term, 
Mules,  account  of  Anah's  finding  in  the  wilderness, 

N. 
Nakedness  of  the  land,  what  meant  by  the  phrase, 
Naming  a  name  upon  one,  what  meant  by  it. 
Nations,  how  said  to  be  blessed  in  Abraham's  seed, 
Nimrod,  import  of  his  name,  and  his  general  character  consid- 
ered, 
Noah,  import  of  his  name  and  various  events  of  his  history, 
■   —  his  cursing  of  Canaan  considered, 
his  predictions  respecting  Shem  and  Japhelh  explained, 

which  of  his  sons  the  eldest, 

Nomade  tribes,  how  they  become  settled  cultivators, 
Nuptial  benediction,  form  of  among  the  ancient  Hebrews, 
Nurses,  highly  valu.d  and  honored  among  the  eastern  nations, 

•      O. 

Oath  of  execration,  what  meant  by, 

Observe  a  saying,  import  of  the  expression, 

Of,  used  for  concerning,  respecting, 

Onan,  his  sin  and  punishment,  ..  ] 

Only  son,  equivalent  to  beloved  son. 

Opening  of  the  eyes,  of  our  first  parents  in  consequence  af  sin, 

of  Hagar  in  the  wilderness. 

Overseeing,  how  expressed  in  the  origina), 
Ovens,  of  the  East,  how  constructed, 

r. 

Paradise,  origin  of  the  term, 

Peace,  how  term  employed  in  eastern  salutations,  1 

Peleg,  how  the  earth  divided  in  his  days, 

Perfection,  in  what  sense  ascribed  to  men, 

Pharaoh,  a  title  rather  than  a  name, 

his  conduct  in  taking  Sarah  from  her  husband  considered, 

Pillar  of  salt,  what  meant  by  the  expression, 


Vol.  Paga. 

II. 

159 

I. 

41 

II. 

131 

I. 

104 

II. 

48 

I. 

303 

1.  233, 

237 

II. 

101 

II. 

243 

11. 

6 

I. 

226 

I. 

37 

II. 

21.=S 

II. 

300 

11. 

379 

II. 

16 

I.  171- 

-173 

I.  114- 

-167 

I. 

162 

I.  163, 

164 

I. 

175 

II. 

74 

II. 

50 

II. 

50 

11. 

81 

II. 

227 

I. 

335 

I.  339, 

343 

II. 

5 

I.  76, 

78 

I. 

353 

II. 

243 

I. 

251 

I. 

54 

I.  116, 

224 

I. 

176 

I. 

122 

I. 

205 

I. 

205 

I.  328 


Vol.  Page. 

II. 

231 

II. 

64 

11. 

237 

II. 

66 

I. 

235 

I. 

223 

II. 

182 

J  I. 

349 

II. 

257 

11. 

69 

11. 

247 

I. 

340 

442  INDEX   OF   SUBJECTS   AND   PHRASES. 

Pi7,  into  what  kind  of  one  Joseph  cast, 

Plain  man,  how  to  be  understood  of  Jacob, 

Potiphar,  what  office  he  held  in  Pharaoh's  court, 

Pottage,  what  kind  of  food  meant  by  term. 

Possessor  of  heaven  and  earth,  how  this  title  applied  to  God, 

Predatory  xcarfare,  of  the  Arabs  described. 

Present,  what  implied  by  not  receiving  one  in  the  East, 

Present  tense,  used  for  the  past, 

Prisons,  in  the  East,  general  police  of, 

Profane,  epithet  how  applied  to  Esau, 

Prosperous  man,  how  affirmed  of  Joseph, 

Prophet,  original  import  of  the  term. 

Putting  the  hand-under  the  thigh,  in  taking  an  oaih,  what  meant 

by  it,  '  ir.    32 

R. 

Rachefs  grave,  state  of  in  modern  times,  II.  207 

Rainbow,  appointed  a  sign  of  the  covenant  wiih  Noah,  I.  157 

Rehekah,  her  counsel  to  Jacob  considered,  II.  66 

Remembering  Noah,  how  affirmed  of  God,  I.  139 

Repenting,  how  ascribed  to  God,  I.  120 

Requiring  the  blood  of  one's  Ufe,  what  meant  by  it,  I.  152 

Return,  in  what  peculiar  sense  the  term  used  in  scripture,  I.  289 

Respect,  shewn  by  parents  to  children  in  the  East,  II.  152 

Reuben,  how  the  excellency  of  dignity  and  of  power,  II.  367 

Rich,  how  the  epithet  to  be  understood  in  reference  to  Abraham,  I.  210 

Riding  upon  camels,  particulars  in  respect  to  II.  151 

Rising  up,  peculiar  sense  of  the  term  in  the  scriptures,  II.  7 

Rolling  one's  self  upon  another,  import  of  the  phrase,  II.  316 

Ruins,  of  ancient  Babylon,  I.  1S6 

Riders  over  cattle,  p\\T-??e  exi)hmcd,  II.  357 

S. 

Sackcloth,  putting  on  an  expression  of  grief,  II.  236 

Sacrifices,  animal,  the  original  institution  of,  I.     69 

Sanctify,  force  of  the  term  explained,  I,     47 

S'crory  wee/,  what  meant  by,  II.     84 

Sarai,  Sarah,  import  of  these  names,  I.  278 

Say,  used  in  the  sense  of  willing,  purposing,  decreeing,  I,     29 

also  in  the  sense  of  thinking,  concluding,  I,  343 

Sceptre,  in  what  sense  used  in  the  scriptures,  II.  393 

Seal  rings,  nature  and  use  of'in  the  East,  II.  286 

Seas,  symbolical  use  of  the  term,  I.    34 

Secret,  sometimes  used  for  secret  assembly,  II.  391 

See,  used  in  the  sense  of  understand,  perceive,                            ■  II.  296 

used  in  the  sense  of  looking  out,  providing,  II.     10 

Seers,  ancient  name  of  prophets,  I.  32B 

Sending  away  with  songs  and  mirth,  usual  in  the  East,  II.  143 


nWEX   OF    SUBJECTS   AND   PHRASES.  443 

Vol  Page. 

Serpent,  origin  and  import  of  the  term,  I.    70 

his  agency  in  the  fall  considered,  I.    74 

Servants,  a  title  of  ecclesiastical  officers  I],    31 

Servant  of  servants,  phrase  explained,  I.  1.63 

Serving  for  a  wife,  eastern  customs  in  respect  to,  II.  121 

Setting  the  eyes  upon  one,  what  meant  by  the  expression,  II.  330 

Setting  one's  face  to  go,  what  implied  by  the  phrase,  II.  146 

Seven,  peculiar  use  of  the  number,  I.  46  II.  ISO 

Siven  eice- lambs,  why  employed  in  taking  an  oath,  I.  363 

Seven  years'  service  of  Jacob  with  Laban,  how  to  be  understood,  II.  120 

Seventy  days,  a  period  of  mourning,  II.  419 

Sewing  fg-leaves  together,  mode  of  explained,  I.    79 

Sheba,  why  the  well  of  that  name  so  called,  II.    82 

Shedding  man's  blood,  penalty  of  it  considered,  I.  1B4 

Sheep- shearing,  a  season  of  festivity  among  the  Israelites,  II.  241 

Shepherds,  in  the  East  accountable  for  their  flocks,  II.  153* 

why  an  abomination  to  the  Egyptians,  II.  353 

Shekel,  origin  and  import  of  the  term,  I.  344 

Shiloh,  its  import  as  a  title  of  the  Messiah,  II.  400 

Shoe-latchet,  what  meant  by  terra,  I.  237 

Sinew  which  shrank,  what  it  was  and  how  forbidden  to  be  eaten,  II.  177 

Sister,  in  what  sense  the  term  used  by  the  Hebrews,  I.  204 

Abraham's  conduct  in  calling  Sarah  so  considered,  I.  204 

Sitting  in  the  gate,  import  of  the  expression,  I.  302 

Sitting  in  an  open  place,  how  spoken  of  Tamar,  II.  242 

Slaves,  called  servants  in  the  scriptures,  I.  229 

their  condition  in  the  East,  I.  229  II.  212 

Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  destruction  of  considered,  I.  315 — 328 

Song  of  the  land,  import  of  the  phrase  as  applied  to  fruits,  II.  313 

Sons  of  God  and  daughters  of  men,  what  two  classes  meant  by,  I.  116 

Soul,  used  in  the  sense  of  person,  I.  236  II.  212 

also  in  the  sense  of  tvill,  desire,  IL    24 

Spirit,  the  Lord's,  striving  with  man,  what  implied  in  the  phrase,  L  117 

Spirit  of  God,  in  what  sense  the  phrase  used  by  Pharaoh,  II.  283 

Speaking  good  or  bad  to  one,  what  meant  by,  II.  147 

Stealing  the  heart,  the  phrase  how  used  in  the  scriptures,  II.  146 

Stolen,  in  what  sense  affirmed  of  Joseph,  II.  265 

Stones,  why  placed  upon  the  mouth  of  wells,  II.  115 

custom  as  to  rolling  away,  II.  116 

Straw  and  provender,  how  prepared  for  horses  in  the  East,  II.    45 

SluJ"  and  goods,  distinction  between,  II.  347 

Subduing  tht  earth,  what  meant  by  it,  II, 

Sultan,  origin  and  import  of  the  title,  JI.  295 

Swearing,  term  peculiarly  used  in  Hebrew,  II.    36 

T. 

Tabret,  what  kind  of  instrument  meant  by,  II.  148 

Tempt,  how  God  is  said  to  his  creatiares,  IL 


444 


INDEX   OF   SUBJECTS   AND  PHRASES. 


Ten  times,  definite  for  an  indefinite  number  of  times, 

Tender-eyed,  epithet  how  applied  to  Leah, 

Tents,  Oriental  described, 

— ■  term  sometimes  used  for  house, 

• term  used  for  occupants  of  tents, 

Teraphim,  what  supposed  to  be. 

Tithes,  first  intimation  of  in  the  scriptures, 

how  given  by  Jacob, 

Touch,  equivalent  to  hurt,  injure, 

Trained  servants,  what  meant  by  Abraham's, 

Travelling,  usual  eastern  mode  of, 

Tree,  used  as  a  noun  of  multitqde. 

Trees  of  life,  and  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  what  meant  by, 

U. 

Unstable  as  water,  how  affirmed  of  Reuben, 
Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  modern  name  of, 


Vegetable  diet,  originally  appointed  for  man. 

Veils,  Oriental  customs  in  respect  to  wearing, 

Venison,  in  what  sense  term  used, 

Vision,  of  God,  how  made  to  ancient  patriarchs  and  prophets, 

Visit,  how  spoken  of  God's  dispensations, 

Voice  qf  the  Lord,  what  meant  by  the  phrase. 

Vows,  under  what  circumstances  to  be  made, 

W. 
Walking,  used  in  the  sense  of  increasing, 
Washing  the  feet,  a  common  act  of  civility  performed  for  guests, 
Waters,  of  the  deluge,  how  assuaged  by  the  wind, 
Water,  how  drawn  and  carried  by  females  in  the  East, 
—  living  or  springing,  what  meant  by, 
Weaning,  peculiar  import  of  the  original  term, 
Wells,  often  filled  by  enemies  in  the  East, 
Wheat,  the  peculiar  kind  of  that  grows  in  Egypt, 
Whales,  what  meant  by  the  term. 

Wilderness,  of  the  East,  how  described  by  travellers,  I. 

Windows  of  heaven,  term  explained. 
With  young,  phrase  how  used  in  the  scriptures, 
Women,  employed  as  keepers  of  sheep  in  the  East, 
Word  and  thing,  expressed  in  Heb.  by  common  terra, 
Vl^orks,  of  God,  how  very  good,  * 

Worship,  used  for  civil  reverence  and  homage, 


Vol.  PagB. 

II. 

140 

II. 

120 

II. 

64 

II. 

185 

I. 

212 

II. 

144 

I. 

236 

II. 

114 

II. 

74 

I. 

228 

II. 

143 

I. 

57 

I.  55 

,56 

II. 

388 

I. 

188 

I. 

42 

II. 

32 

II. 

66 

I. 

239 

I. 

346 

I. 

79 

11. 

112 

I. 

79 

I. 

284 

I. 

139 

II. 

41 

II. 

77 

I. 

349 

II. 

75 

II. 

292 

I. 

38 

355—356 

I. 

135 

II. 

184 

IL 

,  117 

I. 

238 

I. 

43 

I. 

283 

Young  man,  what  sense  often  attached  to  the  phrase, 


I.  238 


BS1235.B9781852V.2 

Notes,  critical  and  practical  on  the 

Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00041   7545 


